With Lucy the
Keeshond in the late '70s
It is with the utmost sadness and regret that I inform you that my mother — the mother of all mothers — died last week after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer in March. It has been an extremely difficult past few months for the family. In my case, the Scottish Terrier News helped by serving as a welcome distraction.
I would often show my mother the site while she was bed ridden and she especially got a kick out of the the arrest of the Scottish Terrier-owning paedophile, the photo of Jinnah with his Westie, which I pointed out to her after Osama Bin Laden was assassinated, and Hitler petting Eva Braun’s Scotties. Now, that may all seem a bit macabre to you, but my mother was a huge fan of crime novels and TV shows and seeing bad people get theirs, so please don’t take it the wrong way.
My mother was also a lover of dogs and took great pleasure in seeing Bridget during her final weeks. As I was sorting through her stuff, I found that one of the things she had kept — and not being a particularly sentimental type, she didn’t keep all that much — was the collar of our old dog, Lucy, who died some 25 years ago. Mom and my stepfather Peter, who died on June 26, 2011, had, at one time, planned on getting a guide dog who hadn’t made the final cut, but they eventually changed their plans for health reasons.
Lucy's collar
Over the years, my mother donated to a variety of animal charities, some of which have, unfortunately, ended up in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. For that reason, I am asking anyone who would like to make a tribute donation in her memory to please head over to Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind, a registered charity with an unsullied reputation. The address for cards is 35 Confederation Drive, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON Canada L0S 1J0.
You can also read more about my mother at the special site I’ve created to plan for her memorial.
RIP, Mildred and Peter Woods. You are very sorely missed.