Duchess 
was a remarkable dogage. She always spoke her mind and let one know what she wanted.
She was adopted from a WCBS-TV messenger who rescued her. I was sitting in the lobby of CBS on W57th St. when this messenger came in and with an exasperated voice just said “anybody want a dog.” I of course responded. There was a desperation in his voice and I felt there was a dog in need here. So, right away he said I could come and get this dog and I did. A friend of mine was looking for a dog and I thought this was great. The little dog was very cute, an adorable terrier mix. So I thought my friend would love her. Wrong! So now what. Here I was with this dog in my car heading home from New York City. I gave her a cookie which she immediately managed to drop under the front seat of the car and then when she tried to get it got stuck under the seat and the most incredible crying one has ever heard from a dog came out of her. I was in a panic. The West Side Highway in New York City, is not the most wonderful place to be on in the first place, especially at night, and certainly not with a dog stuck under the front seat. I had to pull over. Expecting the worse, I pry her out from the seat and gave her the cookie, which she ate eagerly. So off again. I stopped at McDonald’s and got her a small burger which she also ate eagerly. Off again, then everything she ate came back up. I won’t go into details, but it was a long trip home.
Home was another matter. I already had a dog, Rex, who was an older dog so I thought that, would be no problem. My mother loved dogs so I thought that, would be no problem. My father was always busy and never spent that much time with. I didn’t think he would care either way. So Duchess arrived. Her name at that point was “Nightwood.” A strange name but this messenger who adopted her and the guys that were all sharing an apartment were an interesting group. She was named “Nightwood” because she was all black. It became ”Duchess of Nightwood” and that is how Duchess got her name.
Duchess gave us many happy memories, also a lot of headaches. Right away she was sick and could not hold down any food, It turns out she ate all the different kinds of cigarettes these guys smoked. We had many sample of cigarette butts the first several days after I brought her home. The Vet treating her gave her a diet of boiled rice and hamburger which my mother cooked lovingly for about a month before she got better. Rexie, being the gentle dog, took her in. Duchess repaid him by slowly but surely making sure she became the Alpha dog of the house. After a period of several stressful months peace returned and we all co-existed.
Duchess loved to take road trips, she also guarded the car and if anyone got near the car she would try to bite them. Of course she bit the car instead, how those little teeth could rip up strong vinal I could never figure out. Rexie, never got used to being in a car, I guess that is because as a puppy he was not exposed to being in a car. Duchess on the other hand could not get enough of going for rides. Several of her trips were to my dance class in New York City. My dance teacher just loved her. These trips to the dance classes led her to write thank-you letters to my dance teacher, Harry Woolever. Then she would write of her adventures. These letters of her adventures became the source of the e-book “Letters to Mr. W by Duchess.”
This e-book sells for Ten dollars. Three dollars of the proceeds is donated to the North Shore Animal League, and three dollars is donated to Best Friends Animal Society. Two of the finest animal shelters that I have come to know.
To read a sample letter: CLICK HERE.
To purchase the Duchess e-book: CLICK HERE
