The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-09-25
This Sporting World
Waterbury Men And Their Dogs
By JOHN A. CLUNEY

AH0 HeIf DOGS
 Remembering that one shoul
 never allow the same canine to nj
 him twice, (eSpecially in the sam
 place. and also not forgetting tha
 every dog not only has his day
 but is now honored with an entir
 week of tribute and considera ton
 and last but not least, that W
 are in the middle of National Dol
 Week, 1946 I got to thinking abou men and their dogs; Waterbur, men, some of them so docile tha
 they would walk away from Caspe
 Milquetoast at the first harsh word
 but If you were to kick, strike O.
 hurt a dog in which they had mort than a passing interest; you migh
 be in need of quick medical o. surgical attention. Remember tht late Rev. John N. Lewis, pastor o.
 St. Johns Episcopal Church? Sel
 dom if ever, when the weather wal at all tolerahle, would one see thu distinguished clergyman, withou his coal-black Scottie on a leather leash. That little curly-haired dog with the small, shiny eyes looking up at his master in admir- ation, must have been great solace to pr. Lewis in his declining years towards the end of long life.
 I had a dog too, which was
 stolen one rainy night; but
 luckily, by the son of prominent
 man within 10 miles of Water
 bury; and to this day, he does
 not know that know he has my
 dog. She was a beauty, a female
 Irish setter, with that red-brown
 hair that is balm to the eyes and
 intelligence to match, that made
 you say to yourself: T wouldn't
 sell her for a million dollars" Yet
 I traced the thief through his
 auto markers; and when learned who he was and that he lived in
 the country or or near farm
 and the woods; I did not go after
 my dog; because she would be
 far more at home on farm than
 in a house on city-street, with
 little room to run around; and SO
 near a state road, where autonlo-
 piles were flying by at almost any hour of the day or night. haven't seen her since, but somehow or other I have often felt that her natural hunting instincts would have a much better chance to develop in her new home than II I had kept her tied up or in a house day after day. Her name was Queen" and you can be sure, if you know anything about Irish setters; that she had royal canine
 blood to spare, wish nothing but the best for her abductor as long as he treats her as well as he treats himself.
 In the old days, when our gang played basketball, swam and took calesthenics three times 8 week at the Boys Club, there was an all-white English bulldog; the prop erty of one of the finest men I have ever known, Harry (Beef) Edwards, who, at one time was physical di- rector at the Cottage Place muscle foundry directed by the late and great little Englishman, Nicholas (Pop) Combellack. The dogs name escapes me now, but he was quite an eyeful and as handsome Gin a bulldog way) as his master, tall, blond, muscular Harry who handled boys like Eisenhower handled the GI's in the second World War,
 The late Peter FitzHenry had a hunting dog, Sport" by name, that gave the former city controller many happy hour in the fields and woods during the fall Of the year. Connie Larson and his German boxer, Captain" are quite a twosome up Lakewood way ana on evenings when the well-known north end sportsman and coon dog fancier comes downtown to bowl at the Elks Club; while Captain" spreads himself out full length, fiat as a pancake on stone floor, ignoring all foot traffic, the owners of the feet having to go around or over him George Sinkers, the auto body and fender man em- ployed by Irving Mitkowsky, owns a little tan and white terrier, "Whitey'' by name that can sing and talk" in almost human fashion. In fact I have heard some radio singers who couldn't carry his dog-biscuit when it comes to vocalizing and they get paid Tor some of the high-C, off-key stut1 that sounds like cat caught ln a picket fence. For exercise, l have seen 'Whitey' pull stones as big as canteloupes out of Lake Quassa- paug; as he loosens the stones with his claws, then ducks his heao under water picks them up ln hls mouth, with a quick glance at hls master, which says, as plain as if he could speak: "see, how smart I amp"
 Ben Rodman and his huge Great Dane; Judge John P. Kellogg and his bulldog; Rev. Francis OShea' Harry Melvin, Joe Garvey, Sam Crittenden and "Bucky" Merriman are or were owners of dogs whom they prize highly; and what some of those dogs can do aside from their inborn loyalty is one reason why was most happy to be asked to serve on the local committee TOT National Dog Week; headed by E. Robert Stevenson. When 1t comes to the show" dogs, Bostons, in particular, we must give out With a few lusty parks to Patsy and Jane Brown, Ted and Mrs. Rourke oI Cheshire, and a few other Water bury people whose names l cannot now recall, who have done thelr full share and more to make wa terbury conscious of the one animal that would much rather die than