The Key West citizen., 1952-11-27
HOMELESS WAITS


a day. And he has a wife and two
little daughters.
He can't spend much time pat
ting bewildered derelicts that look
so hopefully out of their little wir-
ed houses watching for a familiar
face, waiting for a remembered
voice-or just any kind face and
eentling voice. It's bad enough to
be lonely and human being. It's
worse to be lonely-and Just a
dog. An animal can't reason to
that extent. They can feel emotion.
They do miss and sorrow over the
master who once owned them. But
they can't understand that there's
no one to cuddle them If they are
small, or no one to put out a COM
forting hand and say, Good dog"
If they are too big to cuddle.
Agent Quinby is a kindly man
with innate affection for animals.
He says he's always liked them and
been used to them. "I'm q real
Florida Cracker" he said softly,
'born and raised in Tampa. We
always had a dog around the house.
I reckon that's when I first took
an interest. But ] just can't find
time to give all these dogs per-
sonal attention. Besides the board
ers, there are six or seven others.
They're good dogs. Maybe they
don't have pedigrees, not all Of
them, but they make fine pets"
When we drove up to the place
out at 240-C Poinciana Place where
the Humane Society maintains ken
nels, every dog rose to its feet ex-
cept one. She wasn't feeling in the
mood and just raised an ear and
rolled an eye. All the other in
mates looked out eagerly, some
barking, some waging a tentative
tail. Maybe it might be the below
ed master or mistress come to
feth them home-that was the gen.
eral impression. AS we moved from
kennel to kennel, the brown or
topaz eyes some big and wide,
some bright and small like polish
ed buttons watched each move.
When Mr.. Quinby drove up in
his truck the barking increased.
They all knew him and he got a
rousing welcome. We had to move
over behind the truck out of sight
before we could hear ourselves
speak above the din. While we
were talking, five or six children
gathered around, accompanied by
a canine visitor, a neighborhood
dog, part collie, which likes to ac-
company Quinby on his rounds.
He's not my dog" Quinby ex-
planned. "He just likes to visit. "
The visitor wagged his tail and be-
haved with gentleman's deport-
ment all through the interview and
the tour of the dog apartments.
Small Peggy Quinby said thought
fully that they have one pet of their
own. 'Tt's name is Duke Quinby.
My name is Peggy. I'm four years
old. Did you come to get a dog?"
Explanation seemed in order.
Peggy was told that we were try
ing to help get homes for dogs by
writing a story about them. But
she wasn't satisfied until told that
there was a dog at home already.
Peggy thinks that every child
should have a pet.
It's easy enough to get one If
YOU have a place to care for dog
properly. All you have to do is
telephone Mr.. Quinby at the Hu.
name Society at 1887 and make an
appointment. Then you drive out
TO Poinciana and explain what fac
ilities you have for keeping a dog,
what YOU know about caring for
them. II all is satisfactory, you de.
eide on which one will lit best in
TO your arrangements. buy a dog
tag make a reasonable contribu-
ton to the Humane Society, and
take your friend home. And friend
is the word for a dog, The small
sum you give is returned a hundred
fold in usefulness, loyalty, devot-
ion and companionship.
Filing by the doghouses, which
are light and airy and meticulous-
ly kept, there were a number of
adoption choices on view ranging
from a huge rust colored dog
weighing about 80 pounds, though
a small shaggy haired poodle-type
with wistfuI eyes. In one cage, two
puppyish dogs stopped r0mping
long enough to eye US with vel
come. One was black and white
TV addicts arose early on Sun
day morning to see the end Of
Elo'S valiant swim from Catalina