Frankie Weiss and Her Magic

In the 1970’s their last dog was Zip, another big canine. He was mostly of German shepherd ancestry and Zip was around for a number of years, keeping Marty’s father company after the death of his wife. At that time, your author was away from the family compound sowing his wild oats. I do not have too much memory, if any at all of these wonderful dogs, excepting Blackie in the 1950’s. Marty was grown up and away in college, (one of the smart Weiss family members) and later in the Army, but I’ll always remember Blackie, the Cocker Spaniel; she’s unforgettable and her beauty is forever imprinted in my mind.

Taffy

It seems that Marty and his wife Petie always had a dog in the family as their children were growing up and leaving the nest. The first pictured here was a mixed breed name Taffy. The coloring of the picture does not do the dog justice. Taffy may have lived for about ten years. I recently learned Taffy was a victim of epilepsy. She was taken to many Veterinarian specialists but none could come up with an answer or relief. It’s always painful when a dog is lost, especially, more so when the children were still growing up and the dog was a beloved family member.

Their next dog was Oliver, a beautiful black Labrador ; he is pictured at the top of page 66. I remember seeing Oliver in the final stages of his life, racked with the pain of unforgiving arthritis. Oliver could hardly get around. It was not a happy day for the Weisses when no choice was left but to have Oliver go through the process of euthanasia. Oliver was a beautiful loving, faithful dog for the entire fourteen years of his life. The years Oliver spent with the family were mutually happy ones. But as it will happen, children grow up, get married and leave the nest. Marty and Petie now shared Oliver and his suffering in the final years of his life.

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