HAPPY’S OBIT

In the ‘60s, there was a vacant desk near the door, and my dog Happy slept under it much of the time. At that time, Ruth Wells was writing for the paper, and in her column, entitled “Well! Well! Wells,” she wrote the following obituary when Happy died:

“The Times Office will never be the same. Happy is dead! Happy was Margaret’s pet dog, but she was also much more than that. About press time, Happy was usually at the office. She came to the front door and gently let her presence be known. Always entering like a lady, she came in to the ‘run of the shop.’ After making the rounds to see just what everyone was doing, she usually stretched out to take a nap in the hall, the most out-of-the way place she could find. Nor did she desert, no matter how late the midnight oil was burned. I hope there is a newspaper shop in the Happy Hunting Ground. If so Happy is at the front door, taking a nap and standing guard at the same time.”

My sister and brother-in-law's dog TG went to the Happy Hunting Ground today. TG stands for TGIF, and we called her "Teej." She, like Happy, gently let her presence be known. She'd walk over to you to be petted, never licking you or jumping on you. Her tail was a little dangerous, but you got used to that. She didn't exactly "beg" at the table, but you knew she was waiting. Although she survived many family cats in her lifetime, she did have a problem the day they brought home a life size concrete dog and put it on the front porch. But she learned to live with him, too.

I'm sure Teej and Happy have met by now in the Happy Hunting Ground and are running around like puppies again!