TALES OF MY FATHER
My Father, Charles Henry Jenkins (1908-1989)
Jack-of-all-Trades, Master-of-None ……. an enigma
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TALE SIX: THE PIED PIPER
Had my father ever been magically transported to some far off land, one thing would be certain to happen: within a few minutes of his arrival, the dogs of the area would sense his presence, make preparation to seek him out and then follow him as he made his way along the street, for my father was a veritable Pied Piper when it came to dogs.
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PART TWO: THE FIDOS
Noted psychiatrists have said that no one can be depressed who owns a dog – or was it that no one could resist laughing after receiving a lick in the face!? I can’t recall what was actually said or for that matter by whom. Was it Freud (1856-1939) or perhaps Peanuts who uttered this profound statement? Exactly whatever was said and by whom is not the point: what is important is the sentiment behind the statement, right?
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My father had two very special dogs that, although they were not with us for very long, retained a very special place in our hearts over the years.
Sadly I have no photographs of the Fidos,
but these show dogs that are remarkable similar to our dogs
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The first of these very special dogs, both named Fido naturally, was a rather large dog that was brown in colour with white markings. Big Fido, as he later became known, loved my father, but he also loved my mother and me. The poor dog tolerated me standing astride him and pretending to ride him, as if he were a horse! He would stand there quietly and still, as I stroked his head and made believe that we were in a race.
Big Fido always waited at the shop door for my father’s return whenever he went across the road to The White Hart public house. My father generally went to the pub at the end of the lunchtime rush just before the pub closed at 3 p.m. in order to enjoy a glass of Guinness.
I always liked the Guinness Posters, especially the ones with the face on the head
The front doors of The Pie ‘n’ Mash Shop remained open from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. when they were closed so that preparations could be made for the evening opening. Just prior to closing, my father generally nipped across the road for a quick drink,
Three Pie ‘n’ Mash Shops: Top Left: F. Cooke, once found on Kingsland Road, Dalston;
Top Left: G. Kelley’s, Bethnal Green Road; & L. Manze, Walthamstow;
Bottom Left: Jellied Eels; Middle Top: A Pie ‘n’ Mash & Liquor;
Bottom Right: Pies etc used to be eaten with a spoon and a folk, never with a knife
Big Fido, who was a very intelligent dog, and as I said, whenever my father went out, he sat at the entrance to the shop and waited for his return. My father always wore a white coat with a long apron when he worked in The Bake House. Sadly, Big Fido did not live with us for very long and came to a tragic end.
Waiting patiently
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My parents always believed that Big Fido perhaps noticed a man who was similarly dressed to my father on the other side of the road and who was walking away from the shop. They believed that poor Big Fido saw this man as a signal to spring into action and join him on his walk. As a result of his excitement to go for a walk, poor Big Fido was run over by a vehicle. It is believed that he died instantly and probably did not suffer. A few passers-by carried his broken body to the side of the road where he was later found by my father. Big Fido, I am sure, would not have tried to cross the road unless he thought that he was following my father.
The loss of Big Fido was taken very, very badly by us all. We were devastated at his loss. It was months before my father could bring himself to think about finding another dog. However, a working dog was necessary in the shop and so the quest for a new working partner began. Although other dogs came and went, Big Fido was never forgotten by us.
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Joy hating to walk on ice – never to be forgotten
A man cries twice during his life time:
Once when his mother dies
and
a second time when his dog dies.
Greek Proverb
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The next dog came to us quiet by chance. A customer told my mother that she had a small dog with a good nature, but as she was moving, would not be able to keep the dog. She asked my mother if she would like to have the dog. Since a dog was needed in the shop, the little dog was brought in for her and my father to see.
Jack Russell TerrierThe little dog was evidently a Jack Russell Terrier mix, but had one thing against us taking her: she was a female dog. However, when my father came out of The Bake House and into the shop to look at the dog, the dog immediately ran toward him, and it was, as romantics say, love at first sight, and that was that!!! After their initial interaction, which took some time, as the little dog could not get enough petting from my father, and if truth be told, he could not give her enough, a little bed was made for her in The Bake House, and Little Fido, as she immediately became known, took up her place and gazed lovingly at my father, as if she had been doing this for years.
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It was the usual practice of my father to take his dog for a walk once the shop closed at 11 p.m. each night. My mother and I were often allowed to accompany them on a Saturday night, which I looked forward to whenever I was awake.
The Morning Walk painted in 1775 by Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788)
At the mere mention of going for a walk, most of our dogs would go through a ritual. They would chase up and down the shop a few times and next twirl around in a wild Fandango while attempting to catch their tails. This dance would end in an excited leap into the air and then the whole ritual would be repeated until my father was ready to leave. Many of the more excitable animals were also unable to control their bladder sphincter muscle during their displays of excitement and would further demonstrate their pleasure through their inability to control their urine flow.
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Click here to watch FANDANGO from Doña Francisquita which is a Zarzuela composed by
Amadeu Vives i Roig (1871-1932) (performed at the Teatro Argentino de La Plata)
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In the early 1950s, traffic at 11 p.m. when the shop closed was light and often it would be safe for a well-trained dog to go out without a leash. However, most of our dogs required leashing before being allowed out. Despite all precautions, once the shop door was open, the more excitable animals would immediately begin pulling on their leashes in an attempt to get outside faster. Occasionally, one would jerk their leashes free of my father’s grasp and escape along the pavement. Basically all that these animals wanted was to run back and forth along the street a few times and then return and walk in a more leisurely fashion alongside my father.
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Big Fido was always well behaved and walked alongside my father with a kind of dignity. He never needed a leash and never ran ahead until we reached the market area opposite The Royal London Hospital, known as The Waste, which is a wide part of the pavement where stalls are set up during the day. I used to enjoy running with both Big and Little Fido here. When either dog was called to return home, both Fidos never refused and instantly came to heel.
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Although both of the Fidos were great fun, Little Fido was perhaps the more amusing companion for me. She was small and extremely excitable and her antics always made me laugh. I was often given the task of bringing down a huge mug of tea from the flat about the shop to my father in The Bake House. Upon hearing me coming, Little Fido would run and wait for me at the foot of the stairs. Once I arrived, she greeted me by leaping in the air, as if to look inside the mug to see what it contained. I remember that she would leap high into the air with the grace of a prima ballerina and land lightly ready to leap again. I had to hold the mug up high, as her cavorting could easily have knocked it from my hand.
I had to carefully tread around her and it took time to get into The Bake House with tea still in the mug, whereupon my father would tell her to get on her bed and leave me alone. This she did happily. She sat like a queen on her throne, as she eagerly and happily watched what was going on. I will always remember her sparkling eyes and the dodging of her head back and forth so as not to miss anything. I used to enjoy playing with Little Fido and we often had races up and down the shop, which she always won.
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I believe that Little Fido was only with us for about six months. However in that time, she became an unforgettable addition to our family. One day, without any notice, she disappeared. We never learned what happened to her, but my mother believed that the customer that gave her to us returned and took her back. Although this explanation may have some validity, we had no proof, and since we had no idea where the customer lived, we had no way of checking it.
Again, we were devastated at the loss of this wonderful dog. Sadly, we were never to find another dog to compare to either of the Fidos. Both Big and Little Fido were wonderful and remarkable dogs and continued to hold a place in each of our hearts. I doubt if a week went by without my mother or father not mentioning them and recalling a tale involving them. Years later, after my father had died and my mother came to live with me, we often talked of my father’s dogs and continued to speak lovingly of both Fidos.
Mr. Donny Kennedy with Nicki
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……. BY THE WAY
They say we all have a double somewhere in the world. I suspect that dogs have doubles too. I remember a few years ago when I was in New Zealand and about to visit Mount Cook, I came across a wonderful little dog that was the image of Little Fido – well, perhaps not the image, but a very close likeness. The dog was obviously lost and was waiting patiently for his owners to return to collect him. He was a delightful dog – very tidy and very friendly. He was obviously well cared for. I was immediately taken by this little dog and he was friendly to me. I wanted to keep him, but there I was traveling. Not a practical thing to take on this poor lost dog!
Others soon joined me and words of admiration was heard all about me. I thought to myself that someone will return to find this wonderful dog. How could they not? What home would not want this delightful dog? What child could resist his charm? So I went on my way. However, I could not bear the thought of this dog just being left and sitting there waiting and waiting. I rushed back to when I had seen the dog, but alas for me, but hopefully good for the little dog, he had gone.
I hope that his owner came back to retrieve him and to take him home, vowing never ever ever to lose him again.
Although several years have passed since I was in New Zealand, I still recall that delightful dog. What makes me sad when I think about him is that I am unable to tell my parents about him and to tell them how much he resembled Little Fido.
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It is amazing the effect that dogs can have on you, isn’t it?
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