CHAPTER 8 – TINGLEY PETER

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Excerpt:

The principal keeper that followed Dudley, Ray Johnson from Cape Brett, had a dog called Rowdy, an old fellow who one day showed signs of being substantially sick.

Since his mother bred dogs, Merv said he was the logical person to see that Rowdy was taken ashore to see a vet. Ray’s wife was very fond of Rowdy-and Baby Lamb, and her geese Victoria, Albert, Miranda, Pegasus, and cats Tom and Jinkle-and she had definite misgivings about the proposition. But Merv’s mother bred dogs, after all, and perhaps that was a more important consideration. The dog would surely be in sympathetic hands.

And so Rowdy and Merv sailed for Auckland with a five pound note to pay expenses.

Many weeks later a note conveyed the sad news that Rowdy had indeed been sick and it had been necessary to put him to sleep.

Included was a bill for seven pounds.

Ray’s wife was highly suspicious but she paid up, although she never did work out, so far as we knew, how it cost twelve pounds to have a sick dog put to sleep.