|
| Before Morgan came into my life there were other dogs, and since Morgan there have been many more who have made an impression. Sadly, many of them have gone to doggy heaven, but fortunately they were immortalised in photos. Here are some of them. |
| The first Kruger family dog was Impy, a Daschund who I remember very little of. I think I loved her until I became afraid of her when I was eight or so. It seems ludicrous that an eight-year old would be scared of a little sausage dog, but I was, so my parents gave him away. I hope Impy was happy for the rest of his life. I have no photos of him, unfortunately. |
| Then when I was 11 we inherited Micky. We rented a house in Sydney for a year while our new house was being built, and the people we rented from were going to live in Hong Kong for five years and had to leave their dog behind. So we offered to take Micky so she could stay in the house she knew.
Micky was prematurely grey. She looked like something had frightened her. We loved her, but she never seemed quite at home with us.
|
 |
| When we moved into our new house a year later she came with us and seemed happy for a while, but after a few years she started running away. She would jump over the back fence and go wandering. We kept finding her, but it became a real problem. One day — I can't remember when exactly, but it may have been five years after we first got her — she ran away and we never found her. We like to think she went back to the house she grew up in and was reunited with the family who had given her to us. I really hope Micky was happy for the rest of her days. |
|
|
 |
 |
This is Sheba, of Geelong in Victoria. Sheba belonged to Andrew, who was married to my friend Leanne. This photo was taken of me and Sheba in 1985 when I visited them. Leanne and Andrew are no longer married and Sheba has since passed on. But Leanne has been with Mark for many years now and their new dog Libby is a sight to see, so scroll on and you'll find her further down. |
| Another dog I knew in the 1980s was Molly, who belonged to my friend Stephen. They lived at Wentworth Falls in the Blue Mountains, and Molly was quite a little character. She went to doggy heaven in 1996 after 14 happy years. |
 |
 |
| Through Morgan I have, of course, met many other dogs. Before Diver Jeff gave Morgan to me, he got himself another dog who he hoped would be more "useful" around his farm as a working dog. We named her Jackie and she was quite a rascal of a pup, and I have no idea if she ended up being useful to Jeff. This picture was taken in Lismore in 1993. |
 |
 |
In December 1993 Morgan and I visited some friends in Kin Kin, near Noosa on the Queensland sunshine coast. They had a pair of Dalmations, Red and Alert, who Morgan got on extremely well with. Both have now passed on, but they were great characters and we love this photo. |
|
|
Morgan's best puppy friend in our early years in Byron Bay was Marley, who lived a couple of doors up from us in our happy plantation house.
|
| For some reason I had thought Marley's name was actually Gustav. When I was meeting lots of dogs in the neighbourhood after starting the Dog Dedication segment on my radio show, Debbie Does Breakfast, I had many dog names floating around in my head. Somehow I attached the name of one dog to another dog, and for months I called Morgan's best puppy friend Gustav. One day I met the puppy's owner and found out its name was actually Marley, and from then on he was known as Marley-who-once-was-Gustav.
He was a total cutie, anyway, and adored Morgan. Morgan adored him, too. When we moved around the corner to another house, Marley couldn't find us. We kept hoping he would, and we even went to visit him one day. It was heartbreaking; he was locked up in a yard behind a huge wire fence and when he saw Morgan he cried and cried. I hoped Morgan would find her way to visit him but I think they just got over each other. I missed Marley and wanted to take him with us when we moved to Tyagarah, but I guess I got over it, too.
|
 |
Morgan made a new friend after Marley, a dog named Amos. He was a total rascal, always getting into trouble, and I think he led Morgan astray for a little while. One day they disappeared for hours and Morgan didn't come home for dinner. When they finally arrived home in the middle of the night, they were both soaking wet and absolutely stinking of something most foul. But of course they both looked as though butter wouldn't melt in their mouths. |
| I heard later that Amos had been put down, which was very sad. I'm sure he found lots of rascal playmates in doggy heaven. |
| When we moved to Tyagarah Morgan found a stable romance when a gentleman caller named Forrest started visiting. Forrest was a big dorky Ridgeback with such undying devotion to Morgan it could only be endearing. Morgan would sometimes play aloof but Forrest was never deterred. Forrest belonged to a doctor down the lane who also owned a Dalmation named Rosie and a little Terrier named Myrtle. They made quite a family. But it was only Forrest who came a-calling each day. |
|
|
|
| During my year in Los Angeles, when Morgan was with my parents in Sydney, apparently Forrest kept calling in, hoping to find Morgan back where she belonged. He never gave up. So when we did return, he was on the doorstep right away. But after Morgan and I moved down to Sydney, Forrest has realised we aren't at home any more. He has since sired some pups, the handsome devil! |
| On my Debbie Does Breakfast Dog Dedication list there were many gorgeous dogs I knew and others I had never met. I am trying to track down photos of more of them, but here are a few just for now. On the left is Aerial of Goonengerry, who belongs to my friend Michael Bald the architect. And on the right are Meg and Lucy, formerly of Mullumbimby (more recently of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland), beloved pooches Shanna, possibly the most devoted dog owner in the world. Morgan and I spent 10 days staying with Shanna, Meg and Lucy over Christmas 2002 and Morgan was in her element with more walks, washes and bones than she had had in a long time. Meg passed away in July of 2005. |
|
 |
Brandy was my mother's dog for 18 months and she was as difficult as she was cute. A "hot-house" dog, Brandy had been a breeder for most of her four years, giving birth to perfect Papillion dogs and living in terrible, unemotional conditions. She gradually got used to my mother's effusiveness but was terrified of everyone else she came into contact with. She did, however, love Morgan, and when Morgan came to stay she would dote on her tirelessly. There they are, below, on the outside looking in.
Brandy was ultimately doomed, as she was riddled with illnesses due to the conditions under which she had been bred. She died early in 2002. |
 |
|
|
| Here are some other pooches who belong to friends of mine. Below left is Thai, the Golden Labrador who belongs to one of my former APRA colleagues, Michelle. |
 |
And below right are Jess and Jake, Shetland Sheepdogs from Sydney's Northern Beaches. Sadly Jake passed away in mid-2003 and Jess went in mid-2006.
 |
| My great friend Les had already replaced Jake with Buster to keep Jess company, and after Jess departed, he added Miss-E to the family. Buster is the darker chap on the left. Miss-E is the princess-like one on the right. They rule Les's home. |
 |
 |
Vincent is an adorable, soft, cuddly fellow and a recent addition to the home of my friend Jennifer in Sydney's Seaforth. Butter wouldn't melt in his little mouth, would it? In this updated photo, the silky seducer seems to be saying, "Call me... I'm Vincent." |
| Emilie belongs to Tracy of Double Bay... and Lily of Rose Bay... and was occasionally seen walking with Morgan in the parks of Neutral Bay. Emilie is suitably pampered and pandered to, but is cute enough, in that little scruffy terrier way, that she gets away with it. |
 |
| One day in the early winter of 2005 Tracey, Emilie and I were walking around in Rushcutters Bay Park when we met Bella and Stella, these adorable puppies below. As I just happened to have my camera on hand, I seized the opportunity to add them to the Canine Friends family. Bella, on the left, was a natural model. Stella, at right, was less willing, but after countless attempts I got her face in shot. |
|
|
 |
| Scrappy lives with my old Byron friend Richard and his girlfriend Kaori in inner-city Melbourne. I've spent time with them on recent trips there and it is a marvel to behold how Dickie has become quite dogified after years of living in a wildlife habitat area in Byron where dogs were shunned. Scrappy gets three walks a day and spends most of his time sleeping in the sunniest spot in their lounge room. Scrappy is a total cutie. |
 |
 |
Owen is another Melbourne pooch, whom I met in the cold winter of 2003 while visiting with my friend Vanessa. She was house-sitting for the owners of Owen. He is a very sensitive and beautiful boy who likes to play a trick with marshmallows (and any other bite-size food he can get his nose under). I'm not sure if you can see the marshmallow on his nose, at left, but a second after I took this photo, he managed to get it from his nose into his mouth. Whatta boy. |
| This is Bonnie who lives in Mackay in Queensland. Bonnie is a tropical dog (sometimes she acts a bit troppo) who has a tongue to rival the one belonging to Gene Simmons from Kiss! She's a sweetheart. |
 |
 |
Here is Libby of Geelong, who belongs to Leanne, Marlee and Mitch. I haven't seen her in person (or dog, for that matter) yet, but I have a feeling we are destined to meet before too long. |
| That's a nice segue back to a Sydney dog, actually, because Leanne and I first became friends in the '70s through our love of Sherbet, and this next dog, Astro Boy, belongs to Ted Howard, the resident engineer at [Sherbet songwriter and mega-successful country music producer] Garth Porter's studio in Sydney. All studios should have a resident dog, and on a recent visit to see Garth and Ted in 2006, there was Astro Boy, virtually demanding he be included on Deb's Canine Friends page. No worries, Astro. |
 |
 |
On the left here, this very adorable looking munchkin is Ernie, who belongs to Dave, a colleague of mine during my stint at the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority in 2006. Too cute.
And the two equally adorable pooches below live with another of my Foreshore Authority pals, Kim, who sits next to Dave at work. Coco is the black one on the left, and Spiro is on the right, chewing on the hapless yellow rubber creature. Better than chewing on one of Kim's kids, I reckon!
|
|
|
| One more furry friend belonging to a Foreshore Authority colleague is Remy, beloved pooch of Julie. Remy is photographed here by Danielle from Animax Photography. After seeing the beautiful photos of Remy, I took Morgan along to see Danielle and the results can be found on Morgan's page, here. |
 |
 |
Here is Bender from the Blue Mountains, the new addition to the Fox Family. My friend Simon, a father to three beautiful girls, will no doubt benefit from some extra testosterone in his home. Bender will be kicking around a football in the back yard before you know it. |
| Joe and Bella live with Lisa and her family in Sydney's Neutral Bay. How adorable are they? (And how nice is that pink couch?) Lisa is a lifetime dog lover and Sherbet fan, so it's good to know these pooches are getting the right musical education. |
 |
 |
Mogy and Copper live with Wendy and Alan in Five Dock, Sydney. Copper is a big Labradoodle puppy - only a year old at the time of this photo. Mogy is a more mature (eight years old here) Golden Retriever. I love them from the photo, so hope I get to meet them. So many dogs, so little time... |
| There is possibly none so adorable as this little one. Ollie is a brand new Cavoodle, who belongs to my dear friend Melinda and her kids Alex, Maddie and Hannah. They all live in Belrose in Sydney, and Ollie is the centre of attention at all times in their house, and why not? I had the distinct pleasure of looking after Ollie for a weekend in March 2009 and it was the best therapy I could have. I fell completely in love and although I tried to pack him into my bag to take home to Byron Bay with me, which Ollie was definitely interested in, he decided ultimately to stay with his Sydney family. I'll be back for you one day, Ollie, you can be sure!! |
 |
| I keep track of a lot of gorgeous dogs I have met or have at least heard of on the other side of the world, too. |
 |
These dogs are too cute. Their names are Tucker and Chance and they hail from Oregon. I have never met them, and I don't even know their names, but I got talking about dogs to a man named Steven, whom I met on a plane somewhere in the US in 1995. He offered to send me a photo of his Jack Russells, and indeed he did. I kept the photo all these years so it deserves its place on this page. Hopefully Tucker and Chance are still kicking around in Oregon to this day. |
| Having a lazy Christmas in Los Angeles in 1997 were Baby Girl and Murphy, the most pampered dogs I have ever met. Baby Girl and I connected instantly. She climbed on top of me and rested there like it was home. Murphy was a very sweet guy, too. He passed away midway through 2002. Baby Girl went in 2005. Her owner, John David, now living in Tennessee, wrote: |
 |
| "The Beautiful Babe finally laid it down at 18, died in Tenessee in my arms on the hill beside the woods at sunset ... peaceful, graceful, she just looked off into her future and stayed there." We should all be so lucky to go that way. |
 |
Doc and Jakey are the new dogs at JD's ranch. They're brothers, and complete nut cases, according to their owner, who ensures they live a life of luxury. I hope to meet them one day. |
|
 |
Winnie lived with my pal Ned at the beach in Malibu. They had a pretty laid-back life and Winnie got to hang on the beach every day, something that Morgan would no doubt envy. I took this photo of Ned and Winnie in September 2000. Ned has now moved inland, in the canyons area north of Los Angeles. I think Winnie is still with him and hopefully still gets occasional visits to the beach. |
| Max was a Corgi who belonged to my best friend in LA, Henry Diltz, the rock photographer. Actually, Max belonged to Henry's son, Nick. Max spent most of his time hiding under the house, but he came out for my birthday party in August 2002 and enjoyed lots of attention from all the guests. |
 |
| These two cuties below are Ike on the left and Amos on the right, who belong to Lisa and Melissa in Austin, Texas. Ike has been a fixture on L&M's Eagles Fastlane website for some time and now his new brother, Amos, has been appearing. It's fun to check in and find out how they're progressing, which you can do here. |
 |
 |
| Okay, now you know how there are sister cities all over the world that are on opposite sides of the globe? Well how about sister dogs who live across the world from each other? Meet Morgan from Palm Springs, California. This little Morgan, a baby Boxer, belongs to Chris and Mike and I was just so wrapped that my Morgan had a namesake in such a gorgeous place as Palm Springs I had had to take more than one photo! |
 |
 |
 |
| That's me with my darling friend Sharon on the right (you'll get to meet her properly in the Jetsetter section... when it's finished!). I am trusting that Chris will keep me posted on Morgan's growth so that I can keep posting new pictures of her on this page. |
| Then there's my dog-crazy friend Stefanie of Brentwood in Los Angeles, who, with her husband Phil, has three darling dogs. Here she is with two of them, Kara, the Albino, and Dexter, the cheeky one who kept lying on my towel by the pool. These dogs have their own bedroom in Stef and Phil's house. Naturally. |
 |
 |
 |
Stef sent this photo of the new addition to their household, joining them in January 2007. Neiman Marcus is his name, and one can only assume his mommy plans to take him shopping!! |
|
| Here are my first pooches from England to grace this page. Meet Ziggy and Tilly from Richmond, Surrey. Their dad is a grammy-winning songwriter and record producer, and consequently they live a fairly comfortable life! |
 |
| On the Hawaiian island of Oahu, near Lanikai Beach, lives Nalu, whom I met at Christmas in 2005. "Nalu" means "surf". This little pup wasn't doing a whole lot of surfing on this particularly heavenly day on this most beautiful of beaches; fetching was more his game. What a darling, nonetheless. |
 |
 |
| On my next visit to Lanikai in 2008 I met this colourful cutie, Yumi, and knew he had to be on this page, too. |
|
|
| I'll be adding more canine friends to this page as they come to hand, so if you are a dog-loving web surfer, be sure to surf back in some time. |
 |
|
