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Telegraph
27-05-2025
- General
- Telegraph
After 40 years as a cat person, I've abandoned them for dogs
When we got our first dog in 2015, there was much talk within the media about the scourge of loneliness and social isolation. The more time we spent on our phones in this modern world, the less we knew how to interact in real life. And we were suffering accordingly. But thanks to Missy, a border terrier I sourced, as it happened, on my phone, I found that people are still only too eager to talk to strangers; they just need an excuse to do so. And nothing quite facilitates easy conversation better than walking your dog in a park. I was in my mid-40s when we got her, and she was, at least initially, an unknowable thing to me: over-friendly, over-eager, tauntingly tireless. I'd previously been a cat person, drawn to their aloof independence, and the fact that they could treat you the way Zsa Zsa Gabor occasionally did her husbands. I liked that, for some reason. The dog, in comparison, was a love bomb, always exploding in your face. She arrived at a stage in my life – specifically, midlife – when I was beginning, with palpable relief, to extricate myself from certain friendships, while lamenting those that just seemed to unravel of their own accord. But the dog then led me, without fanfare, into an entirely new social circle, comprised of people I'd never have encountered, much less befriended, without her. Over the next 10 years, she would open up the world in all sorts of ways, a beguiling companion at home, and a perpetual liability outdoors. She'd require me first to interact with strangers, then apologise to them as and when needed, which was often. Like the time she knocked a little girl flying while in pursuit of a pigeon, her mother distinctly unimpressed, or the homeless man whose Greggs' sausage roll she daringly swiped. I'd routinely watch her waltz off with total strangers simply because they had better treats than me, and occasionally stood helpless as she darted out into oncoming traffic because it seemed a good idea at the time. Life with her has been complicated, certainly, but rarely dull. Find your tribe In the small neighbourhood park I'd previously blithely ignored, I found endless drama and incident, and fell in with people who were young and old, and from every conceivable background, each eager to connect. It was here where a graffiti artist, with a limping pug, offered me an unsolicited TED talk on the benefits of investing in bitcoin one morning, while on another I walked with a stoned martial arts enthusiast – barefoot alongside his majestic Akita – to help him look for his shoes, 'which I seem to have misplaced'. I watched arguments erupt and quickly settle, new love blossom, and offered solace to those for whom it had ended. People with dogs seem to talk more openly than those without. While our pets mooched about us, they shared their anxieties, the trials of menopause, their myriad gripes and grouches. It felt lovely to be taken into quite so many confidences, and we became a community. True, I don't think any of us ever met outside the park, and we didn't always learn each other's name quite as quickly as we did the dogs', but within here we had each other's backs. When, for example, the man with Alzheimer's continued to turn up long after his own border terrier had died, and advancements in his condition became increasingly evident, one of us always silently volunteered to walk him home again afterwards. And when we encountered an emotional woman crying into her poodle's fur, the group offered her refuge from her abusive relationship, then helped her to break free from it completely. If ever I lost faith in humanity, I need only come back here to see it restored. Train your dog to obey I would come quickly to learn that getting a dog is much like having a baby. Everyone has an opinion on how you are raising it, and are quick to tell you where you're going wrong. 'Get a firmer grip,' they said. 'Teach her to obey you.' 'Ha,' I replied. 'Good one.' One July, we went to the river to cool off, only to watch – horrified – as Missy was swept away in the water's current in pursuit of a tennis ball that hadn't been thrown for her. The further she drifted, the louder we cried. A crowd gathered. 'You want to control her,' someone chided. 'That's my dog's ball,' said another. We called out to her, but she suffers from selective hearing. Her focus was entirely on the ball. The more she tried to bite it, the further away it bobbed. You'd think she'd give up, but no. Terriers. A large cruise boat loomed into view. This was getting serious. My wife spotted a kayaker, and pleaded for his help. Cheers rose from the crowd. We'd become the afternoon's entertainment, folk abandoning their barbecues to watch. The kayaker paddled fast, grabbed her, then clamped her tight between his thighs. In this way, a life was saved. The reunion was tearful, the kayaker awkward amid the gratitude. And then the cheers turned to jeers. Missy had waded back into the water. The tennis ball was still out there, unclaimed. 'That's my ball,' the lady next to me said again. Be in the moment It's an unavoidably sad fact that our animals age much faster than we do. When Missy was a puppy, I was still clinging hard to youthful energy levels, but both of us have been through much in the intervening years – existential crises (me), clogged anal glands (her) – and it shows on both of us. We've each got grey in our muzzles, both increasingly set in our ways. And our daily walks have become a battle of wills. We don't meet with the same crew any more – some have moved on, a few have died – and Missy doesn't like the newer arrivals. There've been incidents, fights. And so now we head elsewhere. But while I turn right, she veers left. Often, in the middle of the road, she will simply stop, impervious both to the encroaching traffic and to my pulling on the lead, happy to allow her neck to extend like a giraffe's in order to exert her will. I try to stare her out, but she doesn't blink. She leads me instead to a nearby cemetery, where it's quieter. Here amongst the gravestones, I contemplate my mortality while she sniffs every blade of grass at least twice, then lies down. Time slows. At first, this tested my patience greatly – I've things to do, deadlines to meet – but now I've given into it, embraced the mindfulness of it all. Away from my desk for a blessed hour, I take in the trees and the birds, and I feel almost, almost, at peace. Of course, the moment we get home, all is forgiven between us. Her eyes brighten, her tail wags, and she smiles up at me (I swear she smiles). Truly, I'd be lost without her. She's my constant companion, my significant other.
India.com
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- India.com
Meet Actress Who Married 9 Times, Died At 99 With Estimated Net Worth $40Mn, One Of Her Husbands Was Top Hotel Magnate, Her Name Is...
New Delhi: Celebrity lives are high on glitz and glamour. The luck ones might find love for keeps but for others, it still remains a looming reality. Even marriages do not last long for everyone including celebrities who have a volatile professional career in addition to a high-stakes personal relationship. Today, in our 'guess who' series, let's find out which actress got married as many as 9 times. Well, yes not once, twice or even thrice but she tried her luck 9 times. Meet Actress Who Got Married 9 Times The very gorgeous Zsa Zsa Gabor was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. She participated in 1933 Miss Hungary pageant, where she finished as the second runner-up. She emigrated from Hungary to the United States in 1941, and became a sought-after actress. Her first film role was a supporting role in Lovely to Look At, released in 1952. She did We're Not Married!, and played one of her few leading roles in Moulin Rouge, directed by John Huston. Known for her glamourous Hollywood lifestyle, she exuded charm. Gabor was famous for her link-ups and extravagant style of living. She has 2 sisters, socialites and actresses Eva Gabor and Magda Gabor. Who Are the 9 Husbands Of Zsa Zsa Gabor - Timeline Gabor had nine husbands, including hotel magnate Conrad Hilton and actor-singer George Sanders. She once stated, "Men have always liked me and I have always liked men. But I like a mannish man, a man who knows how to talk to and treat a woman—not just a man with muscles." Burhan Belge (married in 1935; divorced in 1941) Conrad Hilton (married in 1942; divorced in 1947) George Sanders (married in 1949; divorced in 1954) Herbert Hutner (married in 1962; divorced in 1966) Joshua S. Cosden Jr. (married in 1966; divorced in 1967) Jack Ryan (married in 1975; divorced in 1976) Michael O'Hara (married in 1976; divorced in 1982) Felipe de Alba (married in 1983; Annulled in 1983) Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt (married in 1986) Out of these 9 marriages, Gabor only had one daughter named Francesca Hilton, who was the member of the Hilton family. She was the only child of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton and his second wife, Zsa Zsa Gabor. Gabor's Cause Of Death At 99 According to Wiki information, Gabor, who was in coma, died from cardiac arrest at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center on December 18, 2016. On her death certificate, coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease are listed as contributing causes. She was 99. Reportedly, she had been on life support for the previous five years. Her last film appearance was in A Very Brady Sequel which released in 1996. Gabor's Net Worth, Who Inherited Her Property? Zsa Zsa Gabor's estimated net worth according to Celebrity Net Worth happened to be $40 Million at the time of her demise. Grunge reported that after her death, her last husband Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt became the sole trustee of her estate. Her only child Francesca Hilton, died a year before Zsa Zsa Gabor on January 5, 2015 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, after having suffered a major stroke. She was 67. Notable Work Of Zsa Zsa Gabor Gabor first film role was a supporting one in Lovely to Look At, released in 1952. She did We're Not Married!, and played one of her few leading roles in Moulin Rouge, directed by John Huston. Next she did MGM films The Story of Three Loves, Lili, as well as the French-Italian comedy The Most Wanted Man. She also did Love in a Hot Climate, The Girl in the Kremlin, The Man Who Wouldn't Talk, and Orson Welles' film noir Touch of Evil. She played German spy Mata Hari in Up the Front, Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie and The Naked Truth among many others. Her Television work includes 'What's My Line?, The Milton Berle Show, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. She also did The Merv Griffin Show, The Mike Douglas Show and Hollywood Squares. Besides these appearances on chat shows, she also featured in General Electric Theater, Matinee Theater, The Arthur Murray Party, Playhouse 90, and Dinah! to name a few.
