Category Archives: Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 54 • Mamička • Horses

September 8, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• My family didn’t share my fascination with animals. My parents didn’t understand how the odor of animals and farmland could fill me with delight. Whenever we traveled through the countryside I’d bath in the smell of freshly fertilized land. My mom found it funny that I liked the smell of manure. As I’d breathe in, my imagination would fly. When I would ride on the train I’d looked out the window and day-dream of galloping horses through the meadow, alongside the rail cars. For my two brothers it was just a countryside stench. My oldest brother Csaba didn’t like animals, but Attila loved them. We were city people. Animals were associated with farming and peasants. In Communist-Socialism, science and engineering were revered far above agricultural disciplines. My parents asked themselves, “How can our child ,from the city, have such rural interests?” They were still supportive of my interests.

• The Slovak countryside is hilly, interspersed with farmland owned mostly by co-op farms. There were many sheep and cows grazing, with peasants bent over tilling the land. In those days horses were used mainly for transporting farm produce. At Hotel Schalkház on Roosevelt Street where I lived, there was a station for horse drawn carriages. I went there frequently to admire them. Seeing how they would stand endlessly for most of the day made me feel sorry for them. Sometimes they’d have bags over their noses. Through my never-ending questions to the coachmen I learned that this was how they were fed. Their bags consisted of grain, or some mixture of molasses.

• Mamička

If you missed other Mamička posts, you can link to them here:

• Digital Photo Restoration

• 6 minutes 16 second

61.Jul - Barca · Eva Kendeova (braking horses, teaching to kneel, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo) — 61.Jul – Barca · Eva Kendeova (braking horses, teaching to kneel, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo)

61.Jul - Barca · Eva Kendeova (horses, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo) — 61.Jul – Barca · Eva Kendeova (horses, Jednotné rolnícke družstvo)

61.Jul - Keszthely · Eva Kendeova (horses, riding) — 61.Jul – Keszthely · Eva Kendeova (horses, riding)

61.Jul - Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase team) — 61.Jul – Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase team)

61.Jul - Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase riding team) — 61.Jul – Královský Chlmec · Eva Kendeova (horses, Steeplechase riding team)

61.Jul - Košice · Eva Kendeova (jumping Ramona at Veterinary Collage) — 61.Jul – Košice · Eva Kendeova (jumping Ramona at Veterinary Collage)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, jumping) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva Dusil (Horses, Babe, jumping)

84.Jun - Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot) — 84.Jun – Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (Horses, Babe, parking lot)

87.Sep.1 - Burlington · Eva Dusil (dressed up) — 87.Sep.1 – Burlington · Eva Dusil (dressed up)

Family, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 52 • Mamička • Farm

August 25, 2016 Gabriel Dusil 2 Comments

• Introduction by Eva Dusil • Editing by Gabriel Dusil • 2014 November

• The first two years of middle school were hard on me. We learned about farming, agriculture, and how to work the land. But my studies had little to do with animals, and that demotivated me. I was immature and undisciplined. It also aggravated my teachers, and subsequently upset my mother. She frequently had to come to school to smooth things over. I was bored with sitting in class when all I wanted to do was be on the farm. By the third year I found my calling since we were finally allowed to spend time on the school’s farm. I loved to be around the horses. I befriended one of the shepherds and many of the farmers. I was in my element, but quickly learned that the horses were not bred for the aristocratic activities that I had imagined. Instead, once they were mature they were sold to co-ops for farm labor.

• One summer my father kept pestering my mother, asking why I was spending so much time on the farm. He didn’t know what I was doing, or even if I was lying about my whereabouts. Most teenagers my age spent their days at the city pool. I did as well, but then went to the farm in the afternoon. By this time my father had retired. My mother eventually had enough of his nagging and told him to go see for himself. So he dressed up elegantly and accompanied me on this one and only visit to the farm. It was the closest he had ever come to such a grassroots lifestyle. When we arrived he talked to the farm employees and I showed him how I taught a mare to kneel, rear up on her hind legs, and kick on command as I tickled her rump. He was amused and it satisfied his curiosity. Then he watched as I disappeared into the distance on my dappled horse. My father had an excellent sense of humor so it became a running joke, among family and friends, that his daughter was more interested in four legged animals than the two legged kind.

• Mamička

If you missed other Mamička posts, you can link to them here:

• Digital Photo Restoration

• 5 minutes 41 seconds

71.Dec - Bampton · Eva Dusil (gallbladder surgery) — 71.Dec – Bampton · Eva Dusil (gallbladder surgery)

72.Jul - Orlando · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Disney World) — 72.Jul – Orlando · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Disney World)

78.Oct - Kitchener · Eva & Vaclav Dusil (Octoberfest) — 78.Oct – Kitchener · Eva & Vaclav Dusil (Octoberfest)

74.Dec.24 - Burlington · Stefan Kende & Eva Dusil (dinner) — 74.Dec.24 – Burlington · Stefan Kende & Eva Dusil (dinner)

74.Dec - Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (bedroom) — 74.Dec – Burlington · Eva & Alica Dusil (bedroom)

73.Sep - Brampton · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (1st day of school) — 73.Sep – Brampton · Gabriel & Eva Dusil (1st day of school)

73.Dec - Burlington · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Kwanas skating) — 73.Dec – Burlington · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (Kwanas skating)

91 - Burlington · Karol, Inchy & Eva Dusil (guitar) — 91 – Burlington · Karol, Inchy & Eva Dusil (guitar)

95.Dec.24 - Burlington · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil (christmas) — 95.Dec.24 – Burlington · Gabriel, Eva & Alica Dusil (christmas)

99.Sep.25 - Prague · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (wedding ceremony) — 99.Sep.25 – Prague · Eva & Gabriel Dusil (wedding ceremony)

Family, Gabriel Dusil, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 36 • Dusil • Pets

February 11, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• As huge as he was, Cezar was a gentle giant. He never bit any of us. Cezar even made futile attempts to play with our cats but was abundantly clear that – when push came to shove – he was terrified of claws. I loved our first cat Puci, but I was a bad guardian. As a toddler I wasn’t versed in the etiquette of looking after animals. To keep my toddler brain amused I tortured him endlessly. In one horrifying incident, I piled every single pillow I could find in the house, on top of him. When I eventually removed them one by one and couldn’t find him. Suddenly my mischief changed to terror, regretting that something had happened to my cat. It was one of those moments when the consequences of my actions slapped me in the face. As I scrambled to find Puci I saw him licking his wounds in the hallway. To my relief somehow he slipped out without me noticing.

• My most regretful moment was when a friend came to visit and I had this brilliant idea to impress him by dropping Puci off our first floor landing to the ground floor! “Cat’s can survive when they fall from a high distance” I said with conviction. Certainly not a proud moment. Thankfully he survived and wasn’t seriously injured. When Puci didn’t come home one day, I blamed myself. I felt that he no longer wanted to endure any more of my abuse. That realization had a lasting effect on my behavior towards our future pets.

• I cleaned up my act when we got Nuri, our second cat. He was named after the Soviet-born ballet dancer, Rudolf Nureyev. I vowed to be good to Nuri and never hurt him. He was a strong cat. Definitely an alpha male, and Cezar didn’t mess with him. In fact Cezar didn’t mess with any creature as small as a tenth his stature.

• Dusil

If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:

• Digital Photo Restoration

• 5 minutes 40 seconds

74 - Burlington · Gabriel & Puci Dusil (peeling potatoes) — 74 – Burlington · Gabriel & Puci Dusil (peeling potatoes)

74.Feb - Burlington · Eva, Puci & Gabriel Dusil (foyer) — 74.Feb – Burlington · Eva, Puci & Gabriel Dusil (foyer)

75 - Burlington · Puci, Gabriel, Alica, Eva & Cezar Dusil — 75 – Burlington · Puci, Gabriel, Alica, Eva & Cezar Dusil

75.Jan - Burlington · Gabriel, Alica, Vaclav & Cezar Dusil (winter) — 75.Jan – Burlington · Gabriel, Alica, Vaclav & Cezar Dusil (winter)

76 - Burlington · Alica, Gabriel & Cezar Dusil (dress up) — 76 – Burlington · Alica, Gabriel & Cezar Dusil (dress up)

77 - Burlington · Gabriel, Alica & Cezar Dusil (riding) — 77 – Burlington · Gabriel, Alica & Cezar Dusil (riding)

80.Sep - Burlington · Gabriel, Alica, Cezar & Eva Dusil (first day of school) — 80.Sep – Burlington · Gabriel, Alica, Cezar & Eva Dusil (first day of school)

81 - Burlington · Inchy & Cezar Dusil (restored) — 81 – Burlington · Inchy & Cezar Dusil (restored)

89 - Burlington · Inchy & Nuri Dusil — 89 – Burlington · Inchy & Nuri Dusil

89.Jul - Burlington · Alica & Nuri Dusil (front porch) — 89.Jul – Burlington · Alica & Nuri Dusil (front porch)

Family, Gabriel Dusil, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 34 • Dusil • Inchy

January 28, 2016 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• I walked to the Aldershot Animal Hospital every day after school. But one day was special. It was a fresh school year, and I had just turned eight. Michele Cieslik was working that day, and she told me that a litter of cats arrived. She asked if I wanted to play with them. Michele brought out a cage with four kittens. There were three orange and white males and one female. The kittens crawled all over each other, crying with a high pitched meow. I took one out. Then another. Then another. I didn’t want to take them out at once for fear of mayhem. Then I noticed that the female was smaller than the rest. She was tricolored – white, orange and black. Her coat was more oily that her brothers. She also seemed weaker as they trampled all over her. I took her out. She clung to me with dear life, and started to crawl up my arm, then across my shoulder. Maybe it was because I was bullied at school, and needing to protect the weakest one. But I felt an immediately connection. The funny thing is that I realized she wasn’t weak at all. She was feisty to where I felt she was compelling me to take her away from these bullies. She had a will to survive. After about a half an hour I put the kittens back in their cage, and brought them all inside. I showed Michele the tiny female kitten I fell in love with. She said I could have her if I wanted, and her name was “Inchy” – appropriate because of how tiny she was. When I got home my mom told me that someone left those kittens at the front door of the animal hospital that morning in a cardboard box.

• It was clear from the onset that our much larger alpha-male cat Puci, was the leader – rarely did Inchy challenge that. For years I had to feed her in the closet of my bedroom. Puci was so dominant he would often eat all his food and hers as well. Many times I had to scare Puci away so he wouldn’t steal Inchy’s food. Even still she remained very thin throughout her life. As small as she was, she wasn’t sick once, in her whole life.

• There were many evenings when I realized that Inchy wasn’t inside the house. So I would opened the kitchen door and call out to her. Usually within a few minutes she would come running into the house. In the winter I was most concerned. I never wanted her to sleep outside in the cold. Usually she came home, but there were a few nights that I would call her for what seemed like countless minutes. But she wouldn’t come home. Those nights my compassion overshadowed my realization that she was versed at taking care of herself. I tried to comfort myself hoping she had a warm and safe place to sleep.

• Dusil

If you missed the previous posts on Dusil, then click on these links:

• Digital Photo Restoration

• 6 minutes 19 seconds

88 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (sitting) — 88 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (sitting)

88 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (sleeping on white blanket) — 88 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (sleeping on white blanket)

89 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (red blanket sleeping) — 89 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (red blanket sleeping)

89 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (red blanket relax) — 89 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (red blanket relax)

89.Nov - Burlington · Inchy & Gabriel Dusil (studying) — 89.Nov – Burlington · Inchy & Gabriel Dusil (studying)

• Postscript by Gabriel Dusil • 2015 April • This was our daily routine throughout my university years. I was studying and working on labs and reports on my IBM PS2, and Inchy cuddled with me everyday day.

89.Nov - Burlington · Inchy & Gabriel Dusil (studying w. Inchy) — 89.Nov – Burlington · Inchy & Gabriel Dusil (studying w. Inchy)

90.Nov - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (studying with Gabriel) — 90.Nov – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (studying with Gabriel)

90 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (studying with Gabriel) — 90 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (studying with Gabriel)

• Postscript by Gabriel Dusil • 2015 April • If I wasn’t in front of the computer, I was in the library studying. Inchy was particularly good in helping me with special relativity, but she didn’t quite have a grasp of thermodynamics. In any case we were a great study team.

93.Jun.11 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (garden) — 93.Jun.11 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (garden)

95.Jul.30 - Burlington · Inchy Dusil (relaxing) — 95.Jul.30 – Burlington · Inchy Dusil (relaxing)

• Postscript by Gabriel Dusil • 2015 April • This is the last picture we have of Inchy. She died a few weeks later. My mom saw her outside, and brought her in. By this time she was deaf and very weak.

Gabriel Dusil, Pets

Family • Photo Restoration • 6 • Dusil • Cezar

March 26, 2015 Gabriel Dusil Leave a comment

• Introduction by Gabriel Dusil • 2015 March

• Having veterinarian parents carried an expectation that we would always surrounded by animals. Certainly that was the case – even at home. But it also seemed appropriate for my parents to go above and beyond that expectation. That’s why, when I was five years old, getting a Great Dane made sense. Even more appropriate was to call him by the nobles of names: Caesar (Named after Julius Caesar – although we used the Slovak spelling of Cezar).

• When we took him for walks on our street we always had neighbors approaching us, fascinated by his size. “Wow, he’s as big as a horse!”, was the most common comment. Back then many people had never seen a Great Dane in their life. During those years we were always known on the street as, “The veterinarians with the big great dane”.

• When we were young we would even ride Cezar. In the early days he was strong enough to hold me, but eventually only my sister was light enough for Cezar to hold her weight. Looking back, it may have seemed like a form of torture – parading on Cezar’s back as if we were riding a horse. Our friends watch us as if we were a act circus. At the time we felt that Cezar was relishing in the attention. Eventually we stopped our antics when it was clear he could no longer carry us.