A Christmas Puppy | Eastern North Carolina Now

A Christmas Puppy

BY:  BUZZ CAYTON

SERGEANT

It was 1942 and World War II was well underway.  This opened jobs in Washington, D.C. and, as we were coming out of the depression, things were not booming in Blounts Creek, North Carolina.

My Aunt Evelyn found an opportunity there and was living with some other girls in an apartment while working for the government.  Christmas rolled around and travel gave priority to the military.

A man in Evelyn’s office had a small business at home keeping and raising dogs.  By mistake, a black lab jumped the fence and mated with a cocker spaniel, so the story was told to me.  The dogs were bred to be thoroughbreds and so this mix was just a by-product for them.  The man was offering the pups to anyone in the office that would give them a good home.

Evelyn had discovered that a soldier from Washington, North Carolina was stationed in Washington, D.C. and had a car.  She committed to a puppy and caught a ride with Nick Saleeby.  The puppy rode all the way in what was known then as a “market basket.”  It was a small, woven container with handles that people sometimes carried around the grocery store to pick up items.

Before I woke up Christmas morning, the basket had been placed under the Christmas tree. I could hear a little whining and scratching.  Grabbing the basket, I opened the lid to see this little black ball of fur with eyes that looked at me that same way all of his life.  It was a real puppy, and he just loved and licked me.  It was as if we had known each other forever.

This was the beginning of a friendship that only dog lovers can understand.  As the war was raging on, the Army had placed an observation post in our front yard.  My mother and the neighborhood helped with spotting airplanes for the duration.  I was showing off my new puppy and trying to think of a name for him.  One of the Army men jokingly said, “He looks just like my Sergeant.”  The name stuck and he became Sergeant.

Probably my happiest Christmas.