HOLLY NADLER
508-274-2329
A saga’s been developing in our environs that, should Disney decide to option the story, could be a kind of Milo and Otis movie — without Otis. This one involves a 10-month-old puppy named Waylon, a springer/Labrador mix that may also have some border collie in him for extra I.Q. points. He’s got white front paws and white zigzags on his chest, but otherwise he’s black, with some of that raffish fluff that appends itself to youngster dogs.
Only a little over a week ago Oak Bluffs contractor Kevin Cusack and his wife, the super-talented photographer Betsy Corsiglia, adopted Waylon from a shelter in Rhode Island. Only problem was, Waylon had already spent the whole of his short life in a kennel with limited exposure to humans. When Betsy and Kevin brought him home to their beautiful digs off Barnes Road, rather than stick around and see what was being grilled for supper, he lit off for what Huck Finn called the Territory.
Betsy and Kevin put up posters in a far-reaching vicinity. Author and dog pasionaria Susanna Sturgis took up the cause and posted regular Waylon updates on her Facebook page. The outpouring of concern went viral. Soon they received calls from folks in a pinpointed area.
Kevin asked me not to reveal the specific coordinates. He and Betsy are trying to establish contact and trust and any extra humans added to the mix will be about as welcome to Waylon as little green men from outer space. They’ve left a crate for him padded with their own clothing so that his human mom and dad’s scent will gradually grow familiar to him. They’ve timed the distribution of meals to coincide with post-sunrise Waylon sightings in key locations. So far the feedback is that either the pup is eating regular delicious entrees or some canny raccoon has got the situation well under control for his own lifestyle needs.
Betsy and Kevin learned from a friend and dog expert that to simply capture Waylon and bring him home would only lead to repeated jail breaks. Better to keep track of the guy, feed him, expose him slowly to their presence until, at last, he comes when they whistle. Kevin sounded upbeat about their chances of recovering their new adoptee: “Our last dog was a shelter dog with an abused past, so we know that patience is key here.”
With any luck, by Christmas Waylon will be home with his brand new pair of humans, tail wagging and learning how to plant his butt on the floor to earn those tasty treats.
Speaking of heading home for Christmas, I received a call at 8:57 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, from a certain young man in a car heading south from Boston on I-93 for the Cape: Catie Coogan, Sam Morris and Charlie Nadler expected to catch the noon ferry. Sam has known Charlie since the second grade, and Catie met him when she was five months old. Baby Charlie had just been hatched, and her mom, Sharon, brought her to the MV hospital to see us. This occasion was memorable because Sharon pulled baby Catie away from her chest and said with typical Sharon Coogan wry restraint, “She just peed on my blouse.”
Catie hasn’t peed on her mom in a very long time.
This sounds like something good to mark in your calendars: The Yoga Collective at Island Cohousing Common House presents Ganesh is Fresh! Movement, Mantra, and Meditation on Friday, Dec. 30 at 6 p.m.
If you’ve never attended a midnight Christmas Mass, it really gives you an extra shot of Christmas spirit. They’re having one at Our Lady Star of the Sea at the magic moment that Dec. 24 turns into the Dec. 25.
Happy Christmas and merry Hanukkah to everyone, not forgetting Kwanza and Boxing Day on Dec. 26.
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