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The Cookie Ladies of Mayfair – by Dr. Amanda Glew
As a veterinarian, I have always believed that being off leash is the most important thing we can do with dogs. They learn to socialize, they burn off energy, and my best piece of advice to owners is “a good dog is a tired dog”. We are so fortunate to have numerous places to walk our dogs in our area – but with the pressures of development, and more people wanting “by-laws” for dog control to be enforced, there are less and less. What is so impressive with our dog walks is the number of seniors still walking their beloved companions.
My mother is a spry octogenarian who can be seen walking her dog Charlie at Le Nichoir, or in the church cemetery. She says she likes the cemetery so she can talk to her friends who have passed (she also says with a wicked smile, that Charlie pees on those she doesn’t like!)
For those of you who know, there is a gem of a walk close to the Falcon golf course. For many years it was our only “official” off leash dog walk between 7-10 am – but with all of DG changes and council changes in Hudson, we are not quite sure at this point in time. However, it continues to be a dog walking area, and most dogs are off leash and well behaved.
The beauty of walking dogs at Mayfair is the socialization. Not only for dogs, but people often hook up, and do the walk together so that the dogs have a buddy. You get to know people from all over the area and with time, you find out a little about their lives, as well as the common shared interest of being a dog lover. Sometimes you walk with a “newbie” who gets worried whenever a bit of growling occurs. If you are more experienced, you reassure them that this is dog communication, and yell if it gets out of hand. In all my years of walking there, I have yet to witness a real dog fight, but I have broken them up pre-emptively many a time. Rather like children in a school yard, you just need to be vigilant.
For years, we would decorate a tree in the field – until it got too big. For years, we would congregate on New Years Day with Baileys and coffee and sometimes up to 30 dogs! For years, we have had the “cookie ladies” spoil our dogs with treats. They are both over 80 years of age, and walk daily.
There are 2 cookie ladies that I know of. There may be more. Maureen Hampson can be seen walking her terrier lab cross Sophie every day and all the dogs know that she has cookies. They also seem to know that she is a little frail, and stand or sit quietly until the treats are passed out. They also seem to know that they are only allowed one. All but my dog Porter (a lab of course) who is convinced if he stays she will give him another. Sometime she does.
The other over-80 cookie lady is Elly Duff who walks Ginny (a retriever mix) and Buster (a scotty). Ginny was known for her attitude for years, but now has calmed down with age or maybe the fact that her guardian is so well liked because of her cookies, that Ginny is no longer anxious. Either way, the other dogs are happy to mill around Elly for their treats, and ignore Ginny.
The important thing about the walking octogenarians is that it is something our dogs all look forward to. And the owners who chat provide something no social media can do – one on one interaction and human-canine interaction. This is what our area is all about.
