ANIMAL OBITUARIES

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, July/August 1997:

Zooky (above), a husky mix who
was once “the fastest dog ever,” died on June
11 at approximately age 11, from congestive
heart failure that no longer responded to treatment.
Adopted from the Southhold, Long
Island animal shelter in July 1987, Zooky in
her prime outraced every dog of any breed she
ever met. On leash, she loped 25 miles with
ease and begged for more. Yet she was never
really fully domesticated, digging for water
like a coyote and regarding small animals as
potential prey—even newly arrived cats,
though she would eventually accept them as
family. She is missed by the entire ANIMAL
P E O P L E entourage, but especially by her
favorite cats Keeter and Voltaire, who spent
many an evening kneading her and purring.

Millie, 12, former “first dog” of the
U.S. as companion to George and Barbara
Bush, 1989-1993, died May 19 in
Kennebunk-port, Maine. Given to the Bush
family by Will and Sarah Farish, of Houston,
at age 1, Millie became famous after birthing
four puppies in the White House in March
1989. The Bushes kept one, named Ranger,
until his 1993 death of
cancer. Millie meanwhile
wrote a 1990
bestselling memoir of
“first family” life,
ghosted by Barbara
Bush, who donated
royalties of $900,000 to
the Barbara Bush
Foundation for Family
Literacy.

Ralph, 3,
police Malinois, was
allegedly drowned on
June 23 by burglary
suspect Kwane Dwayne
Edie, 17 who apparently
waded into a small
pond to evade pursuit
by police in North Fort
Lauderdale, Florida.
Edie is charged with 12
criminal counts, including
the murder of Ralph
and five counts of
attempted murder of
human police officers. Paramedics and firefighters
tried unsuccessfully to revive Ralph at
the scene.

Sugar, a dolphin believed to be 34
to 44 years old, died June 13 at the Sugarloaf
Lodge, where she had lived since her capture
with a companion, Loafer, in 1968. Loafer
soon died, but Sugar was acquired with the
lodge by the Lloyd Good family in 1973, and
was the first and last resident of the Sugarloaf
Dolphin Sanctuary. Amid the acrimony surrounding
the short-lived sanctuary, which tried
to rehabilitate five other dolphins for release,
1994-1996, Sugar seemed to be the only participant
who got along with all the other
humans and animals involved.