A Fox Terrier puppy as a farewell gift

We prepare to leave “Maizefield” for “Hopewell”

            Daphne and I were attending the “Kleinbroek Primary School”, she was in Std six and I was in Std three when we left for Alexandria in the Eastern Cape.   The principal of that school was a Mr Foxcroft, and he and his wife lived in a house on the school property.   They were childless, but had two little Fox terriers and we had asked them that if ever their dogs had puppies that we wanted to buy one.   It so happened that their little female dog had puppies when we were going to leave so he gave us a pup which we called “Toby”.   Daf says that Mr Foxcroft gave us the pup because she was his “star” pupil and he told Uncle Jim Randall that after we left, he never had another pupil like her again.

A Fox Terrier with her Puppies

            I am afraid that I was just an ordinary pupil and once got into serious trouble with some of my school friends for taking some reeds without permission that grew in the school grounds.   Mr Foxcroft ordered us all to stand in a row and to bend over.   We were about to get a few cuts each when something made him change his mind and instead he gave us the reeds with a warning not to do that again.   (I think he was a very kind man and the sight of the row of bums which would soon be stinging, softened his heart, and after all what were a few thin reeds which were going to be used as arrows.)

            Toby was a short legged black and white Fox Terrier with a black patch over one eye and a black spot on his back.   The eye without a black patch used to get sore and would weep at times.   This, however, never prevented him from becoming one of the bravest little dogs that I have ever known.   I don’t think that Chips was too impressed, as he was getting on in years and he was a bit grumpy, but Toby soon learnt to keep out of his way.

A typical Fox Terrier Pup

         

   I used to tease Toby and then run away with him chasing after me and nipping my bare feet until I could climb on to something.   He was fond of all of us but eventually he became Daddy’s dog and followed him all over.   You will read more about him as I tell you stories.

            Many years later when I started doing family trees, I discovered that our school principal, Mr Laurence Foxcroft, was of the same 1820 Settler family as my Foxcroft cousins.

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