Eileen Punnett and her 101 pooches

I have known Eileen Punnett for approximately 20 years. The totality of these years, as her veterinarian and friend. I still call her Granny Punnett. I remember the time when she had over 40 dogs in her care. Over the years, I have learnt a great deal from her concerning dog behaviour and the practical aspects of animal rearing in general.{{more}} Of the 40 something dogs and puppies in her care, she knew each by name and could tell you the history of each and every one of them.

Eileen Punnett in her heyday, has selectively bred the so called Bequia poodle to obtain some of the smallest sized dogs of this local breed in SVG.

She is the person who related to me the history of the emergence of this breed that today is sought after throughout the Eastern Caribbean.

According to her, they are mostly a cross between the Chihuahua and Pomeranian that actually originated over 100 years ago in Bequia.

Not only is she a dog lover, she is an animal lover in general.

There were periods when she bred parakeets and cockatiels.

I remember her favorite cockatiel that was named Fancy face after the beautiful plumage on the bird’s face. She also reared pigeons and doves.

From my experience, even though books will tell you that parakeets could be taught to speak, this really is a rare occurrence in our conditions. But she had one that she had actually hand fed from a very young age and that little bird learnt to speak quite a few words, even though she had to translate some of the words for me.

She even has quite a few turtles in her backyard. One day she demonstrated how she called them for meals. She took a spoon and hit the feeding bowl a few times. From all corners of the yard, I saw little shells, not so little shells, and large shells with heads sticking up from below, heading with all intent and purpose as if in slow motion towards the sound of music.

In Eileen Punnett’s living room is a treasure trove of trophies depicting the exploits of her younger days.

There are trophies she won for playing golf and horse racing, and to go with each trophy is a wonderful story that I never get tired of hearing. There are also beautiful paintings of dogs on her wall.

There was a time when the names Bequia poodles and German Shepherds were synonymous with Eileen Punnett. She constantly churned out puppies for sale but never sold them to any and everyone. If she thought that someone would not be able to give them a good home, she would not sell them any.

She even confided that if she got wind of someone who was not treating a puppy that was bought from her good enough, she would repossess it after refunding them for it.

Eileen Punnett is one of those persons who never seeks to be recognized for her sterling contribution towards furtherance of dog and animal breeding and welfare in SVG, but if anyone deserves recognition for their work with animals in SVG, she is among the top tier.

These days, she is not as active as she once was, but she still could tell a good story of the good old days.

For further information, contact: Dr. Collin Boyle Unique Animal Care Co. Ltd. Tel: 456 4981
Website: www.uniqueanimalcare.com