Wallis
Wallis is a miniature wirehaired dachshund. She was named after
Wallace of "Wallace and Grommet", but the spelling of her name is
female. She has been coming to St. Marks since the spring of 1996.
Even thought I have moved to Riverdale I still bring her downtown.
When I first brought her in she fit in the palm of my hand.
Since she is so small I have been able to take her pretty much
everywhere I go, including Canada, the Caribbean, Western France
and Southern Italy. Once on an airplane coming back from Paris I
sat next to a veterinarian. She told me that Wallis might be the
most well behaved dog she had ever seen. Wallis came with me to
this small town in Italy called Otranto, every morning she would
play soccer with the children in front of the old castle. Everyone
would come out to watch including the nuns.
As the Director of the Film and Video Department of City College /
CUNY my students love to put Wallis in their films and in
one case when the credits rolled Wallis was the only "actor" to
receive a standing ovation.
She loves to fetch sticks three times her size and her favorite toy is
a full sized basketball. One time she ran into a soccer game in
Central Park and stole the ball from the middle of the game. A
tourist stopped me and said that watching Wallis was the best
thing she had seen in New York.
In the last few weeks, Wallis has lost her eyesight to a rare
degenerative retina disease. She is doing great and adjusting well
to her handicap. I have started taking her to Tibbets Brook Park in
Westchester to play soccer in this large field. If not for the goggles
she wears to protect her eyes no one would know that she's blind.
I'm glad to see her happy again.
- Wayne Grofik
Watch Wallis play Soccer
(recommended for high speed
connections only)
