We lived on the edge of the golf course.  It wasn’t a fancy course – prairie grass and sand greens.  As a kid it puzzled me that something so clearly brown could be called a “green” but I chalked it up to one of those mysterious adult things that made no sense.

Mike’s daily constitutional took him through the golf course; a soak in a murky ditch adjacent to the railway tracks; across the main CPR line followed by a stroll down Highway 2 (main street) to Dad’s office, where he would arrive usually in a very odorous state.

Mike’s trek was so regular he was often given rides by Claresholm-ites who knew his destination, particularly the town plumber.

The stops along his route increased when Mom started work at the Bank of Commerce next door to dad’s office.  Mike clued in quickly and added the bank to his visits.  When the weather was warm, the bank would leave the doors open and Mike would stroll in. If not, he would patiently wait until someone opened the door.

At the time, tellers were housed in wicket-like structures and as the bank secretary, Mom’s desk was further back.  Since Mike couldn’t squeeze under the wickets, he simply went through the bank manager’s office to get to Mom’s desk. There he would settle in until it was time to head to Dad’s office.

To his credit, the bank manager didn’t complain until one day another dog came in and a huge dog fight erupted.  Mike successfully defended the bank but a detour was suggested. The bank doors were kept closed and Mike was redirected to Dad’s office.

One particularly wet spring, Dad decided he was going to break Mike of the habit of rolling around in the ditch along the railroad track.  So, upon Mike’s rather smelly arrival at the office, Dad loaded him into the car, drove home, filled up a laundry tub and bathed Mike.  Dad gave up after 3 weeks.

Although we knew Mike was a well-known Dog about Town, we didn’t know how well known until Mike’s obituary was on the front page of the Claresholm Local Press unbeknownst to us and courtesy of the editor.  In spite of being hit by cars over the years, Mike died of natural causes on February 16, 1964.  He truly did live the life of Riley.