Ronald Oates at 428 Avenue E South. James/Jim Gilmour [son of James Sr. and Janet and identical twin to John/Jack remembered the gun and the visit very well - it was a bee-bee gun. The caption he wrote for the photo reads "Ronald Oates and our dog, Nig. The gun was a bee-bee gun. Ronald was our first cousin. His mother (Mary) was my Dad's sister."
Nig was a black cocker spanier purchased for Jack and Jim while Jack was ill with rheumatic fever and had to stay home in bed for many months. The dog was expensive - a real luxury in the days when money was hard to come by.
There are many, many adventures to tell about Nig - he was one smart dog! He used to come to the high school and sniff until he found the boys' classroom - he was so persistent that eventually, the teachers just let him stay. He also attended many movies where he liked to sit on the boys' laps and bark at the dogs on the screen.
I believe Nig also went swimming at the YMCA, possibly when the boys swam after hours by picking the lock on the gate. Nig was a great swimmer - he jumped off the Bessborough Bridge and could easily swim to shore in the currents of the South Saskatchewan river.
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