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A Real Companion and Friend:
The diary of William Lyon Mackenzie King
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Behind the Diary
A King's Who's Who Biographies
Derry, the Pattesons' dog (1924-1940)
Dogs "Pat" and "Derry" at William Lyon Mackenzie King's estate, ca. 1925
Derry, an Irish Terrier owned by Mackenzie King's friends the Pattesons, was a brother of King's first dog Pat. This photograph is from King's personal collection.
Derry, an Irish terrier owned by Mackenzie King's close friends the Pattesons, was a brother of King's dog, Pat I. Both dogs were born January 3, 1924. They spent a great deal of time together, especially going for long walks with King and Joan Patteson. In 1924, when King and the Pattesons returned from their summer at Kingsmere, they brought the two dogs to Laurier House for the first time. Mackenzie King noted in his diary that, "Derry barked loudly at the bust of mother ...." (Diary, September 28, 1924)
Over the next 16 years, both Derry and Pat are frequently mentioned in King's diary. In the summer of 1940, Derry was blind and his health was failing. On August 23, 1940, the Pattesons chose to end his suffering. They laid him to rest at Kingsmere. Joan Patteson and Mackenzie King had already chosen a burial site near the Abbey Ruins that would be shared by both their beloved dogs.
