Click & unzip to hear a message from Darkmum.
All of our dogs are special. Rudolph Valentino had one dog who stole his heart. Kabar was born 102 years ago on June 20, 1922, in Alsace, France. Sadly, Rudy and Kabar were not destined to spend much time together in this life.
Kabar was gifted to Rudy by Jacques Hérbertot, a Belgian diplomat in 1922. Rudy took actual possession of the Alsatian dog in 1924; the two were inseparable.
Many think Rudy raised Kabar from a puppy and trained him, but this is untrue. Kabar was sent to the Hudnut estate in France for special training when he was just a few months old. The photos of Rudy and Kabar at Falcon Lair and traveling were taken during 1924/1925. Look at them and think about the circumstances. You will see that either Rudy's family was present, Rudy was in Europe, or Rudy was traveling.
The shipboard photos of Rudy and Natacha with Kabar were taken on the 'honeymoon trip,' on Rudy's 'divorce trip.' The touching photo of Rudy and Kabar at the railing of the ship ... the photo of Rudy, Kabar, and Sophie Tucker ... those were taken when Rudy sailed to France to obtain the divorce from Natacha.
When Rudy went on his tour back East to promote "The Son of The Sheik" during that fateful summer of 1926, he chose to leave Kabar home at Falcon Lair. There was a terrible heat wave gripping the East, and Rudy did not want to expose any of his beloved animals to the temperature even though it was his habit to travel with at least one of his dogs. I believe that Rudy felt a love for his animals that compared to no other and that he knew his dogs would not judge him.
On August 23, 1926, Kabar suddenly became very unsettled and began howling. The other dogs in the Falcon Lair kennel took up the noise, somehow it seemed that they 'knew' their master was in trouble. The horses also became unsettled, according to the grooms.
The actress, Beatrice Lillie (Lady Peel), was so frightened by what she was hearing that she ran her car off the mountain road near Falcon Lair in California and fainted. She had been on her way home from a party nearby at John Gilbert's house. Other sources say she had already stopped the car because she was ill from drinking too much when she heard the dogs.
When Alberto got back to the West Coast for Rudy's second funeral, he immediately took possession of Kabar and began trotting him around town on a leash. George Ullman had a legal order drawn up and went to court in an attempt to take Kabar away from Alberto, treating the dog as part of the estate and not taking into consideration the welfare of Rudy's trusted companion. Alberto was later ordered by the court to return Kabar to Falcon Lair until Rudy's estate could be further settled. My source for this information is George Ullman's memoir and the court records.
George Ullman wanted to take the dog for himself, not taking into consideration that he could not give Kabar any commands whatsoever, since Rudy had begun training the dog in Italian and the dog mainly understood French commands at that point since he was trained at the Hudnut estate in France. The court ultimately decided that the dog would be better off with Alberto.
Having seen a few of these Doberman Pinschers of Kabar's breed up close (small ones as in year-old pups), I would never want to take a chance in not being able to control them. I do not know what Ullman was thinking, especially with his children and wife around. Kabar was an excellent watchdog for Rudy, but they were still in the 'getting used to each other' stage. There is a reason these breeds are used for guard dogs.
Therefore, I conclude this act of Ullmahs was born out of pure selfishness. I'm not saying Alberto was a saint, but at least he had common sense in mind. This was also the beginning of what turned out to be years of Alberto, Jean, and Ullman running back and forth to court fighting about Rudy's estate until there was just nothing left to fight over.
It seems that none of the three men came out ahead. In their quest to make each other miserable; they all succeeded in failure ... sometimes at the expense of their happiness and perhaps that of their families.
Kabar did not live for many years after Rudy died. Some say he died of a 'broken heart.' While that is technically possible, I think it is not accurate. These large breeds of dogs are not known for their long lives and Kabar ran away from home a few times and refused to eat. It is more likely he died of liver issues or other internal problems. He may have gotten hold of some bad food from a garbage can or even have starved to death.
I think that Kabar and Rudy had waited a long time to finally be together. Kabar had no way of understanding why his master had not come home, but he knew somehow that life would never be the same. I think that life without Rudy was not worth living. Not for Kabar.
Some say Kabar passed away around January 17, 1929; some say it was February 3, 1929. He is buried at the Los Angeles Pet Cemetery.
For many years, there have been a few photos of a young child sitting at Kabar's grave. I have long identified this child and the photos were taken on a family outing one lovely day when the child was very young. There was no supernatural activity at the gravesite as some administrators of certain Facebook groups like to insinuate. The identity of the child was never a mystery.
Let's call the information as it was:
The child's name was Carolyn (Connie) Agnes Strite. The parents of this child passed away long ago. She was born in Los Angeles to a middle-class family. She grew up in the area, graduated from elementary and high school in Los Angeles, married, had a family, and passed away in 1989. I know nothing about whether she had a career or what that work may have consisted of. All I know is that she was a baby boomer, like myself.
Below, I've posted some photos of Carolyn at Kabar's grave, and I've posted her high school graduation photo from 1951. Long ago I had the verification statement of facts from Carolyn's parents, and over the years I must have misplaced the original because I cannot find it now. It is not important enough to me that I would run it down, but if anyone does, or finds out a verifiable version of another difference in the story the parents or Carolyn have left us, please let me know in the comments section. With proof, I am always willing to revise my blog post.
Here are a few photos of Rudy & Kabar together. Also, Jean as a young boy playing with Kabar:
Again, I wish Kabar a Happy Birthday. Here is a tribute I made years ago to all of Rudy's dogs. I hope Rudy would approve ... I know Kabar would.
First scene is black, so just hit the arrow and it will play. Enjoy!
Darkmum
THANK-YOU FOR READING DARKMUM'S MUSINGS!