Lougheed House:
Pet Friendly for Over 130 Years
Words by Kay Burns
Lady Isabella Lougheed, affectionately known as Belle, was involved in numerous clubs and societies in addition to her active social life as the matriarch of Beaulieu and wife of Senator Lougheed.
“In Calgary, Mrs. Lougheed has since she first went there in 1884, been considered a leader in society, and either at her beautiful city residence or in her summer bungalow at Banff has entertained many of the distinguished visitors to the West. She is an ideal hostess…”1
Unfortunately, there is surprisingly little known about her other than her most public image as wife of a senator. She did not leave diaries or any other form of personal note or record. To understand her, we must make certain deductions and observations from miscellaneous artifacts and snippets of stories told by others.
One thing we can confidently deduce is her connection to animals. From her early life in the north as the daughter of a Hudson’s Bay Company chief factor, she was accustomed to remote life and the presence of animals in a variety of ways: “At Fort Simpson her mother Mary Hardisty drove a train of dogs and also kept rabbit snares.”2 During her years at boarding school, Belle would not have had much opportunity for interactions with animals, but as an adult her fondness for animals was realized.
Throughout her adult life she was involved in groups such as the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE), the Victorian Order of Nurses, Calgary Children’s Aid Society, Women’s Pioneer Association of Southern Alberta, and the General Hospital Women’s Auxiliary - but one of the most curious clubs she took part in was the Alberta Cat Club. She was president of the Club and her name is listed on the Club’s letterhead.
PET FRIENDLY LOUGHEED HOUSE
Alberta Cat Club
An article in the Calgary Daily Herald on December 18, 1919 indicates she provided the main prize of a silver cup for the first cat show held in western Canada (put on by the Alberta Cat Club).
Herald Article about Cat Show 1919
Lougheed House pet cat named David
Among some of the old photos in the Lougheed House archives are several assorted photos of family pets. On the back of the photo of David the cat in Belle’s hand, she writes: “This is a Persian kitten that Norma gave me. She has the Mother of it and its Father is ‘Picadilly’ that George Stirritt brought out from London two years ago. We call the cat ‘David.’ It weighs over 10 pounds.”
Lougheed House pet dog named Chou Chou
Lougheed House pet dog named Chips
On the back of the photo of Chou Chou the dog Belle has written: “Chou Chou. 14 months old. Came from England last winter.”
Although part of the writing is illegible, Belle writes on the photo of Chips the dog “__________ & Chips on the Mission room steps”.
That these photos are present among the few family photos with the archives at the House indicates that Belle had a deep fondness for her pets. Although none of the photos are dated, there is enough information to indicate that the family kept different pets over a number of years. One humorous family story that has been passed along is that when her son Edgar and daughter-in-law Edna had their second child, who was Peter Lougheed of Alberta renown, Belle declared “You’ve named the boy after my cat who is also called Peter.”3
The importance of pets is something that remains a significant attribute of Lougheed House now. The park at Lougheed House includes an ‘on-leash’ dog park and walking through the park at any time of day means you will likely witness numerous dogs (and sometimes cats) out on walks with their owners from their Beltline homes. Just outside the Mission Room steps, dogs today are enjoying their time at Lougheed House in the same place as Chips and his pals all those years ago.