Tribute to a Greater Dog

This is a sad one. This is current. 2 days ago, on Thursday, Sept. 27th Am/Can Ch/AFC Sanbar's Call Collect MH went to the Rainbow Bridge. He was called Miles, or Mr. Miles by his friends and there were many. Miles was the father of Maestro, grandfather of Shelby and greatgrandfather of Truman and Kelly and many others. He was a great hunting dog, a terrific showdog and an outstanding companion. His tail never stopped wagging. He sired many great dogs and granddogs and greatgranddogs including our peronal favorite BIS Jonnie (Shelby's father). The weekend has been rather wistful with the news of his passing as I have so much of Miles here. Maestro looks more and more like his father each day. He was a good one and many loved him. May he find many birds in the great hunting grounds across the bridge and sleep in soft green meadows. RIP dear Mr. Miles. :(

Tribute to a great Dog

Another one from the archives: June 7, 2004:

To Shelby on the eve of her FIRST birthday,
for her breeder:

In honor of Shelby

I anxiously awaited your birth, imagining there'd be eight or nine of you; as your due date drew near I waited daily for news. Then I suddenly heard there was you. Just you and your brother! I felt for sure you wouldn't be mine. Your breeder would keep you--you were the only girl! Then I found out you were available..to someone..but there were several "someones"! I talked to your Daddy's owners on the phone a few times when you were just a day or two old. I didn't know if I was getting you or not! Then, when you were four days old..I called your breeder..and I found out I was the lucky chosen one..you were going to be mine! The very next day, Dad, who always tries to play it cool, came home with an envelope. He couldn't keep quiet about you at work and decided you must be named, with or without my input! But I didn't know that..he handed me an envelope and put me in suspense telling me about car models of the sixties...then he let me open the envelope and there was YOUR NAME!! Of course I loved it! He helped me name your older brother and sister, he is good at that! I printed out your infant pictures and hung them up at work at my desk. People asked me about the dogs in the pictures. You have to explain everything to those who aren't "in" dogs! The night before your arrival, I feigned going to sleep, but I heard the phone ring at 12:30 and only made it into the kitchen in time to replay the message..your breeder sounded pretty wistful and sad--I can't blame her! I could hardly believe it, you were REALLY on that plane and on your way to me. I slept, fitfully until the alarm went off. You know I am a light sleeper, Shelby, so it only took half a beep for me to jump out of bed because it was Shelby day!!!! It was starting to rain gently outside..but by the time Dad and I were on the interstate out there in the darkest morning, it was STORMING very badly..with hail and lightning and thunder...and I looked over at Dad in the driver's seat and said "Do you think the pilot is experienced with bad weather??" "I hope Shelby is okay!!!"..not to worry, by the time we got into greater Cincinnati and it was about your landing time, all was clear again. And there you came in your little crate...quiet until you saw US! You knew you might get US to let you out! You were so cute. I took a week off just to spend getting to know you and making you comfortable. You made yourself comfortable right away! What a great personality this puppy had! How friendly and bold and happy! And...ooooh, how noisy too!!!! And boy did I love you :) When you vomitted up worms at nine weeks old, we rushed you to the emergency vet because I wanted those awful things OUT of your little body!! In puppy kindergarten you shone..because you were so smart. You graduated at the top of your class, if I may say so myself!! I was always so proud to take my pretty puppy places. I couldn't wait for matches. You weren't well trained yet, but wow was I proud of you when you won best of breed over a six month old nice male puppy dog and over another girl about your age and then got group first at a BIG match!!! At another match you got a group first again! I knew you were wonderful..and I KNEW the judges would think so too..boy did they ever..I knew you would "kick butt in Cleveland" and you sure did....but I never dreamed we'd come home with eight points on you in one weekend!! You were a naughty young puppy, but you always made me laugh. Except for one time. The day you earned your ninth point in Nashville TN you gave me the scare of a lifetime. We took you to visit Karen's friend in the nursing home and when I took you out and adjusted your collar, as careful as I was, you slipped your collar in a flash and took off! I screamed your name but you were running after birds in the trees. I threw myself on the ground in the parking lot, still in my show clothes, and yelled in a funny voice to get your attention, and you came to me, but you were so smart, you saw I was all right and you took off again! Karen and Linda helped keep me in control, because I was LOSING it! I finally caught you on someone's back porch because you wanted to "go inside" for some water. I carried you all the way back to the Explorer in my arms with a death grip on you, so grateful that I had you. What was probably ten minutes felt like a lifetime ordeal to me. I lost my voice for a few hours later from screaming. I don't know how I would have coped if I'd lost you. I was lucky to have my friends with me to help me rationalize how to trick you. You did not know what danger you were in! The next weekend, you became a champion at just nine months old. With a tear in my eye, I thanked Dad for letting me get you. Then we took you for frozen yogurt on our way home. So here you are....about to turn ONE year old. Where did the time go? I took your big sister Libby with me out puppy store hopping this evening and bought you some presents that you will appreciate...all different kinds of chewing toys. And a harness, so that you don't hurt your throat when we go for walks because you love to pull a bit! But you do wonderful heel work in obedience class, so I don't make you heel on walks for exercise. If you earn your CGC this Thursday night, you'll be going on to advanced obedience and start working on your next title! And there will be other titles...Canadian, UKC maybe, hunt titles, maybe agility too. You are a FUN puppy and I love you!
Happy BIRTHDAY!!
Love,

Mom

Brittany Antics, or Putting Mom in the Doghouse

From the archives, circa Fall 2003:


More Brittany antics and mishaps:

First thing this morning I let the dogs out as usual; immediately the three of them race after a rabbit to the back of the yard, take a right (I'm thinking good lord, this poor rabbit is going to get ripped apart!)..rabbit is looking for an exit, rabbit heads back along the back fenceline and down the side, Brittanys in hot pursuit...thank goodness the rabbit found its exit through the wooden pickets at the side of the house. So Maestro limps up onto the porch, splattered with blood! OMG! What has happened to Maestro! He's favoring his right paw. I can't quite tell what he's done to it, so I wake Mike up for help; looks like one nail is sticking out further and at an odd angle to the others, so we rush him to the emergency vet...he is okay...he won't lose the nail, but it is cracked at the cuticle (we don't know how he did it), no broken toe or anything..so he is all bandaged up and milking it for all its worth (he had a sausage egg McGriddle for breakfast ).

So, later this afternoon, Mike is napping after spending the afternoon fixing my brakes...I've got the dogs outside; I leave them for something like ten short minutes as I've got to look and see what all I still need to get to fix supper. We've recently put some sod down, doing a bit of landscaping to combat mud. In one section, the sod didn't take well, so Mike removed it, painstakingly releveled the dirt and put a new piece down, like two days ago. I come outside to get the dogs in and notice in HORROR that there is a "pile" of sod languishing to the side and an empty dirt spot where it is supposed to be...and little tufts of sod all over. OOOOPS! Well, I know my poor little "hopalong" didn't do it..he is basking on the patio resting his injury..he hasn't been doing any digging, not with THAT bum paw! Libby is standing over her ball hoping I'll notice her and kick it for her..clean paws...up walks little Ms. Innocent...paws not particularly dirty..but with telltale blade of grass dangling from between her lips..AHA!! Argh!! So I'm kneeling there desperately trying to get this torn up carpet of sod back into the spot and stuffing tufts of sod where it is a bit bare (feeling like I"m on an episode of I Love Lucy)...hmm, does that look like it did before? Well, I know it won't convince Mike. Shooot!!! Here I am protecting "the dogs", but who's the one that'll be in trouble? Me. LOL. There's a reason we always say it is a good thing Shelby is so cute, and I"m sure you can guess the reason . Okay, so right now Mike is up and I heard him turn on the hose, perhaps he thought the sod looked a little nappy and needs some water...maybe he won't notice..I can hope right?

Cost for today?
ER visit and bandaging: $94
sod: about $4
labor: time and effort (yikes)
Brittanys? Priceless!!
AH, Brittanys!!! Gotta love 'em.

Lost Pieces of Work

I am frustrated at the moment. I have a few brilliant pieces of literary work that I have inadvertently lost somewhere on this computer. They were written by my dogs, of course. Allow me to introduce them. They are, in birth order: Libby, Maestro, Shelby, Truman and Kelly; they are all Brittanys. Libby is Maestro's first cousin once removed; Shelby is Maestro's half-niece, and Truman and Kelly are Shelby's children. They are responsible for most of the (future) content of this blog. Look for their work! :)