Jhappy

My friend, AT, the vet, has been without a dog for two years after the death of Prozac and has just acquired a puppy. Isn’t he sweet?
He is an Australian shepherd dog actually. At first I mistook him for a Bernese Mountain dog. Perhaps because of his colouring. He is 4 months old and is called Jhappy.
This is what AT has to say:
“Voici mon nouveau chiot : Jhappy ... Non, non, ce n’est pas un Bouvier Bernois, mais un modèle réduit : le berger Australien , plus connu en couleur Merle qu’en tricolore...
Il m’a fallu plus de 2 ans pour me décider à reprendre un chien après mon beau Prozac, mais comprenez pourquoi j’ai craqué sur celui-ci !!!! »

RIP Kookaï

My friend, EdN, lost her dog a few months ago. I asked her to write a few words and this is what she wrote: "Merci de penser à ma petite KOOKAI adorée que nous aimions tous beaucoup malgré sa mauvaise santé depuis le début et son air un peu simplet et ses tonnes de médicaments tous les jours !
En fait elle est retournée sur ses terres pour mourir !
Née dans les Carpates en Pologne chez un apiculteur le 30 janvier 2004 et morte à Krzeczyn Maly en Silésie le 16 mai 2010 !Snif ! snif !"
EdN lives in Brussels.

Kenza

My friend LPC who lives in Antibes sadly lost her husband recently . Kenza, a Maltese Bichon belonged to a young woman who worked in the kitchen of a busy restaurant and who had impossible hours. On her day off, she would lunch with her friends, go clothes and grocery shopping, have her hair done, go to the dentist, take her car to be serviced, have tea with an elderly relative, go to the post office to pick up a parcel, pay a few bills, update her Facebook profile, attend to domestic chores such as cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, do the ironing and so on and so forth. Poor Kenza was left alone for hours on end and her owner eventually took pity on her and put an ad in the local newsagent. LPC’s son went to buy a packet of cigarettes, saw the add, called his mother and brought Kenza home. When I asked LPC if she had anything to add, she said: “You can always add that she is the best little doggie in the world and that she is 2 years old”.
Kenza is very suspecious of me and barks at me when I look at her.
She is the only frequent flyer dog I know as she and her mistress are regulars on the Brussels-Nice run.
Kenza lives in Antibes.

RIP Webster

Sadly, Webster died yesterday. It is very sad news as he was part of Belle's and my life. Here is what I wrote about him, my friend S and Belle in February 2009:
"Webster belongs to my American friend S. We have known each other for a long time. Our children were at the same school but we met through our dogs. Every morning, we used to walk them together. S and I would have meaningful conversations about everything and anything under the sun. Every weekday morning we would find something to talk about. Come rain or sunshine or hail or snow. We did this for years and I cherished those moments. Sadly S's children have left school and I very rarely walk where we used to walk because Belle finds it too difficult to jump into the car now. And because of her job, S is no longer available first thing in the morning. Webster and Belle are the same age. More or less. Belle has a frisky temperament and does not get on with other dogs easily. She has been known to bare her teeth and snap even. She would see any dog off who would make an attempt to come near us. S made attempts at befriending Belle. Belle would wag her tail when S came near but that was all. She would never go to her when S called her. Never. One day, S must have given her a biscuit and the ice was broken. I guess it took a good 4 years before that happened. But Belle had the greatest respect for Webster who is such a sweet natured dog. In fact, Webster was and remains Belle's only friend. We have not been able to walk together for some time. Sadly.
Webster lives in Brussels."

In memoriam Bonzo

The picture is of Bonzo and this is what my Danish friend, RH, wrote about him:
“Bonzo was a very special dog, I guess, every dog is special to it’s owner, but I would like to tell you about my special dog, Bonzo.
I got him when he was a little puppy, just 2 months old. I had seen pictures of him and fell instantly in love and gave him his name Bonzo. I drove about 400 km to pick him up. He was so brave on the drive home, and was sleeping on my lap safe and sound.
Bonzo was to live on a small island in the Baltic Sea, not in a large family, but with me only…so you can imagine the bond between us grew strong fast.
Bonzo turned out to be a very loving and caring dog, towards other dogs, big and small, and all people too. He was playful, alert and loved our long walks along the beach and in the fields nearby.
Bonzo made many friends in the community, and was known for his calm and loving spirit, and his graceful walk.
I lost my beautiful boy Bonzo, after having him for only 2 years. It turned out, after a few weeks of illness, that he had cancer. Adenocarcinoma Glandula Adrenales. A form of cancer, that cannot be treated. His organs would just set out, one by one. He felt no pain, but was exhausted!!!
Bonzo was my very best friend and loving companion, and I miss him very much. I think about him every day, remembering our great times together.
In Loving Memory.”
RH lives on Bornholm, Denmark.

Koumis

Every Sunday morning, I help JP with Koumis, his dog. We meet come rain or shine on a field surrounded by woodland. I was asked to meet Koumis because she pulled on the lead and she was too friendly with other dogs which did not please the other dogs’ owners and which made her pull even more. We do basic obedience exercises and Koumis is really responding fast. She is very receptive and keen to learn although it takes her 20 minutes or so before she starts concentrating. She is walking to heel on the lead without pulling even when there is another dog nearby. We have just started walking to heel off the lead and she is doing really well. We also let her run off the lead. She loves that because she feels free. She does not realise it’s an obedience exercise like any other. She’s off the lead so she has to come back when JP calls her. And she does. He just has to call her name twice and she comes back. She runs up to other dogs and comes back straightaway when called for. Mind you, we have not yet come across the cows which graze on the field! I am really pleased with her – she is 6 after all - and so is JP. Koumis was very suspicious of me at first and nervous around me. She would bite my ankles as sheepdogs do when rounding up sheep or cattle. But by projecting a calm energy, she accepted me. She is so pleased to see me every Sunday morning that she jumps up with her four paws off the ground. She has an unusual name and this is what JP’s wife has to say about it: “Notre chienne berger allemand de 6 ans s'appelle Koumis, nom d'une boisson très répandue et appréciée par les nomades d'Asie centrale et de Mongolie, soit du lait de jument fermenté faiblement alcoolisé. Nous lui avons donné ce nom en souvenir de nos voyages dans ces beaux pays ». Koumis is pronounced ku-miss.
JP and Koumis live in Brussels.

Bounty, the épagneul breton

My friend, CN, has this to say about his dog. I wrote about him in an older post where I explained he was my "canine godson". See link below.

"Bounty n'est pas seulement un épagneul français !
En tant qu'épagneul il est chasseur avant tout, remontant toutes les bonnes odeurs jusqu'à leur source, il vit par instinct et très curieux est toujours prêt à découvrir une nouveauté.
En tant que français il a une grande gueule, un timbre de voix énorme, un coffre étonnant mais une soif de vivre toujours inassouvie, grand blagueur, adorant le jeu, très sociable.
Il est comme moi passionné donc sans demi mesure, franc donc parfois gênant et très énergique. Il peut aussi être très patient, c'est aussi un chien d'arrêt, et connaît ses limites. Il n'arrive pas encore à les respecter toutes mais je lui trouve toujours des excuses, sa jeunesse ... son tempérament .... bref nous nous accordons très bien".
Bounty lives in the country, in southern Belgium.

http://eurodogtraining.blogspot.com/2007/05/although-rare-outside-its-native-france.html