Years ago, I fell in love with a dog I had never met. I only saw pictures of him on the Surefire website. I cannot really explain my feelings. I have certainly seen many other beautiful White Shepherds in my years of searching for my special dogs. Of course any dog becomes special when someone loves them. I do not have one dog better than the rest. Just as children, all have their unique traits; each dog is special to me.
There is that thing about love at sight though. That is the way I felt about Surefire Obi-Wan Kinobe. I am no expert and I could not really tell you why I felt the way I did. But to me he was simply perfection.
When I moved to the Northwest and realized Rhonda McMahon’s Surefire Kennel was only a short distance away from my new home, I was thrilled but then sad to find that Obi had gone to Europe. I felt that my dream of an Obi baby was not possible. Pirate (who is a grandson of Obi) certainly made up for that and I put my dream away.
Last August I was once again looking at White Shepherds and as I browsed the Surefire website, among others, I saw the news: “Obi is back”. I also saw that he had been bred to Regalwise Gabriella. Well, I could not get my deposit in fast enough! After Rhonda assured me I was first on the list for a short coat male I waited anxiously. On August 31, 2010 seven puppies were born and five were males. Only one was a long coat so I had four beautiful babies from which to choose “the special one”.
I started puppy-proofing my home with the October 26, date marked on my calendar, Around the 1st of October Rhonda contacted me to see if I could/would be able to help her out by finishing raising this litter of puppies.
Could I? Would I? Oh my gosh, what a wonderful opportunity to get to know these babies and to choose the one that was right for our family. Gabriella had weaned the puppies and my boys were itching to have puppies to train. On Saturday, October 2nd Rhonda brought the puppies.
Excitement was an understatement! I had a wonderful place for the babies. I created a puppy room from our lower level kitchenette. I blocked off their space from carpet in the family room. They had a large cozy crate; a kiddie pool full of shavings; and a big floor to ceiling window to enjoy the view. It was about as close to perfect as we could get. The big guys and I spent hours each day playing with the puppies and getting to know them. By the second day they were using the kiddie pool to take care of business. How nice not to walk through puddles or poop!
Taking care of business
The first puppy to run to greet us every day …. the first puppy to talk to us…. the first puppy to bounce at my big guys and playbow …. Blue Collar boy!
I kept going through the motions of making a choice. I narrowed it down to Black Boy and Blue Boy …. However, I think it was always Blue Boy. A friend told me I talked about him 90% of the time. I reserved making my choice public until the seven week health check. I truly loved them all, but as soon as they all got their perfect bill of health I had my boy microchipped. I can honestly say I never looked back at my choice, although sometimes I caught myself contemplating keeping two puppies! When Rhonda told me Blue Boy looked the most like Obi it seemed so perfect.
Blue Boy is now “Journey” and his siblings have all gone to their new homes. Journey has moved upstairs with the rest of the family. He did not seem to miss his siblings. He is too busy fitting in with the pack. He absolutely thinks he is a big dog! I sometimes feel as if he is skipping over his puppyhood. My boys adore him. Quest was the best “nanny” ever. He taught the puppies EVERYTHING. He broke up arguments, kissed hurts and enforced rules. I don’t know if I could have done it without him.
The nanny.
When the puppies mobbed Pirate he almost walked on air to get away from them. Unlike Quest, he did not want to come in the puppy room. He was content with watching them from the other side of the fence, with an expression of disbelief! It took him a week or so to become comfortable with them.
Spirit, now almost fourteen years old, has raised many puppies, but always one at a time. He looked at the seven new babies and then at me and I just know he said “you have got to be kidding!”
When we walked each puppy to the car as they left for their new homes, it was with mixed emotions. Quest fussed over them like a mama dog. He checked their travel crates and nosed the puppy with love and affection. He worried after them as the car took them down the driveway.
Pirate kept going back to check on the remaining puppies. Spirit nodded at them and I thought I detected a sigh of relief as each one left.
By the time the puppies were leaving for their new homes, Pirate had turned into a truly talented puppy herding dog. His trademark tool was his “POKE”. It became a habit to tell him not to squeak the puppies. He put them together – whether they wanted to be together or not. He moved them skillfully, in a long line across the lawn. Not only did he use “the poke”, he also used their collars to pull them or steer them where he wanted them. If he squeaked one, he immediately let go and kissed the puppy until it slapped at him playfully. To say we had fun and enjoyed raising these puppies is probably the biggest understatement ever.
When we first started going out into the dog yard, I let Spirit watch from the pool house windows. I didn’t think he was up to managing seven puppies. I was afraid they would mob him. The second day he insisted on coming into the yard. He stood in the doorway and looked around. No mobbing… just respect! I don’t know how they knew, but every puppy in the yard stood back respectfully and watched Spirit while he found a place to lie down. After he was comfortable, Pink Collar girl decided to visit with him. She lay down about two feet from him and slapped at him playfully. He watched her and then napped in the sunshine. She did not approach him any closer.
In the following days I would see puppies position themselves close to Spirit, but always at a respectful distance. They would nap by him, without disturbing him. It was beautiful and left me wondering how they knew! And how he told them! Quest always stood by ready to defend Spirit and keep the puppies away, but he didn’t have to do anything. They already knew how to treat him.
What an amazing experience we have had. Thank you, thank you, thank you to Rhonda, and to Obi and Gabriella. The puppies and I also owe so much to Quest, our special nanny dog, for all his help. Who knew … a big, totally macho dog like him could turn out to be the gentlest caretaker of all.
Things have changed a bit since the other babies left. Quest is a little more relaxed. He is sharing puppy duties with Pirate. Spirit is falling into his normal training mode – lots of stern looks and some warning growls. Pirate treats Journey like a stuffed toy, which he loves! They jaw wrestle until Journey squeaks, then Quest leaps forward to be certain he is OK and Pirate kisses Journey. We are a very happy family. I cannot believe how much fun this has been. Of course I miss the other little pups, but this is the next chapter and what a great time we are having!
Journey
