Saturday, January 9, 2010

History of how I came to Be

As I slumber, Mom is going to tell you how I came to be. That's not the anatomical "coming to be" we are discussing as she didn't check off the Adult Content Tab on my Blog (LOL), but rather how Mom found me.

Mom has always loved animals. She thought long and hard about being a Veterinarian or a Zoo Trainer but she hates the sight of blood which ruled out being a Vet and throwing meat at a thousand pound animal who'd rather eat her than the cold piece of meat she had in her hand ruled out that position as well.

So, in her life has always rained Cats & Dogs. The most notable dog was Chester, a large male Airedale. After Chester went to doggy heaven and Mom moved from her apartment into a condo, she decided to bring another Terrier into her life. She started with the Airedale but they exceeded the size of the dog limit imposed at her condo. So, a Wheaten Terrier was next. Enter, my big brother Kolby, the subject of my daily body bumping and ear licking!

As it turns out, Kolby has some individual issues. He had a great fear of men, of any size. In talks with Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! her friend and head Trainer of Eagle Ridge Kennels, Marcia recommended she bring in another dog with a very confident personality. Mom had been thinking about another dog, one she could be bond with a little more closely than she had ever been able to with Kolby as well as provide a lifelong companion for Kolby maybe allowing him to have a brighter life.

So, she began searching for a dog who would set the stage for Kolby, allowing him to see first hand that men aren't so scary and helping Kolby be more relaxed and less threatening to the many men that were revolving through Mom's front door! Ah, only kidding. Mostly, it was the men she and KBear (as she affectionately calls Kolby) ran into on their walks down the Parkway. Scaring all the men and boys on their walks was really no fun for anyone.

And so my story unfolds.

Mom had researched all dog breeds and was again looking for another relatively similar sized, nonshedding dog, just like Kbear. She went to a dog show in Buffalo and scoured the internet and read books. A breed by the name of Barbet had caught her interest from years past. They were highlighted in a book back in 1993 which was quite extraordinary because our numbers were somewhat close to nonexistent back then.

Since Mom has always liked that which is different or unique, she looked for a breeder of Barbet and found, to her amazement, Biscay Water Dogs and Paula Ballak about 2 hours north of her. And this is really where my story begins.

Marcia Marcia Marcia! approved all that she could read up on relative to the temperament of the Breed for a perfect match to Kbear. Mom had asked Paula for a Brown Loose Curl Barbet but Nana Paula understanding that temperament was key to successfully placing her Barbet pups helped Mom find me :) I tested the highest relative to confidence on my puppy testing so our match was made, not in heaven, but in Canada, LOL.

And the rest, as they say, is history. Kolby follows my lead on new arrivals, he has come so far, Mom and Marcia are thrilled. And Kolby and I have never ever had a fight. I greet him every morning with a bump, a lick and a push to get to the door first. So, now, a year and a half later, my antics have encouraged my Mom to share our story - I come from a great line of Barbet, a great, very smart, breed. I protect Mom, I educate Kolby, and I provide 50 lbs of tail wagging cat toy to our newest edition, Sasha.

Ah, I sense movement outside the perimeter. I am up and off, bumping Kolby out of the window as I MUST see who dares cross our territory. It better not be that darn Dobie STELLA! I beat her for her the most bones in our puppy class last year and she hasn't forgotten it. She comes by and teases me every time to say I'm outside, you're not! Wait, then she realizes it's 10 degrees and she realizes WHY I won the most bones in class - Barbet = Smart :)

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