It was a beautiful July day, and my three sisters and I were anticipating a long hike along the Appalachian Trail. Just the four of us. No kids, no responsibilities–just the mountains, the sky, and each other’s company. And the dogs, of course.
I called the dogs and we hopped into my husband’s car–an old Mercedes he had converted to run on used peanut oil we picked up in five gallon buckets from downtown restaurants. The car smelled like french fries driving down the road, and there were lots of reasons the dogs like to ride in it.
I drove to the south side of town, where I was picking up my sister. I stopped by Sharp Shopper for some peach/mango juice to take along. I browsed for a few other bargain items, paid, and went back to the car.
These pictures were taken on June 6, 2010. Hamlet is getting to be an old man, and turned nine on June 28. He can still run with the best of them, and doesn’t let Yorick push him around! Yorick is almost one year old in these photos (his birthday is July 24).
Yorick is a bright kid–in the space of a couple of minutes, I taught him to stand on a rock, stay, and jump off on command. Hammie might think this is ridiculous entertainment, but that doesn’t keep him from joining in and having fun! Click on the photo to enjoy the slideshow.
This album illustrates Yorick’s first six months in Virginia. To read the captions while you are watching the slideshow, click on Show Info in the top right corner.
This photo album chronicles Yorick’s puppy hood in Altforst, The Netherlands. He was bred by Roel Steenhuis. The album identifies Yorick’s mother and father, and gives an introduction to the kennel he came from. To read the captions while you are watching the slideshow, click on Show Info in the top right corner.
Almost ten years after getting our first kooikerhondje, Hamlet, I brought Yorick (given name Germanic) home in September, 2009. He came from The Netherlands to our full and happy house in Virginia!
Hamlet and Yorick, Dec. 2009
Alas, poor Hamlet! By now a respectable middle-aged gentleman, he must adjust to yet another family member! In addition to putting up with the four rowdy boys, he does his best to tolerate Yorick, who ambushes him, licks his muzzle, and hangs off his jowls. I have a new affinity for Hamlet, now that his age is in dog-years is catching up to my age in human-years: we are equally amused and annoyed by the younger generation!
When Yorick is two, if he proves to be an excellent representative of his breed in temperament, health, and structure (as I expect him to be) he will become available as a stud dog.
Yorick was tested by VetGen for Von Willebrands Disease and his results were clear. Report Number: 65843. Report Date: September 24, 2010.
Yorick had his eyes tested by the Canine Eye Registration Foundation (CERF) in February 2009, with “no inherited eye disease found.” CERF # KK-347342.
Here are some pictures of Yorick from the side, front, and rear so you can get an idea of his conformation.
Yorick left side 19 months
A kooiker should be almost square, but a little longer than he is high. Yorick is a big kooiker, at the very top of the standard. He measures 18 inches at the shoulder. Yorick has mantel coloring (“mantelhond” in Dutch); that is, his body is a dark reddish-brown without the usual splotches of red on white that most kooikers have. This is a normal and acceptable color variation. Yorick also has a brown band on his tail so half of his tail is colored and half is a white plume. Again, that is common, although a full white plumed tail may be more desirable. Color is hereditary but patterns are not, and although Yorick is a darker than normal dog, his offspring will be randomly splotched or mantled as determined by genetic chance.
Yorick right side, 15 months
Yorick is not quite two in these pictures. An adult kooiker’s coat is fully mature at two years. His tail will grow longer and he will grow longer earrings and feathers on his legs. Many kooikers have dark hair mixed in with the red (“zwart in vacht” in Dutch). This is very common, and according to some Dutch breeders, desirable. The dark hairs ensure that the kooiker carries the genetic variation for the dark earrings on its ears. Personally, I think the dark hairs give the coat more depth and movement, and I prefer the dark hairs mixed in to the straight red coloring. Our other male dog, Hamlet, also has rich black highlights in his coat.
The great pleasure of a dog is that you make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, he will make a fool of himself too.
– Samuel Butler
Personally, I would not give a fig for any man's religion whose horse, cat and dog do not feel its benefits. Life in any form is our perpetual responsibility.
- S. Parkes Cadman
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
- Groucho Marx
To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs.
- Aldous Huxley
Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring—it was peace.
- Milan Kundera
Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
