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Darby had his surgery today, the vet said everything went well. They said he weighed in at 33 pounds. I thought he’d be more (he’s a solid little dog). He was neutered, microchipped and the hernia was repaired. They just commented on the fact that he was very scared, which I was expecting. His nails were also trimmed, he hates it when I try even though he bites his own toenails.
He’s still very groggy–he laid down on the lawn and tried to fall asleep on the way into the house but he still managed to eat all the cat food on the way in! He’ll probably have to wear the cone collar they gave me but right now I got him sleeping on my bed, he’s so tired. By tomorrow he’ll probably be bouncing off the walls again, and I’m supposed to keep him quiet for about seven days!
  
 Darby at a year Here are the newest pictures of Darby. He will be a year old next month. A kooiker is fully grown at two, and their coat is mature. Their black earrings will continue to lengthen, and their coat may grow a bit longer, but in most respects a two year old kooiker is a grown up dog!
At one year, Darby is still a puppy in many ways. His coat will continue to lengthen, and his body may fill out more, but he has reached his full height (when he is officially measured, we will post his height). When a male dog is neutered, his coat may grow longer and curlier than it was when he was intact, especially around his sides. Leslie plans to neuter him next month, and fix a small umbilical hernia he has had since birth.
Leslie took these photos on April 23, 2012. Darby’s birthday is June 10. He looks a lot like Yorick!
 Darby right side, April 2012  Darby left side
We had a visit from Dragon (usually called “Dunkie”) and his pack, Rosie (RedGold’s Christmas Elegance), Nathan, and Karen. After lunch at a favorite local restaurant, we took everyone out to the farm so the dogs could run around. It was a windy day, and everyone was in good spirits!
 Windy! Dragon, Rose, Yorick, Hamlet, Rosie, Nathan, and Karen. Dragon is a city dog, and had never been off leash where he could run around. He barked at the horses, startled at the guinea-fowl, and glared at the goats. Grass! You can dig in this! He was well-entertained, and we had a kick watching his antics.
 Dragon could have spent the whole afternoon barking at Merlin!  Wow! Grass!! What's under here?
Here’s how the father and son line up! The visit happened on April 10, so Dragon (Litter D, June 10, 2011) was exactly 10 months old.
 Father and Son Reunion  Back to back they faced each other . . .
 Yorick, Hamlet, Rosie, and Dragon
 Walter and Posie on a walk through the bog. Walter and Posie are thriving and extremely active. Here are some recent pictures of them at Ponkapoag Bog boardwalk … “ponkapoag” rhymes with “bog.”
Although most of our morning hikes are adjacent to water (Wellesley reservoir, Charles River trails, ponds at Noanet on the way to the peak, the xc ski trails in NH), this infrequent spot was of particular interest to them. It is a mile-long marsh boardwalk. They loved it but were patient enough to let me get a few snapshots with the iPhone.
 Posie poses on the boardwalk.
I’m giving you informal measurements, but from the front paw to the shoulders on Walter is 18.5″ or 19″ — on Posie 16″.
–Erin Clarke Gordon
 Darby, 9 months Here’s the newest pics of Darby. He was nine months old on May 10.
He found a frisbee in an empty lot across the street now he’s obsessed with playing with it. The little devil even jumps in my bed with it as I’m ready to go to sleep, as if I want to play fetch right then and there!
His coat is getting really long, and as you can see on one picture he looks like he’s on fire. I shampooed him with Biolage last week and his coat was sticking up all over. He looked like he had flares from a 57 Chevy on his hips, I couldn’t stop laughing.
He’s still an amazing puppy, and he’s growing into a beautiful adult dog.
There were a number of Rosewood dogs at the recent Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows on March 3 and 4. Duncan came up with the Rittenours from Maryland; his littermate Dragon came in with his peeps, Karen and Nathan, from New York City. Yorick, father to these two boys, was there; and Rosy and Hamlet, also Rosewood dogs, made an appearance as well.
 Duncan Takes Detroit  Duncan, Wayne and Barbra
We all know he’s the Best Puppy, but Detroit Kennel Club judge Marie Povilaitis confirmed our suspicions by awarding him a rosette last weekend in Detroit at our Kooikerhondje Fun Match, which was held during one of the biggest benched shows in the country.
 Sitting Pretty!  Dragon Glows with Pride
 Dragon Charges Forth to Stardom
 Dugan at eight months Dugan is the typical teenager–he acts like a kid, but looks like an adult. He doesn’t like to have his nails trimmed! “We love him and enjoy our life with him.” –Aki Ohira
 Dugan in the snow
 A warm pillow!
Frankie is a Big Boy
Frankie, who lives in Seattle, Washington, is growing into a large and lovely kooiker. From his dad, Robert:
 Frankie is 18 in. at 8 months. “I have not gotten a sense for how large Frankie’s siblings are at this point. We have been surprised at how large Frankie has grown so quickly. He was close to 30 lbs (but slender) weighed at the vet a month or so ago at about six or seven months of age, and he is currently about 18 inches at the shoulders.  It seems that he is already quite a ways above the breed standard as published on your website. Have you gotten any feedback from the owners of the other kooikers from litter D about their dogs’ height and weights? We love him, he is a very sweet guy, and he is a valued member of our family that we are VERY attached to. As his proportions develop and his coat fills out, he should be a very majestic looking dog. We could not picture not having him with us. But since he is our fourth Kooiker and is so much larger than what we are used to, I was just curious and wanted to ask. How large is Yorick? At what point do they usually stop growing vertically and just fill out?” –Robert
 Frankie, a puppy and Frannie, a 4 yr. female adult The mid-size of a standard kooiker is an important aspect of their breed identity, and a reason many people are drawn to the breed. A full grown male kooiker should be 40 cm at the shoulders, and may not be taller than 42 cm., or 16.5 inches to compete in performance events. Both Frankie and his father, Yorick, are 45.7 cm., and therefore over the official breed standard as set out by the US club and the Dutch club. Bianca is 48.3 cm.
 Sometimes breeders will introduce a larger, stouter dog in order to add bone, and to give more substance to a line of otherwise light and wispy dogs. The kooiker is a working dog and needs to be sturdy. But their job also demands that they remain small, light and agile, as illustrated in this photo (compliments of Birgitta and Cirtap’s).
Litter D people, how big are your dogs? You can put your questions and observations here in the Comments section, or contact me to send me photos and comments and I will post them for you.
Duncan is a Big Boy
“Duncan is big. He weighs about 31 pounds. He doesn’t stay still enough for us to measure him. Maybe at the show (Detroit Kennel Club Dog Shows, where kooikerhondjes will be at the Meet the Breed booth) Rod will bring his measure instrument and we can measure him. We’re happy with his size but understand that he is big for the standard size kooiker.” –Wayne and Barbra Ritenour
 Duncan six months  Duncan at Dinner
Frankie and the Grenley family said goodbye to Phoebe in December. Phoebe was not a Rosewood dog, but was the beloved friend and housemate of one of our Litter D puppies. In Robert’s words:
We lost Phoebe, our 12 year old Kooiker, in December. It was very sudden…she showed no sign of illness, had gone for a nice, long walk earlier that day, had eaten earlier that evening, showed no sign of distress, and was found a short time later outside the dog door having passed away. The vet examined her…no sign of trauma or foul play. They think she may have had a stroke or something like that. Fortunately Frannie, our 4 year old Kooiker, has Frankie (née Drake) to keep her company, and she has assumed the role of matriarch, even though Frankie towers over her.
 Good bye, Phoebe! We'll miss you.
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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.
- Mark Twain
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