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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
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
 At the Kooiker Booth (photo courtesy of Pierre Revol) It was an amazing day! I can’t tell you how many people came to our table squealing excitedly, “I came here just to meet these dogs!” There’s a huge cohort of people out there who saw the Dogs 101 Kooiker segment and felt that they had to see one and hope to adopt one. Pierre and Harry were there Sat morning and DuncanDragon and I arrived around midday, expecting to stay til 2 pm. Pierre and Harry hung around til after 3 pm, and Dunkie and I stayed til the 5 pm closing time. Every time I tried to slip out, there would be another swell of people squealing and oohing and aahing. Dunkie was a real trooper — after five hours of hard labor as the Kooiker Emissary, he was still cheerful and chipper as we left the expo hall. Two blocks away from Javits Center, people were coming up to us and asking, variously, what kind of dog Dunkie is, and if he’s a kooikerhondje or — in the alternative — “one of those duck dogs that was on Animal Planet.” At one point in the afternoon, a woman with a Leonberger tag came over and we bonded over having had “our” respective dogs in the same episod of Dogs 101.
 Dragon and Harry (photo courtesy of Pierre Revol) Harry is clearly Rosy puppy’s sister — the similarity is astonishing. He’s a like-minded kooiker soul, with great dignity and elegance. Harry weight 18 lbs at four months to Dunkie’s 20.5 lbs at five months, but Harry seems to have a much smaller frame than Dunkie. Immediately upon meeting, Harry and Dunkie began acting like old old friends, rumbling and playing and tussling with such ease and familiarity that visitors to the table assumed they live together.
 Harry and Baby (photo courtesy of Pierre Revol) At one point, several people came to the table and announced that the two kooikers were, without doubt, the cutest most irresistible dogs in the entire hall. (And this was with some pretty stiff competition!)
I’m extremely hoarse from having said “It’s pronounced kooikerhondje” at least 600 times today. Dunkie barely made it to his food bowl and water bowl before he plopped down on his pillow and fell deeply asleep. Looks good to me!
Pierre and Harry will be there Sunday morning, and a “mystery kooiker” will be coming with a Thomas Tresen in the afternoon tomorrow, as will and Dunkie and I. Looking forward to another day of kooiker-filled fun and exhaustion!
–Karen Dean, Nov. 13 2011
The Kooikerhondje Club of the USA (KCUSA) held it’s fourth Fun Match last weekend in Weyers Cave, VA. Participating were 10 dogs from five different states: Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. Next year’s Match will be held in a different geographic location to accommodate the kooiker population not on the East Coast!
AKC judge Carol Noe was the professional eye evaluating the animals on that sun-splashed autumn afternoon. Many of the dogs and owners were in the ring for the first time, and Carol was patient in explaining what was expected of everybody.
 Fall Fun Match Participants We took four Rosewood dogs to the Match: Hamlet, Elsinore, Yorick, and the new puppy, Rosalind. One of the advantages of having a very small number of participants in each category was that every dog placed and got a ribbon!
 Hamlet and my niece Carissa Taga’s Quarto-Hamlet, Prince of Denmark: ……….. First Place, Altered Adult
 Joyce and Elsie Taga’s Weika, Lady Elsinore………………………….First Place, Altered Female
 Rose and Yorick Germanic (Yorick)…………………………………… Second Place, Intact Male
 Pat and Dwayne Martin with AKC judge Carol Noe and Rosy Ammervills Rosalind……………………………………………Best Puppy
Two other Rosewood dogs were there–Duncan and Dragon, litter-mates from Bianca’s and Yorick’s litter this June.
 Dragon takes Nathan for a turn around the ring.  Wayne and Duncan show their confidence in the ring.
Dragon found a home in Manhattan, New York City with Karen Dean and Nathan Waxman. He joins Rosie as another cosmopolitan kooiker!
 Nathan, Karen, Rosie, and Dragon Nathan is an immigration lawyer, and Karen is a writer. I first met Karen and Nathan when Hamlet and I stayed with them during the Animal Planet studio shoot for the Dogs 101 episode. It was a pleasure to get re-acquainted, and to settle Dragon into his new home.
 Nathan, Rosie, and Dragon  Karen and Dragon
Today Rosewood had a visit from Wendy Pendelton, who competes in agility with her Golden Retreiver, Cheetah. Wendy and Cheetah (MACH 2) competed in the European Open in the Czech Republic in 2010. Wendy and her friend, Toni, came to evaluate the puppies for their aptitude in the sport of agility.
 The Agility Tunnel They spread out equipment all over the yard, and let the puppies explore.
 Maybe the mouth of the tunnel reminds them of the endenkooi trap!  Are there ducks in there somewhere?
Continue reading Agility Exploration
 Dragon, Right Profile, Eight Weeks  Dragon, Left Profile, Eight Weeks
These pictures were taken in Harrisonburg on Sunday, Aug. 7, 2011.
 I am Dragon--hear me roar! I mean yawn!  Dragon's face, eight weeks
Dogs sometimes yawn when they are nervous. We put Dragon on a short wall by our driveway to take these pictures, and although he complied, I think he was glad when it was over!
 That's what I think of this photo session! On July 26, Dragon weighed 3.15 pounds. On August 11, he weighed 5.14 pounds.
 Daesha bites Dragon's tail while two others consider the breakfast bowl. At eight weeks, Dragon and Daesha, the two puppies who started out life at less than four ounces, are still considerably smaller than their siblings. They stick together and are almost identical, save for the white patch over Dragon’s left eye. He doesn’t technically qualify as a pirate because his eye is perfectly lined in black eye liner and brown shadow, but he is a scrappy little fellow nonetheless!
In temperament, Dragon resembles neither a dragon nor a pirate, but is a sweet, considerate puppy, quick to learn and easy to snuggle.
 Andrew and Dragon
 Looking out at a Bigger World  Everyone Needs a Drink--Especially Mom!  The Two Littlest, Daesha and Dragon, hang together.
 Dragon's Head  Dragon's Back
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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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