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.
Owners: Rod and Marta Beckstead, Allentown, Pennsylvania
I-Ron vom Wichtelhaus
Pedigree:
I-Ron was brought to the U.S. from the vom Wichtelhaus kennel in Switzerland. He belongs to Rod and Marta Beckstead, owners of Ravenswood, and lives in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Smaller than Bianca, and a handsome dog, Iron has a sweet, open expression and courteous temperament.
On January 16, 2010, I-Ron of Ravenswood kennels finished the requirements for a United Kennel Club Championship. He now will be addressed as UKC CH I-Ron Ravenswood Von Wichtelhaus. He also received a Group 3 Placement on the same day.
Cecily is now seven months and she is beautiful. Her coloring is lovely and the hair on her ears is crimped into little locks. Her black earrings are growing longer and her tail is a feather plume. Cecily is always busy. Her almond eyes are full of mischief. She is the quintessential nature girl, happiest when she is running like the wind, scrambling up rocks, chasing birds and squirrels and digging holes.
In this year’s summer heat wave in Atlanta there’s nothing that Cecily likes better than simply messing about in the creek. Cecily is a water baby. A few times a day she finds her own way to the creek that runs below our house to cool down and do some doggy paddling. She loves to have sticks or pebbles thrown for her to chase and show off her swimming prowess. And the great thing about her coat is that it’s drip-dry – a few shakes to make sure the humans got wet too, a roll in the grass, and a good brush down and she’s good to go.
At around 1:30 I heard the unmistakable cry of a newborn puppy and found that Bianca had quietly and secretly settled herself on the comforter in Ochie’s kennel and had given birth to her first puppy. Quickly I pulled out the birthing equipment, stationed it in the living room where there would be plenty of room and placed mama and baby in the birthing tub. With a gentle push, Bianca birthed puppy #2…another boy…and by around 4:00 she had added five more for a total of seven beautiful puppies…three boys and four girls.>
I realize that the old saying about “the miracle of birth” is just that…old and trite. But if those words are stale and over-used, I am feeling compelled to find others that I can use to tell you about the emotional “high” I attained by watching this amazing process. I have watched piglets, lambs, calves, puppies, kittens and human babies being born on many occasions, but that does not blunt the sharp awe and excitement I again felt as Bianca’s puppies were born one after the other.
An easy push brought the emergence of a glistening sac with a puppy secreted away inside; a quick bite and tear of the membranes from her teeth ruptured the sac and suddenly a new life was released into the room where only a moment age there had been one fewer creature. When it was all over, Bianca and I were both exhausted!
At birth, each of Bianca’s puppies was given a name and a color-coded yarn necklace, photographed, weighed and measured. They ranged in size from a couple of blocky little fellows to a tiny and fragile little girl, the runt I suppose. While the other puppies eagerly cuddled up to mom for warmth and dinner, this tiny one always wandered to the cool sides of the box and seemed to lack the vigor the others had. In spite of my best attempts, little Colette did not live and sadly I had to bury her tiny body this morning among the flowers in my yard. The remaining puppies are vigorous and healthy and are singing beautiful “puppy music” as I sit at my desk writing.
And now, a little about the names we chose for the puppies: Because this is Rosewood’s C Litter, we of course chose C names. But not just any old names would do! Because Kooikers are such special dogs we wanted to pick names that reflect their uniqueness and their regal appearance, and where else better to obtain such names than in ancient history? As you view each puppy picture you will see that I have given a short description of the name in history and that I have also included links that will allow you to read more about each one.
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.
