Appreciating the value of Friendship (3/9/2007)

 

This weekend I sat in the sun and looked at my bundle of Chow harassing the cat, chasing the birds and bugs, playing silly-buggers with his dad!

 

I closed my eyes a moment and thought back to my first chow chow, Bobby, he was a rescue and our constant companion for 5 beautiful years.  Remembering the joys and frustrations, the highs and the lows and the extremely overpowering sense of loss of  both my chow babies.  Although Bobby was my champion of hearts, I know he would not have won a thing  in the ring, then there was Shinto a very special boy who was loaned to us for a very short while, but leaving very deep paw prints on our hearts.

 

I remember e-mailing all the South African Breeders back in 2001, asking questions about feeding and grooming and only one ever came back to me.

 

I remember a lot of people telling me she will never part with information and she will never give you a puppy.  Oh how wrong you all were!!

 

Then I thought of the time she takes, since the day I met her in 2001 to answer my seemingly endless stupid questions (and oh there are many) allowing me, a relative strange at that point, to sit in her tent watching her groom, answering those questions open and honestly, which other breeders would have taken for granted.

 

We talk about everything from pedigrees, bloodlines and breeding.  Brushes, leashes and shampoos.  Grooming, bathing and feeding.  The highs and lows of showing!  The highs of owning a chow chow and the lows in loosing one of our precious companions.

 

I am like a sponge when we talk, soaking up as much information as possible and later grabbing a notebook and pen to jot down everything, scared I forget something, how trivial it may seem.

 

My entering the showring this year was made considerably easier, as I was blessed with the honour of meeting Vanessa that summers day in October 2001.  Thank you for being a friend and mentor!

 

I only wish more Chow Chow breeders would be as forthcoming or be gracious enough to lend us newbies a helping hand.