Fridays are Golden

Our first dog, an English Springer Spaniel, was the best dog in the world. I knew there would never again be such a dog. We had her for 13 wonderful years. Our next dog was a really wonderful dog and I loved her dearly. But I knew I had already loved the world's best dog and that doesn't come around twice in one lifetime. I believed that and accepted it. Until...along came Ellie.

Ellie's birthday was last Monday. She was born June 21, 2003. We were so excited because there were three females in her litter. The breeder was keeping one for himself and there was only one other person ahead of us on "pick list" so we would definitely get a puppy from this litter. We got a frantic call from the breeder a few weeks after the puppies were born. It seems that one of the little females had somehow crawled under the freezer and sustained a cut on her head. They were able to stop the bleeding and took her to the veterinarian who said she had no permanent damage but that she would always have a black scar. The breeder said this was likely the puppy to be left when it came our turn to pick and that if we wanted to pass then he would move us to the top of the list for the next litter.

Both of us had arranged time off work so one of us would be home for the first six weeks. We had no interest in perfection and told the breeder that we would still want to take this puppy if she was the one remaining. He gave us a discount although we would have taken the puppy anyway.

In August we drove to pick up our puppy whom we named Dichi Sirius Eleanor Rose. Dichi is the name of the kennel and must always be the first name. Sirius is the Dog Star and her mother was named Star. Eleanor Rose was a tribute to one of my favorite women, Eleanor Roosevelt.

Here is little Ellie at the breeder's just before we started home.

Here are her six brothers saying goodbye. One key to an excellent breeder is that all puppies from a litter are so much alike. Go here to check out the kennel.

Finally, we're home and she is an exhausted little bundle.

She grabbed a leaf the instant I took the photograph.

Here she is at six months of age. She just loved soft stuffed animals and the little yellow duck was her favorite. She carried it with her everywhere. What a joy she was...so mellow and loving. And she breezed through obedience training, quick to learn and quick to respond. I already knew that I had been wrong. Sometimes you really do get the most wonderful dog in the world again.

At seven months she is looking so grown-up. Of course, her father was well on his way to his AKC Championship points when he was that age.

Now, at seven years of age, our Ellie continues to give me endless joy. She is so tolerant of the bratty little princess we brought home when Ellie was two. In short, she is the best dog in the world.

Have a wonderful weekend. Keep in mind that there are so many people who could use a little support from you. Give of yourself as much and as often as you can.

Stay safe and happy and share your joy with others.