Tilde Meets the Parents

Tilde has to be a little more patient for her little sister to arrive, but that didn't stopped us from meeting both aspiring parents, Joy and Asterix. We first met with Joy for a good beach walk, and after a break, for a walk in Kenzo's Valley. One week later, we would also meet Asterix, at a dog show.

It's always a good idea to meet the parents of one's future puppy, but that wasn't the only reason we went ahead with it. I also wanted Laila, the breeder, to meet Tilde, so she could experience our "Little Miss Rocket" first hand and draw her own conclusions on which of the future puppies would fit best with Tilde's exuberant character, when we get that far.

Also, one would normally not bring his own dog to meet the mother of a litter which has just been born, it would be asking for trouble. But like I said in our last post, I am in that privileged situation I committed to a puppy long before "it" is even born. Meeting the future parents with Tilde would give me, as well as Laila, good information of what to expect. Both ways.

I think Joy read Tilde in the first second she met her. She politely demanded some distance, and for Tilde to behave nice and calm. Tilde got the message, and behaved accordingly and also did her out-most to charm Laila and her husband Carl with all she got. No doubt in an attempt to make me look good. While we continued on our walk, we let them off the lead in turns. We might have been overprotective there, they would have already be fine together off the lead, but I am very comfortable on the safe side, as was Laila. The girls both had a lot of fun and when we returned from our last walk in Kenzo's Valley they already walked side-by-side as if they knew each other for ages.

My first impression of Joy was as positive as I could have hoped for. She is as regal in her character, as she is in her looks. She is in balance with herself, and in her relationship with Laila. They are a great team together. Joy was calm, confident, kind, and stable.

Asterix was next.

We could meet with Asterix on a Hovawart dog show near Fredericia in Denmark. Not a place you would usually find him though. Unlike Joy, Asterix was definitely not a show veteran. His owner Annelie had so far only showed him once before to gather the ribbon needed as part of the steps for the necessary approval for breeding, but in daily life you would find Asterix competing for obedience prizes and training to become an official Search & Rescue dog. Laila convinced Annelie to make a show appearance with Asterix again, just for the fun of it and to see what he could bring home with him.

Tilde and Asterix met before the tent where Joy was crated, along the side of the show ring. They both practiced their flirting skills, accompanied from a bark of Joy, who either recognized Tilde and said hello, or was sending a message to the teenager to leave her husband alone, or both. Tilde also wanted to greet Annelie, and Asterix immediately took the opportunity of Tilde's distraction to position himself in a position that could bring the flirt to a more serious level. We made more noise then we realized ourselves, and it didn't took long before one of the show organizers conveyed a complaint we were disturbing the show participants - which was fair enough. During the rest of the show, I observed Asterix a little more from a distance.

I understood now why Asterix got his nickname of "gadedreng", Danish for street-smart. He was a problem solver, intelligent and opportunistic. At one moment he sat about two meters out in front of his tent, while Annelie and Laila were further away training with Joy. He understandably looked at what they were up to, but he also looked at the ring and what was going on there. He was absolutely comfortable sitting there by himself, and enjoyed all the sounds and sights. Confident, stable, and outgoing.

Driving home from the show I could see how Joy and Asterix would make a great match, and also how they could complement each other. It will be very exciting to follow how the puppies will turn out to be.

Oh yeah, you might wonder how Asterix did on the dog show?

Well ... he won it. Like in number 1.