KISS - Bessamour Prairie Flower Ceres
KISS (Bessamour Prairie Flower Ceres)
April 1994 - November 2007
KC reg. V0095929V04
Long coated black and white
Born 6.4.94
Hips 5 - 4 - Eyes normal CEA/PRA/PLL
Kiss was born in April 1994 in Switzerland where I lived for many years, and is out of the very first litter I had from Bess. When Kiss was born she was enormous. She was three times the weight of her other litter mates, but when the litter were adult, Kiss was the smallest. . She was the quiet one. Her temperament was perfect.
We left Switzerland when Kiss was just 12 months old. She went into quarantine with Bess and Maddie. Not the ideal place to be but the Pet Passport scheme didn't exist at that time. I kenneled them in a quarantine kennels that was only ten minutes drive from my new home and boarding Kennels. I went to see them every single day.
Kiss was very unhappy in quarantine and acquired some worrying behavioural habits which took me a long time to resolve when she finally came home. When she wasn't sleeping (which wasn't often) she paced continually. Jump on the bench, touch the wall with her paws, jump down from the bench, touch the door with her paws, jump back up on the bench, etc, etc. She ate well but dropped to 12 kgs which was 5 kgs under her normal weight.
The proprietor of the quarantine kennels bent the rules a bit and had her caged in her office several times a day where she was forced to keep still (more or less) and they managed to get her weight up to 13 ½ kgs. She barked most of the time. She had never barked before going into quarantine.
April 1994 - November 2007
KC reg. V0095929V04
Long coated black and white
Born 6.4.94
Hips 5 - 4 - Eyes normal CEA/PRA/PLL
Kiss was born in April 1994 in Switzerland where I lived for many years, and is out of the very first litter I had from Bess. When Kiss was born she was enormous. She was three times the weight of her other litter mates, but when the litter were adult, Kiss was the smallest. . She was the quiet one. Her temperament was perfect.
We left Switzerland when Kiss was just 12 months old. She went into quarantine with Bess and Maddie. Not the ideal place to be but the Pet Passport scheme didn't exist at that time. I kenneled them in a quarantine kennels that was only ten minutes drive from my new home and boarding Kennels. I went to see them every single day.
Kiss was very unhappy in quarantine and acquired some worrying behavioural habits which took me a long time to resolve when she finally came home. When she wasn't sleeping (which wasn't often) she paced continually. Jump on the bench, touch the wall with her paws, jump down from the bench, touch the door with her paws, jump back up on the bench, etc, etc. She ate well but dropped to 12 kgs which was 5 kgs under her normal weight.
The proprietor of the quarantine kennels bent the rules a bit and had her caged in her office several times a day where she was forced to keep still (more or less) and they managed to get her weight up to 13 ½ kgs. She barked most of the time. She had never barked before going into quarantine.
Sheep work .................
Bess and Maddie went through quarantine without too many problems but I had to house train them all again when they finally came home.
In quarantine they ate where they slept where they played where they relieved themselves which meant that the part of the kennel where they slept, which was very small, was constantly soiled and they never had dry beds except when I changed their beds each day.
Kiss started to destroy bedding and anything she could get her teeth into. I shall never put a dog through the stress and restrictive life of quarantine again. When they came out of quarantine I took them to Wales for a week, lots of walks and exercise to get back their muscle tone. I took Kiss to an ATB trainer to continue work with sheep. I had my own sheep in Switzerland and I had started training her to sheep just before we came back to the UK. Unfortunately or fortunately Kiss was a natural 'driver' and didn't 'fetch' the sheep.
She had a beautiful style and perfect movement, and wouldn't stand any nonsense from the woollies. I had offers to buy her from two sheep farmers who competed in Driving Competitions but there was no way I was going to sell her.
She was shown at breed shows where she got several Best of Breeds but she didn't enjoy it so we stopped. In Agility she was far too fast for me and very accurate. Again, I got offers to buy her from folks in Agility. My dogs are first and foremost my best friends, not creatures to be passed from pillar to post. Dogs are for life, not just for dog sports or showing.
In quarantine they ate where they slept where they played where they relieved themselves which meant that the part of the kennel where they slept, which was very small, was constantly soiled and they never had dry beds except when I changed their beds each day.
Kiss started to destroy bedding and anything she could get her teeth into. I shall never put a dog through the stress and restrictive life of quarantine again. When they came out of quarantine I took them to Wales for a week, lots of walks and exercise to get back their muscle tone. I took Kiss to an ATB trainer to continue work with sheep. I had my own sheep in Switzerland and I had started training her to sheep just before we came back to the UK. Unfortunately or fortunately Kiss was a natural 'driver' and didn't 'fetch' the sheep.
She had a beautiful style and perfect movement, and wouldn't stand any nonsense from the woollies. I had offers to buy her from two sheep farmers who competed in Driving Competitions but there was no way I was going to sell her.
She was shown at breed shows where she got several Best of Breeds but she didn't enjoy it so we stopped. In Agility she was far too fast for me and very accurate. Again, I got offers to buy her from folks in Agility. My dogs are first and foremost my best friends, not creatures to be passed from pillar to post. Dogs are for life, not just for dog sports or showing.
Search work too ...............................
I had started training two of my other dogs for Flyball and it was during this period that I met a trainer from a search group who asked me if I would like to train Kiss for Search work.
Why not, I thought, and so Kiss and I began our probationary period with a group of volunteer Search Dogs. She took to it like a duck to water. At last something she really enjoyed and as she is very obedient and because we had a very close bond, it worked.
We left the that group and did Search work with a small group of independent handlers and their dogs. We were often called out with mostly positive results. She was also a natural at finding underwater cadavre articles in training. Kiss at 12 years of age worked with the energy of a 2 year old. She loved the search work, it suited her down to the ground and she never tired. We only ever had to miss one "shout."
Why the name Kiss? If you bent down to say hello to her and you would understand why. She reached or jumped up to kiss your face. She was gentle, generous with her affection, submissive, very obedient and loyal.
Her progeny have turned out to be excellent in Obedience and Agility and two of her "pups" were in the Wolf Pack and the Wolverines Flyball Teams and competed against us.
In good health up until the day she died suddenly, without prior warning, of a stroke.
She was the most intelligent, obedient, safest dog I have ever known ...... and I bred her. How I wish she was still with me.
Why not, I thought, and so Kiss and I began our probationary period with a group of volunteer Search Dogs. She took to it like a duck to water. At last something she really enjoyed and as she is very obedient and because we had a very close bond, it worked.
We left the that group and did Search work with a small group of independent handlers and their dogs. We were often called out with mostly positive results. She was also a natural at finding underwater cadavre articles in training. Kiss at 12 years of age worked with the energy of a 2 year old. She loved the search work, it suited her down to the ground and she never tired. We only ever had to miss one "shout."
Why the name Kiss? If you bent down to say hello to her and you would understand why. She reached or jumped up to kiss your face. She was gentle, generous with her affection, submissive, very obedient and loyal.
Her progeny have turned out to be excellent in Obedience and Agility and two of her "pups" were in the Wolf Pack and the Wolverines Flyball Teams and competed against us.
In good health up until the day she died suddenly, without prior warning, of a stroke.
She was the most intelligent, obedient, safest dog I have ever known ...... and I bred her. How I wish she was still with me.
Only I Can See
We have a secret, you and I, that no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie each night in the fire glow?
And who but I can reach out my hand, before we got to bed,
And feel the living warmth of you, and touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths, and see ahead of me,
Your small form racing with the wind, so young again and free?
And only I can see you swim in every brook we pass,
And when I call, no one but I, can see the bending grass.
We have a secret, you and I, that no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie each night in the fire glow?
And who but I can reach out my hand, before we got to bed,
And feel the living warmth of you, and touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths, and see ahead of me,
Your small form racing with the wind, so young again and free?
And only I can see you swim in every brook we pass,
And when I call, no one but I, can see the bending grass.