Pip
came into our lives quite by accident. The breeder had
been left with her after someone decided they only wanted
one Labradoodle puppy. Why did we want a Labradoodle?
I wanted a large dog(after having a Miniature Poodle)
while Spiro wanted a Poodle-coated dog(no smell, no
shedding hair). Well, we certainly got a large dog but,
unfortunately, she shed buckets of hair. By this time
though, she had won us over with her fantastic temperament
and the ease with which she picked things up when training.
Because of her temperament, we worked
with the Responsible Pet Education Program for a few
years. She loved going into different schools and kindergartens(there
were always crumbs on the floor that needed ‘tidying’
up!) and from my perspective it was great taking her
to work with me. I know that she won a lot of children
over that didn’t particularly like dogs before
our visit.
We tried our hand at Agility and Pip
was certainly enthusiastic. However, having to jump
at the maximum height, and being so enthusiastic, she
landed quite heavily and retired very early in her career
due to damaging one of her hock joints.
Undeterred, we went on to Obedience
and she attained her CD. We had some humourous moments
in the ring. Why wouldn’t you run into the ring
next door to retrieve another dog’s dumbbell???
And if you’re having to lie down for 3 minutes
doing nothing much then why not hoover up all the rabbit
droppings within your reach?? Oh well, we got there
in the end and she was just starting to get herself
together for some great Open scores(that’s purely
her owner’s opinion).
Unfortunately, Pip’s life was
cut short. We were down at the park and she ran to get
the ball, must have twisted awkwardly and ruptured at
least one disc in her back. The sight of her dragging
her hindquarters along the ground was heartbreaking.
Although I got her in the car and to the vet straight
away the outlook was grim. After 5 hours of steroids
and rest there was no change and she couldn’t
feel anything in her hind legs. So after all of us spent
time with her saying goodbye, she was put to rest.
Of all the lessons I learnt from Pip,
the most important was get a dog with a great temperament
and you can’t go wrong. They may not be the smartest
or the best looking (she was the exception, of course)
but they make great companions and great ambassadors
for the dog world.
R.I.P Pip
Pat, Spiro, Rosie, Lucy & Kate(& Astro &
Bindi)
