“EACH AND EVERY ONE OF MY DANDIES HAS BROUGHT ME JOY. And like any dog, they can put us in embarrassing situations.”
Both dogs were working well when we heard a police siren. Lo and behold the siren ceased in her driveway. Th e police o ffi cer banged on her gate, hollered “Police” and entered her backyard. “I’ve been called here with a complaint of cat killing,” he exclaimed. I immediate- ly grabbed my funny bone! Seems one of the neighbors called in the complaint and was unable to decipher the “Get the rat” command. Luckily, the o ffi cer grabbed his funny bone! He was impressed when we showed him what we were doing. Living with Dandies a ff ords us the time to share daily events with them. “ Th e Dust- man” loved to ride with me on errands. I was driving a little sports car and I believe he was remembering riding shotgun in a former life. We went to the feed store for grain for the goats. Th e fellow who brought it out saw Dusty peeping around his seat. “Ma’am,” he shouted. “ Th at dawg ain’t got no legs.” I told him I would take Dusty out so he could see he really did have legs! I shared the history of the breed and why he had short legs. Th e man enjoyed petting him and after awhile, Dusty jumped back in the car. “Ma’am, I don’t want to hurt your feelings but do you know he has a bump on his back?” Enter my funny bone! I occasionally saw the fellow
and he always asked about Dusty. ’Course has been gone for several years now, but he will always be my ‘dawg with no legs’! We do show our dogs. It is pretty obvi- ous from their behavior they love the ring as much as the couch. Each and every one of my Dandies has brought me joy. And like any dog, they can put us in embar- rassing situations. Possibly the most embarrassing moment came when I was showing Cruise. He was the kindest dog that ever lived and he loved to show. He won the breed at Th e Garden but was equally excited when he was invited to the Secord Gallery. He greeted visitors as they came in and spent the afternoon doing tricks for cookies. Later, I was showing him in the group at an Oklahoma show and on the final go round my petticoat fell down around my ankles. I simply took my foot and tossed it out of the ring. Cruise wanted to retrieve it—I wanted the floor to open up and swallow us both! He won the group and went on to win Best in Show. From the crowd, I had to endure chants of “Will Strip for Wins.” A moment I’ll never forget, for MANY reasons. All our dogs mean the world to us. We all have stories to share. Th e proudest I have ever been of one of my dogs did happen
at a show. Dusty was resting on a groom- ing table when a woman wheeled a young man with cerebral palsy into our setup. She asked if her son could touch Dusty. Th e young man was very excited. His body and limbs were very spastic, as well as his voice being very loud and guttural. Dusty, along with his multiple titles, was a therapy dog with his TDI title. I agreed to let him touch Dusty. His mother wheeled him very close to Dusty. He roughly grabbed his topknot while squealing with delight. Dusty slowly inched forward and planted a soft, tender kiss on his cheek. Suddenly the boy became very still. His legs and arms were stilled and his voice transferred into a big quiet smile. His mom had tears in her eyes, as did I. Th is is why I love living with Dandies! BIO Peggy, a retired art and music teacher, along with her husband, Larry, a retired steel executive, began showing Saint Ber- nards and Skye Terriers in 1969. Th ey became active with Dandie Dinmonts in l983. Th ey have bred and finished multiple Group and Best in Show Dandies under the “Schooner” prefix. Dogs are their lives. Th ey have a successful grooming salon, as well as a boarding kennel in Oklahoma.
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