TWO OF OUR TOY FOX TERRIER
FOUNDATION BITCHES
One of our very best breedings was my
beloved Jane bred to
O'BJ High Flying Phoenix, known as "UFO" Click his name to see him as a
gangly puppy. UFA had everything to offer except, well, he was in outer
space, hyper to be truthful. He was a promising puppy that in retrospect,
probably became hyper-active on the dry dog food we fed then. We were sure
that Jane's incredible mind and stability would dominate and thankfully, we were
right. There were three puppies...
Ch.
Getta Garbo went in the show ring at barely 6 months old.
Untrained, totally unexposed to the big world out there, when we first went in
the building, her eyes were big as saucers and she was trembling. The next
day, I put my itty bitty puppy down on the floor and said "C'mon Garbo, let's
go!" She cranked her tail and strutted along beside me like she knew what
she was doing! When she stood before the judge, eyes sparking, butt
wagging, perfect front, perfect rear, perfect picture... he gave her the win.
The rest was history. Garbo
became the top winning puppy in breed history and the youngest Toy Fox Terrier
Champion to finish. Never defeated, she bested some of the best male
champions, including one of the nationally ranked Top Five males, a dog we
greatly admired and whose owner always congratulated Garbo.
Garbo
is like her mother Jane. Nothing "small" about either of them, at 5.5
pounds, she's packed with bone, substance and er, dynamite! Also
like her mom, she delivers her puppies easily despite her small size.
Garbo is a little fit-in-a-handbag dog to take to the beauty shop or as my
husband said, "perfect for a man who is man enough to own such a tiny little
dog."
Besides Garbo and Blaze, there was also a very promising male in the litter but
our new home was under construction when he jumped off the deck and landed with
his front leg in a concrete block! When I took him to the vet, they
insisted on a name for their records. Bill had already picked his girl and
after toying with Greta Garbo and various combinations, he named her simply
"Getta Blaze" as she had a solid black face. My pick was name "Getta"
instead of Greta, and as I looked down at their little brother, I hugged him
close, looked up at the receptionist and said "His name is Getta Leg O'BJ."
The cast was a disaster, his leg
became infected (let that be a lesson) and had to be re-done. So although
he thought he had a leg and nonchalantly raced around the yard in his cast, it
wasn't straight when healed. Let that also be a lesson when naming a dog!
The family who bought him said they wouldn't wish a broken leg on anyone but
they sure were glad Getta Leg O'BJ became a "pet" and blessed their lives.
Yeah, sometimes things happen...
Bill's
girl, Getta Blaze, had to wait to be shown. There was no way she could
beat Garbo and being a larger bitch, she was not as together as a puppy.
But when she came out, she finished in a flash, capping off her show ring
achievements with BOS over some of the country's top Specials at the Regional
Specialty.
Her show photos are like Garbo's
(packed away) but here is something better. She's shown at 6 years old, so
pregnant she's already "dropped" but moving effortlessly. So sound in mind
and body, a peaceful, calming presence, she made Bill's last days easier, laying
with him for hours in his high hospital bed. She came in season during
that time and needless to say, I didn't intend to breed a litter. Bill
asked why I hadn't bred Blaze. I couldn't say, we were still pretending to
be in denial. I just said she wasn't ready, and hastily bred her the next
day...
The next year I retired her with a
wonderful man who owned one of our pet males.
So,
moving on, here's a photo of Blaze's son Undaunted (by
Lucky Dog). Dante is co-owned with Lisa Herman, a top agility
trainer.
Dante was and is very special to me.
I wrestled with what to do as I feared he would be too large for the show ring
but at nearly a year, I couldn't bear to let him go.
Lisa and her husband saved me, and
Dante. He is within standard and his ground-covering reach and drive will
make movement judges forsake the little ones so Dante may be shown to his
Championship but right now he's working on his Agility titles with Lisa.
That's a whole 'nuther chapter!
Dante will be kept intact until I can
get a litter from him, Bless Lisa for that. He is the male we wanted
to breed Garbo to but she had other plans.
Well, I've enjoyed getting this page
together for you. I am really proud of our foundation girls. Bill
was always so proud of Blaze. He hated to show but he finished her himself
and she loved every minute of it.
Garbo is here with me but if just the
right family comes along, after her last litter, she might be retired also.
Keeping only 6 or 7 dogs is hard but in the long run, best for the wonderful
girls who have given us so much joy and such great kids for other families.
Copyright
© 2002 Barbara J. Andrews. All rights reserved. Except for brief
reference quotations with source provided, no portions thereof may be stored or
reprinted in any form, electronic or otherwise, without prior express written
consent of
Barbara J. Andrews
