Once upon a time…

anno 1985 – the compelling wish, to own a dog.

It ought to be a puppy, of course, medium size, coulor and sex never mind.

At that time Internet didn’t exist to look for, and we searched, what you could find in the phone book of Berlin: P like Petshop (H like horror would be suitable), were sure, getting the right address, because soooo many breeds were offered. Of course there had to be anything for everyone’s fancy.

Saturday morning, into the car, steady, go. We never visited any kennels before, just heard about, at most from TV reports about animal homes. Oh, soooo many, soooo small dogs. Like little imageries they were sitting, very quiet, with very big looking eyes, maybe rather scaring…??? Well, very soon we fell in love with that very small red cocker bitch. She had to be, a word and a blow…bought, taking vaccination card and getting home.

By the way, some „well“ pieces of advice we got. To lock up the dog in a room, spreading out newspaper all over there, maybe some “slip-up” will happen. How to feed? Of course tin-food, anyway she will get accustomed to. Apart from that, everything was well, after all we’ve got the vaccination card.  

These really little bitch had a new home now, which should becomes as nice as possible for her. She moves less, was sleeping a lot and has had just little appetite at all. Instead of diarrhoea all the more. Was it possible that the changeover afflicted her so much? It follows a very bad night, with wailing and diarrhoea, sunday morning already the bitch was very attenuated and in addition to, she has started to cough. The diarrhoea was mixed with blood now and for city traffic much too fast, we were speeding to the veterinary. He inspected the puppy very soundly and told us, that the bitch was very ill, but there was a chance to mend with injections and lots of medicine. In any case, she has got kennel cough. Roughly age of the bitch: round about 7 weeks.

Whenever she may parted from her mother?

Viewing the vaccination card gave a deep insight: owing to this, she should have been two weeks older at least. Anyway a veterinary in Deggendorf has attested it. On the way home from the veterinary, the bitch was sitting on the lap in a dogbed. She seemed to be very exhausted. On the partway suddenly she changed such a lot, that we really took fright. The little face was warping to a grimace, she was rearing up and got a real aggression. Just fixing on her hackles we could control her and she got foam at the mouth. Turned around and back to the vet. After inspecting once again he only advised putting her to sleep.

Would she have had a chance to live and would she have mend under these circumstances, you never know, which “dysfunction her brain” should have retained for the rest of her life.

The loss of the puppy was unbearable. Only 24 hours she got love and care, all her life it was meant at last. We agreed the veterinary’s request, to make a pathological analyses of her brain.

It proved as a kind of distember.  The petshop was very well-known for, at the veterinarian department of the local district and the police. Each attempts, to close this shop to finish those pains, has failed on ever-changing shopkeepers.

Following endless tears, sleepless nights, feelings full of guilt, because we purchased a pet totally uninformed, supporting unknowingly dog trading this way.

Nevertheless in the following year the desire for a healthy dog complied. We inquired about clubs and breeders at the VDH and we striked it rich at Jagdspaniel-Klub e.V.

A red dog was born on 23th of April 1986, together with his 5 litterbrothers and he accompanied his holder through thick and thin. He stemmed from a enthusiastic breeder, the dog’s  name was Lady’s Abi, his parents were: “Wilderer’s Elvis” (breeder: Helma Roth) and “Hanni vom Kalkstein”, he enjoyed a wonderful puppy period with loving breeders, we could “bother” them every weekend to visit him, until the day to take him home. He stayed very healthy up to a great age and even his old heart could be treated with medicine successfully. The 15th of May 2002 has tearing a hole in the heart of his owner, which still hurts and probably never mend.