Meeting The Girls and Making a Decision

I went to meet KatiE and Kennzie at their FurParents grooming shop in the hopes that one might bond with me. I knew it might not happen. After all, it had taken Bandit several days.  On the other paw, Spike, Bandit's Dad, nicknamed Devil Dog because he didn't like people, was the first dog of his 9-dog pack to hop onto my lap and give me doggie kisses. Go figure. Anyway,  I knew The Girls and I might not bond quickly--or even at all.  Yikes! Dogs can be aloof, especially when they know they are being watched. Or when they know you want them desperately to like you. So I  went to meet The Girls with a tad bit of trepidation of my own. 

As I feared might happen, just like with Bandit, The Girls did not bond with me right away. 

It took them about two minutes.

After about an hour, I was also privileged to meet KatiE's 6-week old litter (all spoken for), and they gave me kisses.  Even the unrelated pups being groomed seemed to be smitten with me.  I hadn't even resorted to rubbing jerky on my hands and face, although honestly, I had considered it.  But I figured that wouldn't fly in the long run, or something horribly I Love Lucy-ish  would happen and the humans would see through it all.  

As it was, the humans seemed to approve of me as well.  And I?   I was in Chinese Crested Heaven. The FurParents didn't even ask about my prepared references. The Girls and The Litter became my references. 

From the pre-meeting photos I had been  drawn to Kennzie.  She is slate and grey  like Bandit, but with much fuller furnishings.  Her daughter KatiE, a little black and white girl, has my same B-day, and the sweetest soulful gaze.   I couldn't make a desicion based on the photos alone, so Plan A was to meet The Girls and see if I clicked with either.

Plan A was no help--they were both so sweet and adorrable, now I wanted them both!  And, because of the precious puff in The Litter,  I was now rethinking my Puff-less stance--of course, a Puff would have to be a much more future addition since this little one was already spoken for.  That's when Brandi threw in a Plan B.

Due to scheduling difficulties and a major medical issue their family was dealing with, my meet and greet with The Girls had been postponed several weeks. Brandi had recently  lost one of her males in a freak anaphelectic accident. He too was an AKC Champion.  He was also her favorite. She felt about him like I felt about Bandit. He was her heart.  He was also related to The Girls, and the day before our appointment, one of the girls had come into season.  As fate would have it, his Sire was also available. Brandi wanted to pull her from the sale and breed her one last time in hopes of reproducing another champ. If successful, she would not be available for spaying until the summer. If they did not conceive, she could be ready late next month.

However, because, I had been talking with Brandi and her Husband for several weeks, waiting patiently for a Meet and Greet with The Girls, Brandi was willing to honor my decision if I wanted one of the girls now. She left the decision up to me.

I of course could only make one decision.

She has to try to reproduce another litter and hope for another little champ.  I tell myself it's the right thing to do. It's what I'd want if it was Bandit.  I'm not a patient waiter by nature; however, since this was the right decision I've been at peace with it.  Even though it means waiting. Which, BTW means I have been waiting. Which I'm not really good at doing.  Did you know that?  But I'm learning. Really.  I am.  I mean, I haven't even googled to see if they sell doggie pregnancy tests and how quickly they can be used. Or how accurate they are. Or....

Yet. 😉

The Test

This is a test. Please read the entire post before you form an oninion, and especially before you post a response, or unfriend me. 

Remember back in elementry school when they gave us The Test, along with verbal instructions to read all of the instructions before we took The Test?

Those written instructions were intentionally long and convaluted to determine what instructions, if any, we followed. The teachers verbally stressed not starting The Test until the individual silent instruction read-thru was completed.  That long ago test reminds me of the instructions that come with just about anything you buy today. Read these instructions entirely before use. Yeah. Right.

Somewhere along The Test instruction read-thru most of my classmates started following the written  instructions, only to find the very last instruction was the one that said, don't do anything.  By that time several irreversible actions had been taken. There were no do-overs. 

How many of us read the instructions all the way through back then?  How many of us read the instructions all the way through before the initial use of a new purchase now?

I failed The Test back then. And I continue to fail each and every time I purchase something that tells me to read the instructions before use now. I guess that says a lot about my personality. Or my intelligence. Or both.  Hummm...we'll stick with personality.

Anyway, I'm about to say something some might find kind of shocking.  Or it may be something you may not like, approve of,  or want to hear. Please read all the way to the end before you form an opinion or post a response.

I remember a Katy Perry song a few years back I Kissed A Girl And I Liked It. It was a catchy little tune and I would sing it from time.  Although I have friends who swing that way, I do not.

I try not to judge people who make different lifestyle choices, or who have a  different belief system than I have.  After all it's not my job to judge people. Judging people is the job of God. My job is also not to convict others of anything they are doing (or not doing, that they should be doing). Conviction about right and wrong, (or drawing someone closer to God), is the job of the Holy Spirit.  My job is also not to save others. That is the job of Jesus. 

My job is to live a life that points others to Jesus. I do that best when I emulate the way He loved people, and met them where they were in their need. He was not above getting dirty to be with the people who needed Him.  He associated with tax collectors (who were widely seen as legalized theives). He came to the defense of a prostitute.  He healed unclean Leapers, cast demons out of possessed people, healed the deaf, mute, blind, and those sick with other illnesses.  He even brought the dead back to life--all in a climate where the religious leaders, and most everyone else, viewed any aberration from good health to be a sign of sin--either the afflicted persons, or one of their ancestors.  When the good church people of His day saw this, they looked down on Jesus for befriending the less than perfect.  Jesus gently  reminded them of a very important truth:  Well people don't need a doctor, but sick people do.

To that end I recently befriended a couple of retired "working girls" and invited them into my home. This is their backstory: They started out "entertaining" others while they were neked as a jaybird.  The Girls had "call" names of Kenzie and KatiE. As I got to know them more I found out they were not friends like I originally thought--they are actually a Mother (Kenzie) and Daughter (KatiE).

I was reminded of similarities in the Rose Louise Hovick story:   Hovick and her Sister June were both entertainers. (June was an actress, dancer,  and writer who went by the name of June Havok.) Their Mother (Rose) was their  Manager.  Louise was also an actress, writer, and dancer who Wikipedia calls a vedette--I had never heard the term, so I googled it--basically it means she was a headliner. You might remember her by her stage name.  Louise was the legendary burlesque queen known as Gypsy Rose Lee.

That's where the similarities in her story and The Girls stories ended.  When the bills were no longer being paid from strutting around neked,  The Girls sold their bodies. Not my life choice. But it's not my job to judge. 

So,  The Girls and I were sitting on the sofa getting to know each other. Actually, I was doing all the talking--which is funny since I'm usually the listener.  KatiE was initially reserved and shy. But that melted away as she warmed up to me.  Maybe a little too much.

While I was talking KatiE timidly touched my knee, then leaned in, and kissed me on the lips. 

Whoa! Where did that come from?!  But here's the real shocker:  I still don't swing that way, but I kissed her back--and then Kenzie joined in!

Before you ask--no, this was not a dream.  This really happened. However,  I do think I need to clarify.  So read the next paragraphs slowly.

Everything I just wrote is true--except for one thing: this did not happen in my home.  It happened in  Cedar Park.  That really didn't clear it up.  Perhaps I should explain a little more...

Kenzie Marie's registered name is Dasha Nipogon Bonne Fire and she's a retired AKC Champion. Her Call Name in the ring is Kenzie. In addition to showing, she has also been bred, hence the reference to being paid for sex. Her liters have also produced a few Champions.  One of which is KatiE whose registered  name is Dasha Kulana Can't Have Your Kate and Edith Too. The Girls run around neked because they are Hairless Chinese Cresteds. Unlike Bandit, they have much more hair in their furnishings (crest, socks, plume, and even a bit of a mane). They are unofficially known as Hairy Hairless.

Cresteds can be aloof. Actually any dog can.  They are pretty good judges of character. I've found if my dog has a problem with someone, there is likely a reason why. Doggie kisses are pretty indicitive of passing their test.  I'm glad I passed The Girls test.

Did you pass mine? 

Lays Potato Chips and Chinese Cresteds

Chinese Cresteds are like Lays Potato Chips—you can never have just one. 

Boomers will understand the old advertising reference.  Post-Millennials, Millennials, and even Xers will likely have to google it.

It's hard to explain, but Cresties are unlike any other breed. Once you've had a Crested, your house will never be a home without at least one. Often one Crestie leads to another, and another--sometimes the multiples come one after another, sometimes they arrive all at the same time.  I recently met a couple who, by all accounts have mega-multiples. Currently they have 20 Chinese Cresteds.  Or 28.  It depends on who you ask. They of course are breeders. And they view each and every Crested as one of their babies.  I totally get it.

I’ve been thinking about my future  Crested a lot since Bandit crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past December. I think it’s still a little too soon to actually get one because the last time I lost a pup, it took two full years before I could even start thinking about adding another FurKid to the Fam. Bandit was that FurBoy, or rather, that FurLessBoy.  So...in a way, thinking about a future Crested this soon in the grieving process is actually a tribute to Bandit.  Right?  At least that's what I tell myself in my attempt to lessen the guilt I feel for being unfaithful to his memory.

Don't get me wrong:  there will never be another Bandit.  I cannot replace him.  I don't ever want to try.  However, I do want to eventually add another Crestie to my family.  Notice I want another Crestie.  Not just any breed will do, even though I love other breeds. It's that chip thing. I’ve even visited the Marketplace on the American Kennel Club (AKC) website to see what I might expect to pay for a Chinese Crested--it's been over 13 years since Bandit came home with me and everything, including the cost of dogs, has increased.

I may have mentioned checking out Cresteds to one of my supervisors, because a couple Fridays back she told me to start looking for another dog to shower with love and spoil rotten. Spoil rotten?!  Me?!  Ha ha.  She knows me well.

The following Monday she asked me if I had found a dog over the weekend. I had not.

However, I am my  Mama’s Child.

Translation: I am ornery and I love a good prank. So...as a joke, I texted her back and told her I didn’t get another pup—I got 12! 

And I had--earlier this year I bought an “Ugly Dogs” calendar to  be my work calendar.  It, of course, is full of pups that are not exactly breed standard.  People frequently say they are so ugly they are cute.  I think they are perfect as is.  The calendar  features a different dog each month.  

Now, in my defense, I did attach a photo of the calendar to my text.

Unfortunately,  when she read my text, the photo didn’t  go through.  She thought I really had 12 new puppies!  Nope. My work schedule would not be fair to the potty training process of not quite developed puppy reasoning, or their kidneys.  Besides, the prices on the AKC Marketplace are a bit higher than my price point.  Especially after the thousands I spent in Bandits final medical bills,  and my recent tire/wheel repair and replacement.  Thankfully 2/3 of that bill was assumed by insurance.  

To be fair, the pups I have been looking at  are show quality pups with Champion Sires and Dams, and could potentially become champions themselves. As such, the prices are likely very fair.  But when I'm ready to add a pup, I’ll be getting another pet or companion Crested, or a rescue…although, a retired show or breeding Crested might be feasible if the price is right. And there is also the possibility of a rescue from a puppy mill. Although so far the rescue Cresteds I've seen have looked nothing like Cresteds. I don't care about the registration papers since I will not be showing conformation or breeding, but I do want my future Crestie to look the part. And I prefer the neked ones to the puffs. 

During the late 1960s or early 1970s  I attended my one and only live conformation dog show. Since then I've watched them occasionally on television. This particular show was an AKC Trial on, or near, Eglin Air Force Base.  This family outting ended up being educational as well as fun.  The AKC is one of the few confirmation shows that still "bench" the contestants.  Benching is awesome for the spectators because, when not in the ring,  each dog and handler sit at their bench, and become ambassadors educating the public to the specifics of their breed standard (what their particular national Breed Club states is ideal).  Each breed has, and competes against, its own standard. Sometimes within the breed there are multiple varieties, based on color, coat, or size. Each variety also has its own standard.  Each variety may have a different Breed Standard.

For instance, the Chinese Crested comes in two varieties: Powderpuff (long flowing  hair all over the body) and Hairless (as implied, their skin no hair whatsoever, or is very sparse). Bandit, my NekedBoy, was a True Hairless—he had a small crest of hair on his head with wispy fringes on his ears, and the rest of his furnishings:  the plume (tip of the tail) and socks (feet), were very sparse. In latter years he developed a trace amount of fuzz on his muzzle, and less than 30 individual curly hairs on his body. There is interestingly a third unofficial variety—and it’s the off-shoot of the Hairless variety that typically wins Chinese Crested Best of Breed—the Hairy Hairless.  The HHL furnishings: crest, plume, socks, and even a “mane” going down its neck, are silky,  full, and flowing.  The Hairy Hairless remind me of miniature Clydesdales or Gypsy horses (aka Gypsy Cob, Irish Cob, or Gypsy Vanner).

In order to participate in AKC shows your pup must be registered. I never submitted Bandits papers to the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) since he was not breed standard (he was a couple pounds heavier and a couple inches taller).  Nevertheless, Bandit became an awesome unofficial ambassador for the Chinese Crested breed. He makes me want to add another Crested to the family, because just like Lays potato chips--one is never enough.