Kenzo's Final Gift

I felt all the blood leave my face and could just hold on to the edge of the examination table. The vet immediately noticed. She grabbed my arm while the vet technician made an attempt to support my back.

Laughter Therapy

"OMG! This is so much fun!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

"Hey Kenz! We are getting wet big guy! Woohoo!" and I burst out in laughter.

The Bumpy Road To The Beach

We drive through the town's main street with the windows half open. It is just a 5 minute ride to the beach and the shortest road is through the small town of "Henne strand". Actually, the town is not a lot more than that single main street.

My Dogs Are My Gurus

"They changed your life" my old friend said the other day. With "they" he meant the dogs. Kenzo, Viva, and Tilde.

He called me up to hear how I was doing. I hadn't spoken with him for a decade. I can imagine his surprise to find me on the other end of the phone, not doing business or developing a new tech gadget or application, storming through board-rooms with new ideas. Instead, he found me in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, self-employed, which allowed me to work from home, and I talked about the dogs a lot.

What Nature Has To Offer

The underwater treadmill has been switched for the North Sea's surf. Muscle tone exercises on a wobble board are exchanged by slowly walking through sand on the beach and the dunes. Cavaletti's are done on the heath fields.

We are doing Kenzo's physical therapy with what nature has to offer.

Waiting on a Friend

Was it them? Kenzo sat down in the shallow sea water, as if he was in thrilled anticipation of the imminent reunion with his friend. His gaze was locked at something on the horizon. He was waiting on a friend, but I knew he would never come.

High-Five

Just a note from every day life this time, and a photo I wanted to share.

I shot this photo last week and can't help myself. I keep coming back to look at it.

After last week's encounter with the vet, Kenzo's smile and high-five speak volumes I like to think.

There is not much I can add in words, which Kenzo is not already telling in that photo.

Dogs Don't Lie

"You might need to consider if you want to offer him this life. You might want to consider euthanasia."

Silence.

"We need to discuss this next time we meet.", the vet said.

A Must Have on a Tough Subject

I am glad I read this book.

I am even more glad to have it, waiting on my book shelf. Ready to help me when that monster called grief, will show its ugly face again.

I read Roxanne Hawn's "Heart Dog: Surviving the Loss of Your Canine Soul Mate" with two questions in mind, was Viva my heart dog? am I wallowing? I got my answers, but more importantly, I also found things I could have done differently that would have helped me coping with the grief. Something I never expected would happen.

Grief is immensely personal, and I remember how I also wanted to own it. Find my way. Not listen to others. Being stubborn about that nobody could help me, and how I persisted on drinking the cup empty alone.

My Hero

There we went, up into the spotlight. Me with Tilde, Dina with Emil, and Louise with Ronja. Three Hovawarts rescued from the puppy mill.

The host started talking, but I didn't hear what he was saying, as I tried to keep my focus on Tilde. Tilde was noticing one of the cameras was moving towards her and she sounded the infamous Hovawart alarm with a bark. The audience present in the studio laughed. More cameras zoomed in on Tilde.

Finding Mr. Right

I was puzzled. We had just passed a group of road workers, and Tilde had done everything in her power to greet them. She just didn't let me pass by, pulling the leash, wiggling her body with her tail slashing from left to right. The men noticed, and one approached to reach out his arm for Tilde to sniff. Tilde made a slight hesitation, which I thought was odd considering all the trouble she went through to get closer, but then she went in to earn her cuddle.

We Are Getting Naked With Edie

It's time to get naked. Edie Jarolim is a writer who inspires me. Give me any book, article or blog post. If she wrote it, I want to read it.

Tilde's Moment

It is just a moment. Tilde being Tilde. Tilde being silly Tilde.

Or is there more to it?

I want to get to know my dogs. I want to understand them as good as possible. Who are they? What defines their character. What makes Tilde, Tilde?

The Ego of a Hovawart Expert

When I was invited as a Hovawart expert to speak for a group of new Hovawart owners a while ago - it was before Tilde - I was asked the question what could be done to stop certain bad behaviors, like jumping up and mouthing.

We Have A Winner! Grisha Stewart's Book About BAT

And the Winner of Grisha Stewart's book about BAT is ....

Christy Johnson!

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy reading the book and putting BAT into practice.

Judged Guilty, Severe Neglect of 55 Hovawarts and Goldens

The Hovawart puppy miller Torben Thorsøe was judged guilty of severe animal neglect according to the Danish Animal Welfare and Protection Act by the Danish district court in Næstved today.

He was sentenced to pay a fine of 25,000 danish kroner (3,700 USD / 3,300 Euro), a conditioned jail sentence of twenty days, and lost the right to breed commercialy with animals for the next 5 years.

Survey Results

Thank you so much for participating in our survey. It was thrilling to touch base with our readers and listen to your likes and dislikes.

We also received great input in the comments for new subjects to write about, which will keep us busy for a while to come.

The Wolf and The Hovawart, Old Foes Or a New Beginning?

Wolf in Ovstrup Hede, Denmark. Photo: Carl Skovbjerg Johnsen

The wolf has returned to Denmark. I am delighted, thrilled and excited all at once. Not only for the wolf, but also for what could follow in its path. What may lie ahead is a new understanding. A new definition of the Danish relationship not only with nature and wolfs, but also between the Danes and dogs in general.

Let me explain. Due warning though, this will be a long essay.

Kenzo the Hovawart Survey

I would really appreciate your feedback on this one.

I put together a short survey about what you like to read on the Kenzo the Hovawart blog and what possible suggestions you might have for improvement.

It would mean the world to me if you could help me out, moving forward with the blog.
Thank you in advance!

Jumping The Fence

Tilde jumps a lot. Mainly because it is practical. It is about getting from A to B in the quickest way possible. She is not an avid jumper, and doesn't seem to jump for the pleasure of it. When she is on full speed, it is an impressive sight though.

Giveaway: Grisha Stewart's Book About BAT

This being our second giveaway, I gave it some thought, what kind of products I actually liked to give away, and I decided to continue down the path of products we have used ourselves and which really helped us in one way or the other - like the FITPAWS Balance Disc in our first giveaway that helped Kenzo so much in his injury therapy.

This time, we are therefore giving away a book that made a huge difference for us:

Behavior Adjustment Training, by Grisha Stewart, M.A., CPDT-KA

... for Free!

The Nightmare That Just Won't Go Away

Despite an update in legislation it is a problem that just won't go away, as shown in this documentary from BBC Scotland, aired just a few days ago.

Fire In The Hole

"A dogwalker found ..." Did you ever notice how many local news stories contain this sentence? We do come out and about, us dog people, and somewhere down the line we tend to bump into something out of the ordinary. Yesterday, on our after-diner-walk, it was our turn to make such a discovery.

Antidote

There was just that moment of silence. "It is probably the GOLPP" I said. The vet nodded her head. "Most likely" she replied.

Wizard Update From Susanne: The Problemsolver

Hovawart Wizard Susanne just send me an update I would like to share. Last time Susanne wrote something about her boys Mammoet and Rico, Rico was undergoing some, well, growing pains.

We actually met the boys and Susanne at the end of last year, for a beach walk with Tilde in Holland - see the picture on the left. 

The Moment My Heart Stood Still

I was taken by surprise by the dark man suddenly standing in our back garden. I was occupied with reading a book while enjoying the warmth of the sun, and Kenzo was sleeping beside me. Suddenly the man was there. I looked at him, and as soon as his lips started to move in an attempt to say something, I knew it was too late. At the first syllable he uttered, Kenzo was rising from behind my chair, and I grabbed in vain for his collar.

Trusting Tilde

We arrived at the corner of a shopping street filled with people slowly strolling by the shop windows, ice cream stands and bakeries. Tilde's tail starts to wag in anticipation. The sight fueled her excitement. In a minute we will be in the middle of the melee. She could hardly wait, it's a Valhalla for an extrovert like Tilde. I would have to be on my toes though.

Return To The Valley

It would be just the boys. A male bonding trip. A boy's day out. Just Kenzo and me.

Excited we left for the valley. The valley lies in the middle of a dune landscape at the West-coast. It holds a couple of small lakes, hidden out of sight by the sand dunes towering out above it. The highest of the surrounding dunes offer a fantastic view over the valley and the rest of the landscape.

Window Of Opportunity

Next month it will be one year ago we adopted Tilde. In many ways she hasn't changed a bit. In many ways she has. She is no longer trying to fit in. No longer Kenzo's protégé. Less dependent on me and Kenzo to find her brave self.

New Memories

I kneel down next to Viva's tree with a view over the heath fields. The ground is cold from the night's frost. The fields are blueish with frozen dew, and hide the brown color they carry at this time of year. I hope we can witness a sunrise together, Viva's tree and me.

Tilde's Ambitions

When you have read my blog from the start, you know I participated in all kind of dog classes with Kenzo. Obedience, tracking, defense, SAR, and more.

I had to learn the craft as it was all new to me. It was a road of stumble and fall, partly because of the trainers we met, partly because training in a group for some kind of diploma simply distracts from what it is about.

A Valley and A View

The light in the sky signals the end of Winter and the return of color is underway. It is a special time of the year when the days start to get longer. People venture out more. I think we meet twice as much dogs on our walks these days, as we did during Winter.

All of us can have strong feelings around a change of seasons, a certain holiday, or a time of year.

Sexy Tilde On A Walk With The Danish Hovawart Club

Around 15 Hovawarts and their people showed up on a drizzling Saturday afternoon in one of Copenhagen's most beautiful parks, "Dyrehaven". It was a colorful group with Hovawarts in all ages, sizes, genders and colors, except black - black Hovawart owners, please remedy this next time?

Men And Sweethearts

"What a sweetheart", Stefaan commented on the photo of Kenzo I posted earlier on Facebook. I thought that was funny. I always call Kenzo for sweetheart too. Some men though, will never call a dog a sweetheart, I thought.

About Laryngeal Paralysis, Idiopathic, and GOLPP

Two weeks ago I wrote about how I had nothing to show for when we went to the vet. I thought that would be the last of it but no.

It ain't over until the fat lady sings.

A Breadcrumb For Tulle's New Family

The day I visited Tulle in the shelter last week somebody else was there too, looking for a dog, although we never met.

She was an energetic middle-aged woman who was missing a dog in her life. After studying a picture and short description of a dog that spoke to her on the shelter's website, she paid the dog a visit. We just missed each other, as I had left for home after taking a walk with Tilde and Tulle.