The Call of the West Coast

We had a great time during the last three weeks on the island of Sealand. It did the girls a lot of good to experience a change of surroundings, have people and other dogs venture right outside of our front door.

Revenge of the Shih Tzu

"Woof, woof!" Both Tilde and Zerline were barking at the little Shih Tzu who passed by the fence.

To Wart Or Not To Wart

As soon as Zerline noticed the group of people she was away, loudly barking at the approaching "threat". Tilde was right behind her, equally displeased it seemed. A Hovawart arrest was eminent.

Mama's Last Hug. Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves

Animals have emotions. I know, I am preaching to the choir. We - dog people - already know this. Still, I want to highly recommend this book, "Mama's Last Hug. Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves."

Dog Studies Man

The feeling someone is looking at me suddenly comes up. I quickly look at the window, but no creepy person there, neither is there a ghost standing behind my me when I look over my shoulder. Then I notice Zerline, the source of the disturbance in my sixth sense.

Driving Miss Zerline

"Woof!" I looked in my rear view mirror.
We were driving on the highway and the car behind us was so close it could almost touch our towing hook. Another case of an Audi in a hurry.

The Symphony

I wasn't wrong with my prophecy. "Dit is een goed stel hoor," excuse my Dutch.

The Joy Dog

It's Tilde's 6th birthday today. Maybe. She was born somewhere around February 17, 2013. That much we do know.

Distraction

A dog and his person appeared on the horizon. We don't meet many people this time of the year. Most avoid the wind-swept West-coast during Winter. But there are like-minded people who, like us, seek the solitude.

Band of Equals

More than a decade ago, when I visited Kenzo's breeder for my first Hovawart puppy, Kenzo quickly lost his interest in me during our initial greeting. He just sat down, with his side casually leaning against a fence while looking out over the fields adjacent to the breeder's house. Watching the grass grow seemed a whole lot more interesting than us, he seemed to think.

Confidence Collection

No, I am not standing in front of a mirror and giving myself a pep talk. It has been a while since my last post and I thought about what could best capture our long absence from the blog.

Where There Is No Time

I hesitated for a moment. It was 7am. "No, I am not going to do it," I whispered to myself. Before there were dogs in my life, I preferred to start my working day at 7am, well ahead of my co-workers and customers, who usually start at 9-ish.

An Unusual Friend

There she was again, our daily visitor. The doe looked at me through the window. She didn't seem afraid at all. She was only 15 feet away.

A Touch of Crazy

"They are crazy," my friend said. I could hear the astonishment in her voice.

Conversations With A Hovawart #9: On The Job

"You are getting better and better at guarding our realm, Zerline," I said, in an attempt to sound motivational.

Like Me, Like Me Not

With the last guests leaving in the coming weekend, a two and a half month streak of welcoming visitors is coming to an end. Apart from their incident, which both Tilde and Zerline luckily already seem to have forgotten, it was good to be around people again.

Licking Our Wounds

What never should happen has happened.

Conversations With A Hovawart #8: Tough

"Why do you look so pale?"

Conversations With A Hovawart #7: Guests

"When are my next visitors arriving?"

Flying The Puppy Home, A Flashback

Atie and me had a lot to talk about during her visit. We also made many trips down memory lane back to the puppy days, and I realized I never shared with her - and with you for that matter - what happened flying back to Denmark with Zerline. I was too preoccupied with my puppy those first couple of days.

Puppy, Puppy, Puppy

"It's really her, Zerline."

The Charminator

I remember the pictures from Atie, the breeder, in which you could see how Zerline was charming herself into the hearts of all the visitors with belly rubs and cuddles. Nobody could resist her.

Hovawart TV: Rebel, Rebel

Hidden Talents

What before was her cute little puppy sister is now a teenager. Bigger, heavier, maybe even stronger, than Tilde. And the teenager knows it too.

Emil of The Woods

His name is Emil of The Woods. Can you remember him? He was one of Kenzo's, and is Tilde's, best friend. He will be one of the main characters of the book I am writing. Like Tilde, also Emil is an "of The Woods", and no, they are not family.

Lucky

It has been a while.

A Heated Affair

"Watch out!" I shouted to Merete who stepped forward to reach for Zerline's leash. Too late. With Tilde already pulling her leash, the full force of Zerline made me loose my balance. I smashed into Merete and we both spiraled down to the ground.

Happy 5th Tilde

"Let's mark the occasion!" I shouted during our morning walk, and started to draw the letters in the sand.

Conversations With A Hovawart #6: Open Sesame

"That's a bad habit, young lady."

Running

"Their joy is contagious."

Seasonal Greetings

We leave the house at 4pm, a sunset is imminent. Zerline has a golden glow in the sunlight which is still bright. She is seven months old now, already an experienced sunset chase companion. In the distance the highest dune in the direct vicinity around us looms from the fog that starts to drift in. We hurry over for a good view of the sunset.

Life Changed

I open my eyes and have a peek around me from under the covers. No wonder I am feeling so warm. Tilde is laying curled up between my legs and Zerline is laying fully stretched out on my side. I feel her warm breath blowing in my neck.

Where Did My Puppy Go?

What happened to that innocent little creature I picked up at Schiphol airport three months ago? That tiny fur-ball, who fell asleep while I held her fragile body in my arms, snoring with satisfaction. That small dependent baby dog, who studied me endlessly with her big brown eyes.

A Dog's Summer

"Tilde No!". Too late. Tilde jumped the fence and was out of sight, chasing the bunny on full speed. That'll be the end of this particular fence solution I thought.

Conversations With A Hovawart #5: Puppy Class

"Can we have a word?"

Oh no, I thought, not the union again. Zerline could read my mind.

Rabbit Feet And Jackass Wings

Zerline is thoroughly discovering her disproportionate growing legs. She is trying them out on a daily basis to mark her latest top speed and if she can keep up with Tilde already.

Zerline's Family Tree, Beyond The Berlin Wall

The long-time readers of this blog will have guessed this post was right around the corner. I researched Zerline's roots, like I did with Kenzo and Tilde.

Fake Shepherds

"OMG. She feels so soft!" I hear that a lot. "Will it last?" some ask too.

Shaping Memories

We're well passed three months now. At this age, Zerline reminds me a lot about Kenzo. We first got him home when he was about the age Zerline is now.

The Wild Bunch

Today I tried to take a walk alone with Tilde. Being just the two of us would allow for a longer walk and, with all the time which goes into puppy Zerline, she would appreciate some alone quality time with me.

Hovawart TV: Zerline The Surfer

It was an impressive sight for Zerline. The first time we went to the beach she dared to go up all the way to the shoreline to have a closer look at all that boiling water and listen to the waves roar.

Hovawart TV: Digging A Team

When you dig as a team you can get deeper and move more sand when you work together. Trying to own the pit won't give any progress, and practicing dry breaststroke swims in it won't either. To dig, in itself, is the goal. Tilde seems to get that. But can she teach puppy Zerline to dig in the same direction?

Report From Puppy World

We are almost through the first month of puppy-hood in the blink of an eye. Zerline is 11 weeks old today. She has done a lot of growing. Her legs in particular seem to explode and lift her still fragile body higher and higher up into the air.

Conversations With A Hovawart #4: The Union

"Can we have a word?"

Zerline looked serious. Those big brown puppy eyes told me she had something important to share. I laid down my camera and reporters notebook, both overheated from puppy adventures, to give her my full attention.

"Dit Is Een Goed Stel, Hoor"

It's a sentence each Dutch person recognizes. Spoken by the sports commentator Theo Reitsma as he observed the Dutch national soccer team celebrate their win in the final of the European Soccer Cup in 1988. There is nothing profound about it. It simply means "This is a good team, for sure."

Summer Socialization With A Twist

In the middle of Summer all the rentals are occupied. Although I enjoy the emptiness of the West-coast during Winter, the tourists bring a special vacation atmosphere with them I have come to appreciate. People are happy and wear smiles, they have time and are not busy, or try their best not to be.

Bold and Bolder

It was the moment I had been waiting for. The moment in which I could witness Tilde and Zerline to truly connect. To find each other, enjoy each other's company while forging a bond on the road that leads to a true friendship.

Rediscovering Beauty

The rapidly swelling buzz of hundreds of bird wings made me look up in the air. A flock of Starlings made a fly-over that low, I could have touched them if I would have reached my hand out. Tilde took a sprint after them. Jumping, barking, like a crazed jack-in-a-box. Zerline, who was sitting down, looked up in amazement. Her gaze followed the birds until they disappeared over the horizon. She was mesmerized.

Breaking: Copenhagen Is Secured

Zerline took one look around the premises and knew it. This new place they call her home wasn't up to Hovawart standards at all. It was lacking some essential features. How could she keep her family safe in a place with so many gaping security holes. Zerline wasted no time. There was Hovawart-work to do!

Tilde, Meet Zerline. Zerline, Meet The Wild Thing

The sight of Tilde coming around the corner caught Zerline's eye and immediately aroused her curiosity. She quickly trotted forward to meet that dog, who must have looked a lot like her mother Amber to her.