Photo: John Katos
Samoyeds are like potato chips. You can’t get just one. So when Qila was about two and we knew we weren’t going to show him we talked to our breeders about getting another puppy. Not long after we got our girl, Tally.
That’s her up there. Ch. Kendara’s Notorious WSX, OA, AXJ. The “Ch.” in front of her name stands for “Champion”. It means that she’s been recognized by AKC certified judges in conformation shows as a fine example of her breed. WSX stands for “Working Samoyed Excellent”. It means that she has accumulated 2,000 points in various working activities, in Tally’s case pack hiking, excursion sledding, and therapy dog work. The OA stands for Open Agility and means she has qualified in three different standard agility competitions at the open level. The AXJ stands stands for Agility Excellent Jumpers with Weaves and means that she has qualified in three different jumpers with weaves agility competitions at the Excellent level.
Tally’s sire was Ben (Ch. Kendara’s Obiwan Kenobi) and her dam was Jenny (Kendara’s Spellbound). We gave Tally her registered name (Notorious) because Notorious was Hitchcock’s movie that he made after Spellbound.
I chose that picture of Tally because to really appreciate how beautiful she is you need to see her in motion. Tally is a spectaularly good working dog. She’s always ready to work and she loves to work like nothing else. Strong, energetic, and eager to please she has been a joy since the very moment she came into our home.
Before Tally came to us when she was only four or five weeks old we took Qila with us to visit Kendara and to meet Tally. The two of them stood nose to nose the big Qila looking down at the tiny Tally. After a brief moment of silence Qila barked at her and she yipped right back at him. “That’ll show him!” And she’s been showing him ever since. That was the moment we knew that she’d fit right into our new pack.
Shortly after Tally came home with us she began to howl. She begins very softly, repeating her howl a little more loudly with each repetition. Before Tally joined our pack, Qila did not howl. When he first started, his howl was rusty and harsh but with practice it has become very, very beautiful. Tally has taught us all to howl.
Tally is a fun dog. Energetic in work, full of joy, stoic in tragedy. Tally is our pleasure and our joy.
Re: photo of Tally clearing the hurdle.
What an exhibitionist … she is more concerned about who’s watching than finishing the jump!
Don
Actually she’s looking for my wife so that she’ll know where to go next. Canine agility is a team event, the handler and dog working together to complete the course accurately and in the least amount of time. For this to work the dog and handler have to be focused on each other as well as on the obstacles.
BTW, notice how low and flat Tally is jumping. That is nearly perfect form. A higher, more arcing jump takes more time.