Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home                                     B L A C K     D R E A M I had got my first dog, a Briard bitch called Damounia, for four or five months when the black dream came to me. One morning, I was awaking slowly, or perhaps I should say that I was still dreaming ; I felt a big and black "presence" behind and above me, this presence was glowing both strength and benevolence, gentleness ; I felt like a big black mass beaming with gentleness. Then I was more awaking than dreaming, and I quickly realized that this black  "presence" was a dog, I recognized immediately the breed : a Newfoundland. Since that dream, I wanted to give a friend to Damounia - a dog friend, for my cat was already her best friend. Of course, it could be only a Newfoundland ...  I preferred another bitch, not to have problems during heats. I searched to purchase a pup, I got the first kennel I found, in fact I didn't mind the quality of the pup, neither dogshow nor breeding interested me. I just wanted to get at home this black strong and benevolent "presence" ... This year, all the pups names had to begin with the E letter (that's the rule in France), and I searched a name for her. One evening, while I was walking with Damounia on a lead, I raised my eyes to the starry sky. I thought of the name of the pup, because in French "star" is said "étoile", and é is like e in the alphabet. But the OI sound didn't suit me, I turned it in IO ; "étiole" means leggy, straggly, that couldn't suit to a dog, especially a big one ! From Etiol I tried several ends, and among them, I chose Etioline. From this moment, I was sure of her name, and I never tried to search something else. Etioline was born on the 23rd of February, so many years ago now ! It was in 1989. She came at home in the beginning of April. She was immediately the benevolent and gentle black dream, she just was yet small. She became Damounia's friend. But, although she was 9 months younger than the Briard, Etioline behaved quickly toward the Briard as she was responsible of her elder. Damounia was often afraid of a lot of things, Etioline was always trying to protect them. Damounia was on heat when Etioline was 4 months, perhaps that was the reason why Etioline's first heat happened when she was only 6 months ; I didn't know that one bitch on heat often makes the other bitches turn on heat too, and I was surprised when a night Etioline barked  and barked - Etioline was not at all a barking dog. I went out in the garden to see what was happening, and I had to admit : Damounia had disappeared. Etioline thought that it wasn't a normal situation, and that I had to intervene. I took Etioline on a lead and tried to search Damounia through the night. I was living in this house only for several months, and I didn't know very well all around my house ; I walked where I knew, but we didn't find at all the Briard, so I decided to come back home. Etioline refused. We were out to search - and so to find - Damounia, we couldn't come back home without her. Etioline was smelling near the ground in another direction, she wanted absolutely going there, although I was thinking it was only a small blind alley  ; but I knew that Etioline was a responsible dog, and I decided to trust her : I let her managed.  Etioline was always smelling near the ground, she followed the track. In fact, it wasn't completely a blind alley, there was a very little opening between the trees, and Etioline led me to a place that I didn't know at all, but  ... Damounia was there ... Unfortunately, Damounia didn't let me catch her, and I had to come back home without her ... This time Etioline accepted, Damounia had be found but didn't want to come with us. In the morning, Damounia was at my door, ready for the breakfast ! I realized later that she was on heat again. Etioline became big enough, and more and more reassuring. But she was really a supporter of nonviolence. While we were walking in this little town where I was living, Damounia was especially afraid when some stray dogs were trying to intimidate her, even to attack her ; when Etioline was with us, I could be sure that all would end well : Etioline always went just in front of Damounia and me, between us and the stray dog, she shielded us with her body, but she was beaming so much strength and benevolence that every time the stray dog went away. Etioline "worked" with other Newfoundlands, making exercises in water ; the other Newfoundlands were generally as gentle and benevolent than mine, but not all were so ; a quarrelsome bitch had succeeded to get with her 2 or 3 other bitches, and together they were often trying to pick a quarrel to the others. If they wanted to attack Damounia, Etioline rushed at them and they let the Briard ; but if they searched to annoy Etioline and only her, my supporter of nonviolence really offered her cheek to them, with so much quiet strength and benevolence that the quarrelsome bitches always preferred going away and try to annoy someone else : how quarrel with something who refuse to ? When Etioline arrived at home, something inside of me made me want to let her "work in water", with other Newfoundlands, although I wasn't at all inclined to any sport (neither for me nor, consequently, for a dog of mine). But Etioline was like me. She adored water, but couldn't stand hearing the word "work". I liked very much water too, while I have never be inclined at all to obedience, I prefer responsible dogs than obedient dogs. So Etioline and me rather agreed one with another ... The result was that during the "lessons", I was staying nearly the whole time inside water while Etioline was sleeping quietly on the bank ... Sleeping ?... Not really, because if I was swimming too far from the bank, or if I was hidden by some trees, my lazy Newfoundland was suddenly appearing just behind me, swimming quietly behind me, she didn't search to make me come to the bank, but she was always near me so she could intervene if something wrong was happening to me. As every Newfoundland knows, mankind can't swim well enough, only Newfoundland can really swim well, so they must always be ready to help the human bodies ... One of the exercises in water consisted of going (inside the boat) far enough from the bank, then the Newfoundland is put inside water, and he must follow the boat during a few minutes. Etioline knew the rule. She liked swimming, but not working. Once, she waited that the boat was exactly perpendicular to the place where we all were standing on the bank, and she jumped in water to join the bank, she had waited to have the shorter way to swim (the perpendicular side). Then I changed of working club, and so of place too. I didn't understand the reason why, but there Etioline enjoyed not really to "work" but to swim and take the object that is thrown in water. She didn't wanted to do that before. But she always refused the fact of "working". I arrived generally the first, early in the morning, and Etioline (like Damounia) always enjoyed to swim freely. When the other dogs and owners were coming too, I put her (and my other dogs) inside the little enclosure where all the dogs were staying excepted the one who was "working". At a moment, there was an opening in the fence, and Etioline was often leaving the enclosure to go to swim ; in the opposite, when it was her turn to "work", I harnessed her as every dog who was "working", but I had to be attentive enough not to let go of the harness before the object was thrown, because she returned to the enclosure through the opening in the fence ! Unfortunately, I had health problems and I gave up "working in water" ; then I left this house to another, with bigger garden. Etioline never returned in water. She had too a lot of physical problems, but also mental problems, and all the last years of her life were really difficult - so much difficult that her death, when she was 10, was a relief. I had another Newfoundland bitch after Etioline, but Soléane didn't live long. Then I had other dogs, and one problem in France is that the number of dogs is limited (excepted special conditions, that I haven't) ; for the time being, I've too many dogs at home to decide to get another Newfoundland now, and I even don't know if one day I will have another one. Nevertheless, having another Newfoundland as Etioline was, that's always a dream inside of me. 23/02/07 Isabelle Coquinot Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home