Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home
				WHEN A RUNT DOESN'T TURN INTO A RUNT
	It often happens in a litter that one animal is very smaller than the others, he is a runt ; of course, this word can be used in a pejorative way for some human beings.  Andelko was the smaller of his litter, but he quickly became the tallest and the biggest, and he can't be called a runt at all ! This reminded of my first litter, my Mudi one, Masni was the runt but when I saw him again at about 1 year, he was still narrow but already as tall as his highest brothers ! Masni and Andelko have another thing in common : their look, mild, gentle, deep, a bit melancholic. Mudi and Croatian Sheepdog are often considered as cousins - although I would rather say : brothers. So let the cousins meet again ...
	Once upon a time there was a little boy in a simple honest family. But when he was just born, he was so tiny, and so puny, that his big brothers had nicknamed him "The Runt". Of course, that was not really gentle, like in any family siblings are often more or less jealous ... The Runt was so sickly that his parents feared the worst, and they were always taking great care of him ... That made the big brothers more and more jealous ... But finally the puny boy turned into a robust tall leggy and slender young man. Of course none of his brother dared anymore call him a runt ... They were all smaller than the former "shrimp" ... Nonetheless, the ex- weakling could never forget all he endured in the past. A million miles from them, there was a little boy that was so small when he was just born, that his destitute parents feared not to be able to give him what could make him survive and grow in a normal way. They searched help to one of their brothers, who was living in a faraway country. And then, the tiny little slip of a child joined the simple honest family, where he could  receive any thing he needed for his growth. The tall and slender young man remembered what he bore because of his brothers, and he wanted to protect this little cousin from any worry. He took a great care of him and helped him not to suffer because of his poor body. And so a friendship was born, it increased day after day, and never died. Of course life - and death - would separate them one day, but they were sure that  their friendship would make them meet again.
			07/08/07 Isabelle Coquinot