Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home                                          V   AS  . . .   Exactly 2 years,ago, my first Croatian Sheepdog litter was just born. Six pups came home, only one male with five sisters. It was also the first litter for their mother, Snasha Slavonski Brod. In France, breeders can't choose the letter of the litter, all pups born into a year must receive a name that begins with the same letter, and this letter is given by the French Dog-Organization, in alphabetically order. In 2004, only V-names for registered dogs were accepted. So my first litter became the V-litter. V as ... For several years I wanted to get a male with the name Vuk, that means Wolf. So not the ghost of a hesitation ... I wanted too a bitch named Krasota, but who was the bitch I would keep for me ? So I gave V-names without adding "Krasota" in apposition when I send papers to make my pups be registered. Who would be the girl for me ? The riddle lost difficulties with time ... Soon, the choice was reduced among  four bitches, because 2 days after their birth, I found a little bitch dead in the basket. I never could know what happened to her. Four bitches and only one for me, but in whom was my girl hidden ? The pups grew up, without problems. But how queer the life is ... An accident happened to one bitch who died when she was about 2 weeks. The guessing game was easier ... Only 3 bitches were still alive. Were still alive ... What did I believe ! About 2 weeks later another bitch died, because of accident too, but what was meaning all of this ? So only 2 bitches and a male have been registered. I still didn't know which bitch I would want to keep. But then I noticed how Verline and Vuk were always together, and gently, quietly, friendly together, while Vedrina was rather apart. So, when I found someone who could get a bitch for me, I gave Vedrina, while letting Vuk and Verline together. But how strange life is ... A car accident happened to Vedrina a few months later, and ... Vedrina died too ... Fortunately, I had still Verline by my side, and I was hoping that now death would leave my home ... Vuk and Vedrina grew up without problems. Vuk just worried me a little when he changed his teeth : the lower teeth fell after that the upper new ones had appeared, and they were out of the upper ones, but when the new lower teeths came, they were exactly at the right place, and all was perfectly right and stayed so. Neither Vuk nor Verline didn't worry me any more during their growth in a morphology point. Vuk was always friendly with me, and he was really devoted to her sister. Verline appeared to be an aristocrat. Like her mother, she was rather small, and she seemed always as innocent as a newborn babe ; but, looking as if butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, she revealed to be dead stubborn ... In the beginning, she refused to walk in town, and Vuk was imitating her ; I wondered if she would be more or less afraid in town, although I saw no reason for that , but one day I understood that she was refusing not the walk in town but the lead ; even in the garden she was refusing to walk with a lead, she was preferring to be dragged than  to accept to walk as I wanted ...  I had to work gently, softly, during several weeks before she "forgot" the lead and enjoyed walking with me in the garden. Then, when we came back to town, she didn't worry me any more during the walks. Verline was really an aristocrat. She had a very pretty expression, both head and whole body expression - and a very pleasant coat too. But she was an aristocrat especially in her mind. She seemed to consider herself as a queen, but of course she was so small that neither me nor any of my other dogs but Vuk never thought the same !  Vuk was really her faithful admirer, but he was the only one, and Verline was often preferring to rather stay with him than to try to go with my other dogs - of course when she got in heat, and so had to stay apart of Vuk, it has been a very difficult time for us all ... Verline and Vuk were forming a real couple. They were always doing anything together, and not often with the others. And so, when death came back, it found them still together, and it took them still together ... My "pups" would soon turn to one, they had good morphology, and the little girl was especially pretty. I had already planned a lot of things with them, first the HD X-ray, a few months later the exam for breeding, and so on. But on the 30th of September, I called them to come home from the garden ; I called, I called, they didn't come, and then I went to search them ... I found their dead bodies on the ground. I refused to believe, it was quite impossible. Then I admitted, they were really dead. I thought that they had eaten something wrong (especially something to kill the rats etc), because they died very quickly - and together, always together. I has been hard to admit, but what else could be done ... This year, a few weeks ago, when some persons came home to bring us products to kill rats etc (as they do several times in a year, of course I don't take it because of my dogs, but neighbours and especially farmers use these products, my garden is among fields and a very few other houses) - this year, I couldn't help thinking of Vuk and Verline ... V as ... Vanish ... My whole V-litter has vanished ... One by one, excepted for the couple Vuk-Verline, each pup and then the "couple" have vanished ... What remains if this first litter ? Just memories and a few photos ... Even photographs had vanished ... I had some problems with my camera, and a lot of photos appeared not to be good enough ; but after spring, I took photos and waited a few months before sending the films, and so before discovering that the films were completely black.  My second litter was just born, so I decided to buy a digital camera, but of course, I began to take photos of my new pups - I was expecting to celebrate my V-litter first birthday with my new camera ... But when the birthday came, the V-dogs had vanished ... My old computer had problems too, and I didn't write much notes on my V-litter. And I have only a few good enough photos. What remains of the V-litter ? Nearly nothing ... V-litter has vanished ... 02/10/06 Isabelle Coquinot Back to "Dogs of my own" Contents Back to Home