photos directly below taken on January 13, 2008

                                                        photos below taken in November of 2007

     

              

                       

    

           

   

                       

     

                               at about 8 weeks

      It had been one of those days... everything going wrong... last minute catastrophes, running late...  but Lil'Claire put me right over the edge. I had just gotten home from lunch and some errands around town and noticed the Classic Touch's ears were starting to wobble.  So, I put up them up again, did a fabulous job if I do say so myself.  I was especially pleased with how beautifully I’d done the bridge. On a lark  I decided to let Lil Claire play with Classic Touch.... mind you, Classic Touch is a bit bigger than Claire at this point   and weighs a few pounds more... but she idolizes Claire.  

    After a few minutes I hear Classic Touch squeaking "help"... and look out to see Classic Touch flat on the ground with Lil’ Claire standing on her head.  Claire has the bridge of the C.T’s ear tape in her mouth and she is trying to rip it off by pounding  Classic Touch’s head up and down on the ground til the ear tape comes loose.  

    "Lil' Claire, put Classic Touch's head down! Now!!!"

    Resisting the impulse to pound Lil’ Claire’s butt into the next century, I decided she needed a time out in her crate.   As I closed the crate door I felt the sweetest most gentle lick on my hand, as if to say, “Sorry mom, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

  This is what Classic Touch's ears looked like after Being adjusted by Claire:

                              ——— ♦  ———

In this Centennial Year of the Doberman it would seem that Lil Claire is on a mission to set the breed back 50 years. Her debut in the show ring on the 2008 Tarheel Circuit was pretty much as expected. The best I can offer is that we all survived ... and we got the message: Lil Clare prefers to do things her way, so “Talk to the paw!!!” 

Heck, what’s a show career anyway? Far as Claire’s concerned, it’s all insulting.  She has no intention of being gaited ‘round a ring for a few bits of Teriyaki Chicken or Marinade Tip Steak... “Who needs it? Soon as I figure out how to work those controls on the stove, I'll make my own chicken!!! I'm Claire; I can do anything (except when asked).” 

Fun begins at home, with tormenting her nieces and nephews. Claire’s favorite new game is,  “Look guys, you don’t have to obey any rules, See... I don’t.”  Halla and Flip are totally entranced by Claire... and in awe of how she gets away with things.   But before I explain in detail, I  have to run get the lining of my shoe back from Claire. All I can think of, over and over again is, "How can she be related to Tungsten?