July 03, 2003
This is Dominio - Dusty's Grandmother!!!
3:30 p.m.
Sensing the onset of another heatwave, I quickly made an appointment for Dusty to go to the groomer. How quick? We went in this morning! Dusty is exhausted, but I think she's happy to be rid of her heavy coat. She'll be much more comfortable now.
While Dusty was having her bath and clip, I played with the groomer's puppy, Poppy, who will make her start in the dog shows this coming fall. She's a bit bigger this time and she and Dusty enjoyed wrestling in the living room. Poppy's fur is very wiry because she's hand-stripped rather than clipped. The whole dog show routine is really fascinating - with any luck, she'll be a 'champion' before she's two years old and will retire to motherhood.
I also had the opportunity to meet Dusty's grandmother, Domino (Dommie isn't very comfortable with other dogs, so Dusty only saw her grandmother through the window). Domino is a black-and-silver schnauzer and I can see elements of Dusty's build and personality in her. She's only 5 years old, so is still being bred - she will be producing a new litter of puppies sometime in the next year.
Poppy the puppy - bound for championdom