Pups_r_Paps

January-26---Remembrance-or-Tribute-Layout---My-Heart-Dog---Bijou

January-26---Remembrance-or-Tribute-Layout---My-Heart-Dog---Bijou
Pups_r_Paps, Jan 26, 2022
Description:
JOURNALING:
Papillon - A dog of a toy spaniel breed developed in Europe, having a long silky coat, a bushy tail that curves over the back, and large ears shaped like the wings of a butterfly. (From The Free Dictionary) “Papillon” means “butterfly” in French.
I had wanted a Papillon since I had seen them at a dog show in San Francisco in the early 1990’s. When Kirby (aka: Ch. Loteki Supernatural Being) won the prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 1999, this only cemented my desire. (I was fortunate to meet Kirby at the National Papillon Specialty in Cincinnati OH in 2005, but that is a story for another day.)
Fast forward to 2003 and I was looking at dog breeder sites on the internet when I saw the cutest little Papillon pup named Roadie. I called the breeder and told her of my interest. She explained that Roadie got his name from where he was born. Mom Papillon did not want to wait for them to get to the vet, so they pulled over and Mom had her pup right there alongside the road. “Roadie” was the only pup still available from that litter. She originally thought he might have potential as a show dog, but he was growing too big, so she needed to find him a “pet” home. I told her I even had a name picked out, Bijou, which means “jewel” in French.
After a longer than expected airplane ride from Kansas (there was a snowstorm that delayed the takeoff at the stop over in St. Louis), a flight attendant brought Bijou to me. The poor pup was so scared he did not want to come out of the pet carrier. But I coaxed him out into my arms, and it was love at first sight.
Quite quickly I learned how smart my little “butterfly” really was. I enrolled him in a puppy class at PetSmart. For one “test” of obedience, the instructor had all the dog owners line up on one side of the entrance inside the store and the dogs were put in a “sit/stay” on the other side. My Bijou was the ONLY dog who managed to sit and stay with all those strangers coming in and out, some with dogs of their own!
Bijou almost did not earn his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) “title.” One of the behaviors he had to perform was “roll over.” We practiced at home, but he did NOT like to roll over, so I was a little nervous when it came to that part of the test. He hesitated but finally did it and I was so proud!
He enjoyed agility and nose work (no “roll over” commands in either activity). We traveled all over Florida on photographic scavenger hunts. I lost him in 2018 when he was just fifteen years old, but he was and always will remain my “heart dog”.

CREDITS: PHOTO – screen capture from a TV Commercial Bijou was in. KITS – “Furbabies – Puppy Dogs”, “Lazy Weekend”, and “Faithful”, Kristin Aagard; “Dogs”, Just Jaimee; “Shine On”, Lynn Grieveson; “Buttermilk Hill”, Becca Bonneville; FONT – Complete in Him
Dalis and Lena Gardner like this.
    • KAPOH
      Bijou was a very handsome Pap and I know how smart he was from having spent a little bit of time with him. You were lucky to have him for as long as you did. This is a sweet remembrance of him. Love the pic.
    • Dalis
      awww, the way you talk about him we can hear and see the love you have for him.
    • bestcee
      Bijou was adorable! I love the story about obedience school and the nerves as well as the happy to sit/stay. I hope you share the commercial story someday!
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  • Category:
    Month of Challenges 10
    Uploaded By:
    Pups_r_Paps
    Date:
    Jan 26, 2022
    View Count:
    169
    Comment Count:
    3

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