Grazie

 Geneva and Grazie

 Grazie

 

Grazie, 

      The old saying that you can’t keep a good dog down is very true. This past week has been a difficult one for us. Along with owning a dog, comes the responsibility for their health. Wilson, our older dog, had surgery this week and as dog owners know when you have to be a caregiver to a dog it takes a lot of time and effort. Dogs, even older ones like Wilson prefer to be mobile not cooped up in a kennel, even if it is in their best interest.

       Last week we participated in a bake sale at the Feed Barn the proceeds going to Drew, a black lab that required knee surgery. While attending the sale I dropped over to Safeway in the Amador Ridge Shopping center to grab a donut when I spotted a jet black German Shepherd out for a morning stroll with her owner. At that moment I knew I had my next story.

The one year old Shepherd’s name is Grazie and is owned by Geneva Barraza of Ione who has long been an owner of Shepherds. What sets Grazie apart from Geneva’s previous dogs is that Grazie is all black. Most Shepherds are sable and black.

     Grazie is a purebred Shepard that Geneva got from Walberga a breeder in Ione.  She was one of twelve in her liter. The breeder matched Geneva to Grazie. Geneva explained that the process involved her going to meet with all the puppies in the litter and Grazie was deemed best suited for Geneva by both her, the breeder and of course Grazie.

   Grazie is training to be a service dog. Geneva is not sure what type of service dog she wants Grazie to be but definitely wants her to be qualified as a service dog. Step one in that process is socialization hence the walks every Saturday.

     To that end every Saturday morning Grazie gets a walk to learn obedience and socialization skills. For those of you that know the Shepherd breed that is a challenge. They are a high energy breed.  But also, the German Shepherd is a highly intelligent breed with extreme self-confident and is eager to learn and always alert. Despite the energy level being high Grazie was very obedient and patient during the interview.

      It is those traits among many that make Shepherds good companions and often dogs that are used for police dogs, guide dogs for the blind and in general just make great pets. Grazie, Geneva hopes, will one day become a dog that is capable of performing special tasks whatever they may be.

     One look at Grazie makes heads turn. Her coat is jet black. She stands about 30-36 inches tall with her ears always erect taking in all the sounds around her. While I was with Grazie she was well mannered but always aware of her surroundings. She did not miss a thing that was going on.Despite being perfect for the breed and headed off to become a service dog Grazie has her quirks.

      On these Saturday morning walks Grazie likes breakfast beforehand from Jack in the Box. Geneva explains that Grazie gets really excited when they turn the corner and head into the Amador Ridge Shopping Center. Excitement builds not only from the walk but knowing breakfast will be from Jack in the Box. That’s a good way to begin a weekend with “Jack” providing the food and Geneva providing the walk. Along with having a proud owner I would have to believe this Saturday tradition would be every dog’s dream

Lily and Suzy Q

                                     Lily and Suzie Q on their couch

 Lily

Lily and Suzy “Q” 

       Mid February I pulled the car out of my driveway and headed to Jackson to meet with two Bassets, Lily and Suzy “Q”, owned by Mark Johnson and Kathy Dubois, the subjects of this month’s interview. The house the pair resides in is easily recognizable. It’s the house with a graveyard as its front yard. They live on Church Street in Jackson across from the cemetery. 

       Walking among the tombstones up to the front door I could see two Basset faces staring outside through the front window. Bassets are pretty low to the ground and need a perch to see anything over two feet tall. While their height may be short their personalities are not. Lily came running to the door as fast as her four little legs could carry her while Suzy “Q” just stared at me as she was sizing me up as friend or foe.

        After the introductions were over, Suzy “Q” made up her mind that I was indeed a dog person and okay to be in the house. In the meantime Lily, according to Mark, never the shy one, was ready to make friends. She sniffed my coat and smelled the scent of my four dogs and figured I was a dog person. Once she made the decision she wanted all my attention while Suzy “Q” just sat on the couch content to sleep with one eye open just in case I had a treat.

        These two have been together almost since birth. They are products of a puppy mill near Redding California. They were rescued in April 2010 by the couple via Golden Gate Basset Rescue in Petaluma. Mark who has had dogs pretty much his whole life now has the two Bassets.  During the past year he has had two dogs pass away so now they are down to the two.

         When they rescued Suzy “Q” and Lily, Lily had a cleft paw, most likely the result of inbreeding at the mill. Lily was set to be destroyed at one point because of her paw. Mark indicated that when they saw her she walked with a definite lean to one side with most of her weight on her other paw.

         Mark and Kathy saw the two together and it was love at first sight. They paid to have surgery on Lily’s paw before bringing her home and today she has a minor deformity however it’s not very noticeable.

          When people think of Bassets the image of very sedentary animals comes to mind. Contrary to this image Lily and Suzy “Q” are best friends who run around and spend most of their time together. The couple takes them to doggie day care three times a week so they can run with other dogs.  They love the outing, but are always ready to come home to their couch where they have a full view of the room and the outdoors.

            Mark and Kathy live close to Jackson Elementary school, so each weekday around 2 PM the dogs enjoy watching parents load their children into the cars after class. If not watching the school kids, they enjoy the run of a nice size back yard. What makes their backyard unique is that among the grass there is a ton of granite (literally). The granite that was left by the previous owner is partially polished and was to be placed on graves of people that have long since passed away. The granite they inherited as part of the purchase of the property.

        By the time we finished the interview and headed into the backyard Lily rushed out the back door and Suzy “Q” decided she didn’t want to be left out so she came running out the screen door and joined us for our tour. Both girls ran among the granite that was at one time to be shaped into memorials of someone’s life. As I left I came to realize that the stereotypical image of a Basset being sedentary is indeed a myth. These dogs love to run and play as much as any other breed. Lily, to her credit after her surgery, can keep up with Suzy “Q” every step of the way. These days like their whole life they are inseparable. They hopped up on the brown couch below the front window they share and said good bye with their tails wagging as I walked out the door and headed upcountry