Cleo's nickname is the Hairy Godmother. Some may not know the backstory of how that came to be so I thought I'd post a bit about it...
Cleo came to us at about 4 mos old give or take. She was a silly floppity puppy as they tend to be...but there was also this "serious" side to her nature that would show itself now and again. Kind of a foreshadowing if you will...you could look into her puppy face and see, she was much older and wiser "inside":
Almost from the start you could see she was very drawn to my children, and always wanted to be with them, touching them or at least...watching them.
Being that she lives with Beagles that were show dogs and that I bred them from time to time to continue my line...eventually, puppies came to our home. Cleo was just about, one year old that first time.
Laverne & Shirley as the two girls were known...were born without knowing they'd have TWO great "mothers" in their early life!
Almost from the outset, Cleo's interest brodered on obsession. She knew there were puppies in the house but was not allowed near them...right at first. She would get the most interesting look on her face when she got near the room they lived in with their dam, Nonnie.
The day came when I really wondered what exactly this large, leggy, uncoordinated yearling might want with something as boring as a new puppy? So I decided, under controlled circumstances...to let them "meet".
This puppy is a bit less than 2 weeks old...I think you can see, Cleo was utterly fascinated and well, "twitterpated"
I thought it might be novelty, or a passing fascination...but she really, truly...wanted these puppies always, in her care...she would nose them tenderly, shuffle them over to her non existant milk bar, even cleaned their bottoms...
She went doe-eyed at the mere sight of one, and was the gentlest I have ever known her to be. No mean feat for a dog so much larger than they were.
They split time with their Mother and Cleo...the bond growing tighter every passing day. Cleo seemed honestly entertained by their antics and proud of their milestones. Eventually Nonnie began to be less interested in them...as is Nature's way...they were weaned onto solid foods and began spending time with people and the rest of the pack, Mom included. But their favorite place in the whole house...was near their Hairy Godmother, Cleo.
Puppies can only stand to be good, for so long...eventually their naughty side takes over. But Cleo loved that too. Her gentle discipline never crossed the line and she took so much from them that I began to wonder if she had
any pride, to speak of lol. But simply put, it was more important that the pups be happy, than that the pups...be good...
Thus ends part 1, I will continue the story soon!
