FIN MVA ROCBEE KERNEL GOLDHEART "Popa"
Rocbee K-litter, born 7.8.1986: |
How Popa came to our family is a story of its own. Maybe it can be told today, because of both of the parties are already sensible (hope so) adult ladies and hoping and warning that this won't necessarily succeed! So I had been hoping having a Welsh of my own already for a while, my love to this breed flamed soon after I had met my friend Sari and her two lovely Welshies, "Jessi" and "Donna". I travelled with Sari in many shows and other dog events, dreaming more and more of Welsh of my own. Because we already had our collie Jimmy in our family, my parents weren't very anxcious about idea getting another dog to our family. What to do? Sari and I hit our young and "wise" heads together...And so before Donna's another litter was even planned, I reserved a malepuppy from her, without telling anything about that to my unsuspecting parents.
When the second Rocbee litter ever was born (2 males and 2 females), it was clear from the beginning which puppy will be mine. Our homes were then so close that I could walk almost daily to see my own puppy, but when puppies were old enough to move to their own homes, I left home early in the morning to take my puppy home, and came back by bus late in the evening having Popa in the basket. Of course I haven't told to my parents that Donna even has had puppies so I wonder how far away they then thought I had brought the puppy. But it was sure that they couldn't send their daughter to return the puppy in the middle of the night to some heaven knows how far away place and I wonder if there were any conversation about that, it might be that little Popa charmed straight away all of them, even my mother who was strongest against the another dog.
Popa in Helsinki Int Ch Show 1988. |
Because my dog hobby career with Jimmy had been spiky, felt Popa as a dream come true. He was 10 months old when I took him to his first show ( Joensuu Int Ch Show, judged by Mrs Ritva Raita), in which he got his first CC and was the 5th in best of breed class (those days males and bitches were still together in BOB-class). So our show career started, Popa got 10 CC's before he became a champion, soon after he had had his 2nd anniversary. We also trained tracking and obedience, it wasn't so seriously taken hobby for us, but we even participated to one tracking test. From that day I can rember our creditable performance, worth of result 0, a very rainy weather and slippery cliffs of Upinniemi. I think Popa has had capabilities for tracking, me being so busy was the reason for this remaining just one try, not Popa´s enthusiasm.
Popa resembled her famous father "Tumppi" not only in his appereance but he also had a few similar characteristics that I can easily remember when I'm thinking those days. Popa wouldn't let her mistress go out of his sight, when I left him to somebody elses company in shows, I could easily find my way back to the ring only following the noise... Either it was the father or his son Popa...Then he had almost incredible love to balls. He had a large collection of different kind of balls, and in our homeyard he tried always temptate people to his ballgames. Needless to mention that it wasn't Popa who got tired first...
Above all Popa loved swimming. In our summer cottage he spent all days long playing in water and if he couldn't get anyone to throw a stick to him, he entertained himself either wading and digging in the beach or swimming circle and sometimes biting off a piece from the yellow water lily. Among the ducks living at the lake Popa was very popular as a follower swimmer, even he never catch one little feather of them, he was always able to tireless swim after those teasing ducks.
Veteran Popa |
Popa had a funny and idiosyncratic relation to the squeaky toys. He loved them, he was always very happy when he got a new one, but as soon he was let out to our homeyard, he buried them extremely carefully. If he saw that someone was watching, he digged that half hidden toy up, changed the place and buried it again, this time looking very carefully that nobody was watching him. I really don't know if he remembered where he had hidden all his treasures, but usually it took a year or two, and then these toys made a merry comeback, always very muddy and without squeaking sound any more. Maybe he hated that noise they were making or the smell of plastic was something he didn't like att all? Anyway, a long time after Popa had already slept away, we still could find his hidden treasures, toys or bones.
Popa was a very individual dog, our family has many dear memories about all the clever tricks he did. The last of his years Popa spent living with my parents, because I had to move to another town because of my work. My father has an unshakeable opinion that there isn't and won't ever be, such a another personality as Popa was, and all my Welshies followed after Popa are only pale copies. Altogether Popa was unforgettable, dearly loved Welsh personality, who had, as even his name tells us, a heart of gold.