The Story of Leela

What’s In a Name?

When we decided we were getting a puppy we knew we needed a name. Warren took on the search for a name with far more enthusiasm than he did for our girls’ names. He sent out emails and phoned relatives looking for suggestions. Sarah, Marc and Sam had several suggestions such as Oreo, Fudge, Fran, Sam, and Riley (also one of my choices). In the end, we ignored all suggestions, especially Mackenzie’s suggestion of “Rainbow Star.” For some unknown reason, we thought we would be getting a male puppy. So we went about bouncing around male names. I suggested using character names from books or favorite television shows. Friends of mine had named their dog, “Khan,” from the Star Trek series. Warren came up with using the name, “Tiberius,” for the original Enterprise Star Ship captain, James “T” Kirk. We’d use, “Ti” for short. We loved it. Then we found out we could have our choice of two female pups. We had to begin name searching again. I wanted “Anita” from the Laurel K. Hamilton series I like to read. Anita is an assertive, loyal, protective, non-nonsense, vampire and bad guy hunter. I also suggested, “Ayla” from Jean Auel’s series. Ayla is strong, resourceful, nurturing, a fighter and a survivor. Mackenzie mispronounced the name as “Layla” which made me think of the character “Leela” in one of Warren’s favorite television shows, the animated program, “Futurama.” I thought it would be humorous to share this thought. Warren jumped on the name and sent out email to everyone that this was the name we had chosen and why. I researched the name thinking it would be great to have a name that reflected our puppy’s heritage and googled Spanish and Cuban names. The name “Leila” arouse and I could then live with the name, “Leela.” Besides, she’s the best character on the show and shares many of the same characteristics as “Anita” and “Ayla”.

She’s tough. She’s sexy. She even uses power tools. She’s Futurama’s Turanga Leela (aka “Leela”), and despite being a one-eyed cartoon mutant,
she’s one of the most positive representations of women anywhere on television.
http://scryberwitch.wordpress.com/2008/04/12/best-starship-captain-ever/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turanga_Leela

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One day after swimming at the Sackville Sports Stadium (without Daddy as he was home with breathing difficulties), the girls asked to visit the Pets Unlimited store in Sackville. We stopped in for a peer-at- the-animals event, patted some rabbits, looked at fish, same as usual... Then one of the staff members had two Havanese puppies out for people to pet. They were adorable! They looked like mini Ewoks, were enthusiastic, quiet, and put up with what the girls handed out. Not that I know dogs or breeds well, I had never heard of Havanese. After doing some research found out that the breed has only been recognized in the united States for ten years, so no wonder. We arrived back home and told Daddy about the puppies. He must like dogs better than he lets on for he asked, “Do you want to buy one?” Knowing he will ask hypothetical questions, I ignored the price tag of $1,500, and said, “yes.” “Well, go buy it.” was his response. I had to argue then that the store was closing, we don’t know the breed, and buying from pet stores is suppose to be a bad thing as it supports puppy mills. Surprisingly (for me) Warren began research with gusto. He found some websites with information on the breed and some breeders in Nova Scotia. The more we learned about the breed, the more we wanted one. Havanese are great with kids, assertive but not aggressive, are quiet, a toy breed but sturdier than most, social (“Velcro-dogs), and hypo allergic. Now we had to find a breeder.

Choosing the Breeder

Warren’s research brought up a breeder, Bonnie, in Bridgewater, http://europeanhavanese.com/ that we were advised to stay away from and the pups were raised outside in kennels rather than inside the home. He also came across one near Bridgetown, Joanne, whose dog, Daisy, had a litter of three puppies. We went to visit after Taylor’s Sparks camp Sunday 24 May and fell in love with them. Sarge was spoken for. Bonny was a sable and a sweetie. We were asked if we would like to have her if Joanne and her business partner decided not to keep her to breed. It was three weeks later, or more, when we learned that she wasn’t available. However, there would likely be another litter in the fall. We put our names on the waiting list. Warren found another breeder in New Waterford, Cape Breton, Linda, at Kamolot Kennels http://kamolotkennels.com/. We found it impossible to find time to go out and visit her. Warren also found Natalie, www.mystykalsky.com, in New Brunswick. We were prepared to spend our weekend to go visit her and the six puppies but she wasn’t available on weekends; it was family time for her. Warren also found Debra who mentioned Nancy Henneberry; a name we had heard before from Joanne. We then managed to get in touch with Nancy in East Gore, an hour’s drive away from us. She is friends with Joanne as they both show their dogs together at competitions. She sounded perfect. My research suggested a breeder who raises the puppies in the home (so they are used to house noises and are more sociable), who parental pedigree is shared, who have health checks before sale, and a warranty against the genetic health of the puppy. Nancy also microchips her puppies, provides a crate, gives us a tips pamphlet, ongoing help, and asks for a crate mat and small stuffie with the family’s scent on it to familiarize the puppy with us.

The Waiting Begins

We waited a long time for Mystic to have her puppies. She was due 10 June. The week past her due date, I phoned to see when the puppies were born and how many. They were born 9 June and there were four, two males and two females. Again we had to wait to see if any of the puppies would be available. Nancy had to contact everyone on her waiting list and then get back to us. This would be Mystic’s last litter and Nancy wouldn’t have any more puppies available for two years. I hoped this would be our chance. On Sunday 28 June we received an email that we could have one of the two females. We liked the sable puppy the most. Again, we had to wait to see which puppy would be ours as Nancy likes to match the puppy’s temperament with the family. At about five weeks old, the breeder can usually tell what the puppy will be like.

The middle of July came and Nancy told us we could have the sable female puppy as she wasn’t shy in the least and is the bravest one in the litter which means she’ll test her limits but she’ll be okay in our noisy home.


Handling the Waiting

Warren took to sharing the photos of the puppies through email and when we knew which puppy was ours, he set up a website link dedicated to Leela: http://members.rennlist.org/warren/leela.html
Warren also took charge of the communication with Nancy and updating friends and relatives of the latest updates.
Date: 2009/07/12
Hi Nancy

Cheryl and the girls are anxiously awaiting news on the puppy. Her name will be Leela. So far Cheryl has knit five sweaters. Here is a picture of them being modeled on their toy cats, dogs, and a bear. http://members.rennlist.org/warren/sweaters.jpg

We purchased a crate mat from Best Friends Pet Supplies in Tantallon. They do not sell animals of any sort. The mat is very soft, I'd like a larger one for napping on.

When could we stop by to see the dogs?

Warren

I took to checking out many books and dvds from the library. I wanted to learn about the Havanese breed, dog training, taking care of dogs and gulp! sewing, fun projects, and knitting for dogs. I began knitting before we knew if we had a puppy for certain and before we knew if it would be male or female. Warren’s favorite phrase was, “you don’t even have a dog.” I bought knitting needles, took some of the chunky yarn mum had on hand (all boy colours) and began knitting! People were astounded, including me, that I was knitting as it isn’t a favorite past-time of mine. Lynn even thought it was a joke when Warren emailed out a picture of the girls and their stuffies dressed in the dog sweaters. I didn’t even know if the sweaters would fit our dog. Once I knew we were getting a girl puppy, I went out and bought too much girl-coloured yarn (pinks, purples, pastels, textured, etc.) and knit more sweaters. By the time 1 August arrived, I had knit 10 sweaters (two for the girls’ stuffies.) I had also become familiar with using bobbins, stitch holders, and knitting terminology. I also took to making lists of possible supplies, picking dog-owning, co-workers’ brains, and comparing prices at The Great Canadian Dollar Store, Home Hardware, Canadian Tire, Walmart, Best Friends Pet Supplies, and Pets Unlimited. Then I took to buying and picking up things; carrying through on the nesting impulse. I found a few items second hand on www.kijiji.ca such as a crate, a dog bike carrier, a raincoat, and a dog carrying purse.


The Day We First Met Leela

It was easy to get everyone ready early Sunday morning 2 August 2009 for we were going to see Leela that day! We left shortly before 10am, made a stop at the bank for a $300 down payment extraction, arrived about an hour earlier than expected, and stayed for two hours, not one. The girls wanted to visit the two horses (Pepper and a rescued mare from BC) and the chickens and turkeys. Daddy wanted to give Nancy a blank cd to burn Leela photos onto. We also had our contract to sign, to hand over the crate mat and toy we had been sleeping with, and of course play with the puppies. We met all five adult dogs. Hooter is being shown in competitions and he had his full long cream colored coat to stroke. Quin and Brooke had their black and white coats shaved for easy maintenance in their rural setting. Mystic was suffering as all new mothers do and was in need of a bath and a good grooming. Nancy told us that she couldn’t give her a full bath because a wet coat would make the puppies cold. Her hormones from being pregnant made her hair coarse as well. The other adult dogs were Brooklyn, Quinn, and Peewee. Quinn is Nine years old and had only had three ear infections in her lifetime. We learned a little about all the puppies as well. Griffin, a week younger than the rest, is the smallest and is going to Nancy’s son. Griffin made it up the steps into the house for the first time while we were there. Marley, the other boy, named after a dog in a the movie, Marley and Me, is going to a family with a little girl and they also like to camp at Jelly stone Park. Marley is the more vocal of the litter and is the first to bark for food or when someone arrives. Lacey, or Leather and Lace, got her name the day before and is going to be staying with Nancy to be her new breed dog as the mother, Mystic, is retiring. Therefore, Nancy won’t have any more puppies for sale for two years. We took lots of photos and learned a few tips from Nancy about dogs. Nancy told us that Leela was the first to make it out of the whelping pen and the first to make it up the steps and into the house. She is also going through a shy stage and was quite shy while we were there but put up with our attention. We learned that the dog toys that the dogs like and last longer are the skinnys from Superstore (that I’d only seen the large ones of) and the Kennel Club ones from Walmart. We learned that the dogs are on Eagle Pack dog food; locally made and organic. Nancy suggested taking the crate door off as she’s heard of puppies that got their jaws caught on the hinges and died, and using a plastic pen from Toys ‘R Us to keep our dog in a safe area when we can’t watch her. Investigation into a pet pen revealed that one bought new would be over $100. Less expensive ones could be found on kijiji but Warren wasn’t convinced we needed one.

The Big Speech:

Warren turned to me one evening and began: You realize that if you get a puppy, you will have to walk it, and feed it, walk it, and clean up it’s poop.... He’s been cheerily telling people that he knew there was no point in giving the girls “the speech” so he gave it to Cheryl instead.

Books Read and DVD’s in Preparation

Dvds:
“Woof! A guide to dog training”
“Dogs for Dummies an easy to follow program ”
***“Training You to Train Your Puppy”
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan

Books:
“Havanese: a complete Pet Owner’s Guide”
“Communicating with Your Dog: a humane approach to dog
training”
***“Mother Knows Best: the natural way to train your dog”
“A Pet Love Guide to Training Your Dog”
“Complete Dog Care Manuel”

Dog Training Places:

Unleashed Pawsabilities
http://www.dynamicdogs.ca/aboutus.html
Lietash Dog Academy
Chewed Slipper
Tamara MacFarland

Leela's Diary: