 On
August 31, 1988, a Bouvier puppy came into existence like no other before or
since.
Following a flood of fluid, the puppy sac began a cycle of partially emerging
and then retreating, emerging and retreating,
emerging and retreating until it finally could be grasped, eased out, and
removed from around the puppy. Efforts of the breeders failed to
start the puppy breathing. But mother knew best, and the dam licked the puppy
deep in its mouth and part way down its throat. In that moment Hurricane
Hazel was spawned.
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Considering Hayes's propensity to wreak havoc and cause commotion, it probably
was just
as well that she breezed through to her championship as a puppy. While
attending a show in downtown Elizabeth, NJ, she smashed through the door of the
motor-home and began
spinning through the city streets, grinning and laughing
(some Bouviers can really do that, you know), until satisfied she finally let
the hordes of human storm chasers catch her.
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In style with her ability to swirl through life, motherhood was a snap for
Hayes.
She nonchalantly whelped her first puppy, destined to become CH Faiva Guinness v
Daelgarde, while her owner snoozed on the couch next to the whelping box. Having
taken care of Guinness, Hayes calmly woke her human caretaker with a slurp across
the face to marvel at the puppies to follow.
As a housedog Hayes has a talent for the unique. Upon discovering a bag of
individually wrapped Hall's Mentho-lyptus lozenges, Hayes carefully unwrapped
every one and deposited them, in slightly damp condition, on the vinyl kitchen
floor. Granted, the kitchen had a fresh minty odor; however, removal of
the lozenges required prying each of them, one at a time, from the floor.
Not content merely with being a star at home, in the showring and in the
whelping box, Hayes has also streaked across the Scottish Deerhound galaxy.
Hayes's veterinarian, Dr. Dove, who also is a Scottish Deerhound breeder and a
coursing enthusiast, each year during the Christmas season has a Twelfth Night
coursing party for Scottish Deerhound fanciers. Hayes's owners, Dan &
Dianne Ring, were invited to join the Deerhound folks one year and to bring a
few of their Bouviers with them. Of course they brought Hayes, now also retired
from the whelping box after four litters.
At her first chance to chase the lure Hayes was off and running. On her second
run, when the direction of the lure had been reversed, Hayes ran even more
intensely, barking the whole way to protest the change of direction! The
Deerhounders were amazed at the tenacity and concentration of this coursing
novice, and a herding dog no less! Dr. Dove asked if this was one of the younger
dogs, and the Ring's replied, "No, that's Hayes. You just spayed her a month
ago!"
The next year Hayes was specifically requested to attend this holiday coursing
affair and performed with her usual panache. When she lost sight of the lure in
very tall grass, she was convinced that her quarry had gone to ground. At the
spot where the lure had disappeared from her sight, Hayes immediately began to
dig with all her might to find it again!
In addition to conformation showing, whelping and coursing, Hayes has trounced
her way triumphantly through agility, shutzhund and herding clinics. When Hayes
was first introduced to agility equipment, she tackled it with her usual
boundless enthusiasm. Perhaps with a bit too much enthusiasm and power. When she
departed, she left a path of ravaged equipment in her wake. Schutzhund sleeve
work was a piece of cake, and earning her American Herding Breeds Association
Herding Instinct Certification presented no problem. In fact, herding provided
her with an excuse to indulge in one of her favorite pastimes, exceedingly loud
barking!
From the moment she was whelped, Hayes has lived up to her hurricane namesake.
She is delightful in her ability to cause chaos and commotion wherever she goes
and to successfully tackle all the challenges in her path. She manages to make
stormy weather a phenomenon to enjoy!
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