Happy 1st Birthday Piper !

Happy Birthday Sweet Little Piper!

One year ago tomorrow our little Piper was born.  The past 365 days have been so much fun getting to know all about Piper and because of all the happiness she's brought to ATB.  A little history is always fun and so it goes with Piper's arrival here.  Her mother Chloe had been hunted with another of Jack's daughters over in New Hampshire.  Chloe's owner was quite impressed with Zoe's hunting abilities and asked about her breeding. One thing led to another and soon we all met in person, including Chloe and JackDog, and it was good.  Time passed by and eventually things took place that needed to place and the waiting began.  The phone call came that we'd been waiting for - Jack and Chloe's pups were born and all were doing well!  John had decided by then he would really like to add one of Jacks daughters to the ATB family here for all the right reasons.  Chloe comes from Brownstone and Indian Acre lines which boast of some very notable Brittanys including several dual champions, field and show champions and line breedings on Renegades Kansas Kid.  In addition to knowing all of this, we had the benefit of personal knowledge regarding the actual hunting ability of both parents. 

Piper's family made a visit to Massachusetts in between Christmas and New Years and John went down to pick her up.  Her owners family showed him so much hospitality he hated to leave. It was hard for her first famiy to say goodbye to Piper. She was the only girl and she had been raised with several really nice kids.  Being a little over a month younger than True puppy, it was natural for the two of them to become quick buds.  And to this day they are still best buds, known around here simply as 'the pups.'

Piper intrigued us from the start. Her fiesty independence was at times quite challenging but we decided early on not to put her fire out with too much obedience training in the beginning.  She was John's dog. She was not Ann's dog. And this can very often mean two very different things here at All Things Brittany!  Equally loved and cared for by both of us - when John 'wants' a dog to train for hunting, I happily yield right away! Of course I'm always in the background working with stacking, gaiting, grooming - just in case I want to steal her away for a show or two.  The truth of it is that John has an exceptional way about him when it comes to training the dogs to hunt. His ways are not always my ways and vice versa and we respect each other that way.  So while True puppy was going to handling classes every week, Miss Piper was getting extra time with John in the field.  True went to his first show readily prepared and was in the ribbons each day, including Reserve for his second show.  Piper equally wowed us with her first place in open puppy in the spring at just 7 months old.  She also earned her first leg towards her AKC Junior Hunter Title this fall, not quite a year along with her best bud True who has two legs earned. 

Bird hunting season in Maine opened on October 1st.  Most of our Brittanys have been out with John and friends several times.  The pups especially. I have lost count how many birds John has shot over them and I never tired of sitting with John at the end of the day  to hear the hunting stories. (Yes... my knee and back have kept me at home but hope that will change soon.)  I love to greet them as they pull into the driveway then let the dogs out of the truck, they come running and jumping, happily wagging their tails and John reaches into the back of the truck to show me a bird or two. Sometimes John hunts his pups together, other times one on one and he puts them with the adults too. Both of his pups (notice I'm including True...) are now trained to hold their bird, steady to flush, wing, and shot. They honor. And they retrieve.  There's a need for tuning up the finer parts, style and intensity but we are talking about yearling pups.  It does not get any better than that!

Miss Piper - was named J & A's High Flyin' Girl of Acton, after the "Piper" cub.  A little bit about that is written on Pipers page on the Maine Brittany Site. She more than lives up to her name of being a high flying girl!  We love her to pieces and once again want to say thank you to Fred and Lynette for the opportunity to have this sweet little Brittany and to your sweet family for the excellent socializing!!  Happy 1st Birthday Piper to you and to all  your littermates!  In the meantime, thank you for your ongoing interest in All Things Brittany - take care and God Bless you, John, Ann and our funloving Brittany crew!