|
 Tongass
was a unique puppy, in that he chose me when we were
looking at the litter. I was looking for a puppy
that would be a family companion, an obedience dog,
a sled dog, and a show dog.
When I arrived to visit Dick &
Dianne Ross in Cle Elum, Washington, their dogs were
known for their temperament, working ability, show
dogs and all round performance. I looked at two
litters of puppies and one seal male kept looking at
me and following me. I later told Dianne that this
was the one I wanted and she told me that he was not
for sale and she was keeping this one for herself.
Well, I left three hours later with Tongass in the
car and headed back to the SeaTac airport.
This was in the 1970’s and no
Malamutes were shown in obedience. We would run from
the conformation ring into the obedience ring and he
always would entertain the public. I was told that
as a breed Alaskan Malamutes and obedience are a
“contradiction in terms”. Tongass was eager to
please but he always added a unique twist to the
various obedience exercises making sure that I knew
he was a Malamute. On one occasion he decided to
“pounce” the dumbbell and after picking it up he
tossed it into the air, caught it, and brought it
back to me. The crowd chuckled and applauded his
antics.
Tongass went on to receive his
C.D., C.D.X. (obedience titles) and his Championship
but I will always remember him as the willing
companion that made me laugh as well as others in
the obedience ring. (Obedience photo). His photo
ended up on the front cover of “Your Alaskan
Malamute” by Dianne Ross and he is featured in the
obedience chapter of that book.
Several years later I met my
husband, who also had a Malamute. At our wedding
Tongass escorted the flower girl down the aisle and
was also in the reception line.
Our wedding picture with
Tongass was in the AMCA Newsletter. Tongass was
partially responsible for introducing me to my
future husband.
|
