Taabu
Doggone Jolly’s Hakuna Matata
Date of birth: 26.09.2014
Colour: Blue merle tricolour
Hips: A/A
Elbows: 0/0
Shoulders: 0/0
CEA : not tested
TNS: normal
CL: not tested
MDR1: not tested
IGS: normal
Teeth: all in
Bite: scissor
Size: 54-55 cm / 16 kg
To start our story, we have to go back in 2010, the year when I met Vicky for the first time and totally fell in love with her. I was a border collie enthusiast for some time already, but Vicky made me realize this is a kind of dog I want – happy, driven, with will to please, friendly, kissy, jolly, funny… there’s so many more words I could use to describe her, she is just one kind soul, best way to describe her. The idea of her having a litter, sounded like a dream to me. Time went by, lot’s of planning, thinking, waiting, wishing… And then things finally got more official. I was over the moon with the litter plan – the most perfect combination I could ever imagine. The D day was 26.9.2014 – the day when Hooligans were born. I was overwhelmed with feelings and happiness, the fact that they are here still felt a little bit unreal for me. It still is sometimes! I remember me saying: “Five more years and I will probably own a border collie!”, so it all totally made sense. Every single one of them was (is!) special in there own way. So picking a puppy was a very hard job for me. I wanted a female, so that left me with three of them. Weeks went by, the puppies were developing and I had a deadline for choosing a puppy. And after all the thinking and discussing, we all agreed that Taabu would be the right one for me. From her first days, she always had a big character, filled with happiness and power. And that’s exactly what she is to this day!
Taabu, my ‘trouble pill against all problems’ as I like to call her, (Taabu meaning “trouble” in Swahili and Her pedigree name “Hakuna matata” meaning no worries) is, well, exactly what her name is. She’s always and forever ready for action and take over the world with a smile on her face. I wanted a working dog with high drive, but at the same time can be a couch potato. And well, I got one! She plays with absolutely anything, anytime. Even if you will only have a spring in your hand, she will be just as excited as for the ball Though frisbee is her favorite toy in the world and she picks it over anything else. She has perfect jumping style. Working in general is her number one priority – clicker training, agility, obedience, frisbee, herding… I never had a single problem with her working. At 4 months she had attention and self control of an adult dog. Staying in “stay” position at the indoor agility competitions, with me running and jumping in front of her. She loves to do serious obedience, as well as being a crazy, loud rocket in agility. Still, I think her favorite of them all is herding and where she shines the most. When doing sheep she is really calm and has a great herding technique. You can truly see that, this is what she was made for. She always gives her best, from the beginning till the end.
Another thing that makes her happy is simply living the life to it’s fullest potential. Walks in company, going to new places, meeting new dogs, going to the city… She is my everyday companion and goes everywhere with me. Dealing with new places, noises, surfaces etc. is never a problem for her. Also in more stressful situations, for example, at the city center, where there are a lot of people and noises, she can work with 100% and is focused on me. The only problem that she has is dealing with strangers. She can feel insecure when meeting a new person, but it’s true that a lot of people doesn’t have the right approach. All she needs it’s a minute (she likes it best if you simply ignore her) and then everything is okay. This problem is partly my mistake, because when she was a puppy I was all the time working on focus, no matter the situation. Otherwise she is not an all problematic dog, she can still go to the most crowded part of the city, be squash on a train and behave perfectly and be totally relaxed. But once you become “her” person, she is the sweetest cuddliest little thing. She will want to crawl to you and give you lots and lots of crazy kisses and you can do anything with her and she will love you to death. Even though, it’s true, that during the day she is way less cuddly than at night time. During the day she is a full working dog, but when she is at home, she always sleeps and is completely on the off mode. She knows once we go out the front door, it’s time to work. Another characteristics I admire about her is her softness. She is after all, at least for me, very soft in character. She know what’s going on in the air, what kind of vibrations and energies surrounds her and what kind of mood you are in. Every time I get a little bit upset (can be sadness or happiness) she will want to hug you with all of her body and soul.
All in all she is my dream dog and I love every inch of her with every second. She balanced my chaotic universe and made it feel like home.
