Dufenhof Swissies

Ernie’s story starts with his name... Ernie’s litter was the “T” litter for his breeders, so his registered name needed to start with a T.  I have always loved the song “Tennessee Waltz” and thought it sounded like a great registered name and his breeders agreed.  All that was needed was a good call name and that I felt should wait until I got to know my puppy and his personality.   He was so goofy and so endearing, I couldn’t think of anyone else but Tennessee Ernie Ford‘s portrayal of “Cousin Ernie“ on "I Love Lucy". So Ernie it was.

As a little puppy and as an adult Ernie had an absolutely gorgeous head, very majestic, but there was a time during puppyhood that you wouldn’t have thought that because his ears went every which way.  He reminded me very much of the cartoon character Bill the Cat -- not exactly the look you want to see in a show puppy, but it‘s not like we could do anything about it so I tried not to look too hard and just to enjoy him for the charming, loving fellow he was. Happily by the time I was ready to show Ernie his ears had returned to normal and he was once again as handsome as he thought he was. 

Ernie finished his championship quite easily garnering 4 majors along the way.  Ernie passed all of his health clearances with flying colors and had a delightful personality, but I elected not to breed him because I did not want to perpetuate his poor front movement.  He had many other wonderful attributes and it was not an easy decision, but I believe breeding should be about improving the breed, not perpetuating faults. Difficult as it was, it was the correct choice.

A few months after I had decided not to breed Ernie, the family of Ernie’s half-sister, Fanny, called looking for an adult dog to add to their family. After consulting with Ernie's breeders, the decision was made that he would join Fanny in NJ.  For the next two years Ernie enjoyed his life in NJ with three teenage boys to call his own. Sadly due to divorce, Ernie & Fanny both returned home to me. While Fanny readily found a new, permanent home with another Swissy family, Ernie was staying put. He quickly made the transition and was once again one of the gang --it was if he never left.

Shortly after Ernie came home, he began limping and while I hoped it was just an injury, I noticed a suspicious swelling on his front leg. A trip to the vet confirmed my worst fears -  Ernie had osteosarcoma.  While bone cancer is not common in Swissies, it can happen to any dog, at any age, and regardless of treatment it is almost always fatal within a few months of diagnosis. 

While I was heartbroken at the thought of losing Ernie so soon after his return home,  Ernie was quite happily oblivious. Thanks to frequent monitoring and pain-meds he was able to lead a completely normal life for the next several months.  I made sure to keep Ernie well-supplied with stuffed toys for him to gleefully de-stuff  several times each day. His breeders even sent a huge box of plush toys to make certain he was well-supplied.

A few weeks before he died I unwittingly gave Ernie the best present ever -- a puppy!  Henry was one of Bobby’s puppies and from the minute he arrived, Ernie took on the role of doting uncle. He taught Henry all the important boy-dog stuff like lifting your leg and flirting with girls. Henry eagerly tagged along wherever Ernie went. Thanks to his new little friend, in his final days Ernie was the happiest dog in the world. 

Ernie

Ch Drumhill Tennessee Waltz v Mt Airy, CGC

   Breeders: Debby Figiel, Drumhill    & Helene Nathanson, Mt Airy

Date of Birth: May 3, 2001

Ernie's Health Clearances

Sire: Bill vom Hofbach

Dam: Ch Drum Hill's Queen of the Prom, ROM

Ernie's Pedigree