Dufenhof Swissies

How to describe Clementine?  If you said she was “larger than life”, “one of a kind” or a “bull in a china shop” you’d be right. You’d also be right if you said she was  “one hell of a doggy bitch”. She was all of those things and more.  

To be sure, Clementine was not everyone’s idea of the ‘ideal’ Swissy bitch -- if you expect & want a Swissy bitch to be “elegant”, “refined” or “cute” (none of which the standard calls for) Clem was very definitely not your girl. On the other hand, if a drafty, big-boned and just plain big girl who could give the boys a run for their money is what you desire in a Swissy bitch , well, that described Clementine to a  “T”.

Clementine, or Clem as I usually called her, came into the world ready to go. She was a big puppy and since she had no littermates competing for milk, she quickly became a big and fat puppy. But oh, what a beautiful, special, big fat puppy she was!  And not at all spoiled, of course.

No matter where she was, or what she was supposed to be doing, Clem found a way to have fun. She happily, eagerly, bounced her way through life . From her earliest days to her last,  she saw no point to being calm and sedate, when bouncy and energetic would do just as well and be so much more fun.  Never one to just go along and blend in, she even made sure to very memorably bounce her way to her championship.

Although Clementine’s mother Dilly was definitely  “reproductively challenged” and only ever had two puppies, Clementine herself had no such problems.  She was not just fertile, she was super-fertile and whelped multiple large litters. She was a very caring mom and doted on her puppies.  Because she had so many puppies at once,  I chose to ease the burden on her and bottle fed some of the puppies while Clem would nurse the others.  Sitting with her while we did this was about the only time I can recall getting to spend time with her when she wasn’t ready to go at a moment’s notice. It was nice, but it was short-lived. Once the puppies were eating solid food and toddling around, Clem was ready for them to play --  and she was so ready to play with them.  As big and as crazy as she was, it was amazing to watch her be so gentle with her puppies.  There were times when she would forget herself and come charging into the room and playbow at a puppy who clearly wasn’t sure what to think, but then she’d flop down and in a minute or two I’d find her lying quietly amidst her puppies.

True to form, she was zooming around playing like a youngster until just a few days before her death. The calendar may have known she was old, but Clem paid no attention and just kept bouncing. She was one of a kind, from start to finish.

To see some photos of Clementine's puppies click here

Clementine's titled offspring include:

Charlene, Ch Dufenhof Guadalajara Won't Do

Ryder, Dufenhof It's a Long Way to Tipperary, CGC, TDI

 Clementine

Ch Dufenhof One Dilly of a Darling

Breeder: Ellyn M Signet

Date of Birth: November 04, 2001

Clementine's Health Clearances

 P2Y12 Status: Untested (1 offspring tested: 1 Clear)

Sire: Ch Hamilton's Alpine Chance

Dam: Ch Hamilton's Field of Daffodils

Clementine's Pedigree

 Clementine waiting at the front door

 Clementine playing with her puppies