Alchera Arabesque ~ Patch...
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My funky marked girl with a half merle face and her off side covered in big red patches - the ugly duckling of the litter! But ugly ducklings can change - and as she matures it seems that Patch may well grow up to be a "swan". |
By the time she was 8 weeks old it was obvious that underneath that funky colour was a girl with a lovely body! Unfortunately the merle was getting lighter all the time and we thought there might be some white spots mixed in with it. But she was just too nice to let go to a pet home so we kept her. She started life with good colour and we hoped she'd get it back again with her adult coat. We kept our fingers crossed... |
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| Cute as a button @ 7 weeks! | ||
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She's an athlete and a dare devil - one of her favourite places outside is to sit up in the crook of a big tree in the dogs' yard! She can out run and out jump all her sisters (and they're not slouches) and she's smart as a whip. With the right partner she would be an awesome agility dog! |
| 8 weeks old and practicing to be a show dog with Monica... | ||
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She's a moderate girl - very nicely put together - with good angles front and rear, a lovely neck, a level top line, a nice front and her daddy's great rear. She moves correctly coming and going, has good foot timing and almost has her mother's spectacular side gait. More typically "Aussie" than her mother she is reserved with strangers and prefers to check them out on her terms before deciding to climb in their laps!! Patch has boundless energy outdoors - I call her my wild child - but in the house she's a perfect lady. She is incredibly loving and devoted. She's not my "ideal" merle, but the funky colour has grown on me. And the dog underneath that patchy coat is clever, athletic, and very loving.
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| Almost 6 months old & all legs... |
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The waiting has paid off because the merle patches are pale but they ARE merle! And while she may not have grown up to be a "swan" she has grown up to be quite a pretty girl. We took her to handling classes (left) and she loved every minute of it so she made her ring debut and was well on her way to her CKC title.... ...and then she decided she didn't like the ring and didn't want to be touched by people she didn't know! So we're taking the winter off to do obedience, and to wait for her to come back in coat. Come spring we'll see if she's decided that shows aren't so bad after all... |
| Some candid photos of Patch from last summer (and YES - there is a strip of merle behind that white collar!!)... | ||
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| Natural Patch... | Sisters... | It's a race!! |
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| 9 months & filling out.... | What's that?? | Grubby and happy... |