Mazel is my red and white champion, with expressive ears and liquid
brown eyes that look they are surrounded by eyeliner. He is graceful like
a deer, and people often comment upon his beauty. He shows well in Junior
Showmanship with my daughter.
Mazel is the one of my Canaan Dogs who follows me around the house and gazes
into my eyes. He is intuitive when someone is sad, and will stay close, cuddle,
or offer a paw or a nuzzle. He is the one we trust to be loose unsupervised
with a visiting toddler, because he is delicate in his motions, and would
not accidentally knock over the toddler or lick too enthusiastically. Once
a visiting three-year-old led him around the house by the collar for about
an hour, and he kept his patience.
But Mazel is also the most fierce of the watchdogs in the house, the quickest
to bark the alarm and the last to accept that danger has passed. When we let
people into the house, Tovah and Nafti quickly accept them and want to be
petted. Mazel takes longer to be sure he trusts them. Once he realizes he
knows them--or they are children--he is fine. Otherwise he needs a few minutes--and
they have to move away from the door so he knows they are truly accepted
into the house by his humans.
Mazel is the only male Canaan Dog in our house, and he likes it that way.
He is fine at dog shows, but if he sees strange dogs when we are out for a
walk, he barks a lot and is very suspicious of them--unless he finds out they
are girls!
Mazel loves to chase a ball and bring it back--unless Nafti is going after
the ball, too. Then it becomes a keep-away game between them. All three dogs
will chase around the main floor in running games, and Mazel nimbly banks
off the couch in the living room--even though he's not officially allowed
to be on the couch.
Mazel is always enthusiastic for a hike, and he does not object to pulling
children on a sled with Tovah. He has herded sheep twice, to pass legs for
his Herding Certificate. The first time he was young and a little tentative,
but the second time he had a good old time.
Don't tell Mazel that a Canaan Dog is not a lap dog. He can curl up
on my husband Craig's lap or mine. He generally wants to sleep on our bed,
but he has to take turns with each of the children, too, because everybody
wants him. Although strangers or strange dogs would never guess it, he's a
love!
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