The lady who helped me come up with Eli's name translated it as "One in a Thousand.". Eli is our first Canaan Dog and he is the one who really introduced us to the dog show fancy. As a young dog, he was a bit of a handful & always into something, dirt, trash and even once stole a paintbrush & painted stripes down our other dog as he buzzed past her. Showing & obedience were not really his thing, as he's more of a homebody, but he does a fantastic job of surveying his domain and alerting us to all comers (including wildlife in the area).
When he was 5 years old, we went to a herding instinct test which was a brand new experience for both of us. He had never seen livestock before, much less had a chance to work with them. The tester told me to release him and he immediately flanked them and brought them to me. The judge told me to collect him and send him the other way to see if he could work both leads. He did the same thing. My heart raced to see him turn on and work like he'd always done it.
He's mellowed as he's aged but he is the official judge of any potential puppy buyers and we trust his opinion completely. At 13 1/2, he's slowing down quite a bit and each day that he patrols the yard is a gift. We're very glad to have discovered this breed and our "One in a Thousand" Eli. |
