The miDoggy Parade in September asks how our dogs came to us?
Well then, let us tell the story. Martina starts:
Fascination with the Galgo Español
I had often browsed the "Galgo in Not" website. Before long I also attended one of the Spanish sighthound meet-ups and bought a guardian angel for my future dog. It hung on the fridge for about two years, waiting for its "charge." At the start of 2014 the time had come, and I filled in the contact form on the site.
Atlas, the dog from the street
The chairwomen of the association at the time responded quickly, and by April Atlas had already been introduced to me.
He had been living on the streets in Spain, spotted repeatedly over roughly a year, and finally hid in a house where Nieves (the director of the local shelter) was able to catch him. Lydia and Wolfgang from Galgo in Not happened to be with Nieves at that point, having driven over to bring some dogs back to Austria. Even though he hadn't been part of the plan, Atlas – with his injured paw and his gentle nature – managed to secure himself a seat to Austria. He was briefly placed with foster mum Karin, and on 16 April she brought him to me.
Shocked at first by his meagre 19 kilograms and his once-broken front leg, I nonetheless took him straight into my heart thanks to his open, warm character.
In September he had to undergo another operation, because a loose bone fragment had been found in his shattered leg that had become inflamed. He was the darling of everyone at the clinic, since Atlas went along with anyone without a trace of fear – despite being covered in scars and having clearly not only known good experiences. Sadly the wound took around five weeks to heal because it refused to close. Changing his bandage became our daily routine…
On top of that came a long recovery period: no running for six months, then muscle-building through cycling. Even though his paw is shorter and completely stiff, it doesn't stop Atlas from walking or sprinting. He survived all of it – he's a fighter who simply wanted to live and chose me as his mum. That time welded us very close together.
It was always clear to me that a sighthound needs a second sighthound. "Cousin" Ferdi came to stay with us for four days and I realised that whether it's one or two doesn't really matter. Atlas was often sad when we met the others and then drove home alone again. I told him: "Atlas, if you're good and reduce your vet bills, you'll get a 'brother'." I only said it a few times, and Lydia, Angela and Wolfgang from Galgo in Not were already thinking it over…
How Tiago arrived
Tiago was handed over to Nieves by a hunter in February 2016, along with a second female Galga. In March the two of them made the journey to Austria by plane. Angela picked up Turbo (his name at the time) with Wolfgang from the airport, and everyone was simply captivated by his build, his looks and his enormous size. He was brought to foster mum Karin in Styria. Auntie Angela (I call them all aunties, because Galgo in Not really is one big family) knew from the very start that he would be a perfect fit for us. When Atlas and I were at a photo shoot in Graz, we visited Turbo and Karin. First impression: "Oh my goodness! What on earth is that? That's not a dog. That's a pony!" And so his nickname "Pony" was born!
After very little time it was clear that the Pony was moving in with us. On 16 April 2016 – exactly two years after Atlas moved in – the moment had come. Turbo urgently needed a new name. Foster mum Karin called him Tiger, because he moves and trots as fluidly as a big wild cat. I wanted something with a Spanish touch. During the brainstorming I particularly liked Santiago, which contains Ti, and so Turbo became Tiago.
Tiago knew absolutely nothing about our world: no stairs, no car – simply nothing at all! He was terribly afraid of everything around him, but Atlas showed him the world anew every single day and still does.
Tiago was born on 5 April 2013. He is the tallest Galgo and probably the fastest I have ever seen. But he doesn't have a hunter's heart, the way Atlas does. That was apparently the reason his previous owner, the Spanish hunter, didn't want to keep him.
Because the Pony shows anxious behaviour in so many situations, I looked for a competent interpreter of "dog into plain language." Our vet Ines Kitzweger referred us to Oliver Schröder, who helped us enormously in getting Tiago's fears under control.
He has integrated perfectly into our herd (two goats, two cats, one snake) and is "no longer glued to the back of my knee" quite so often, because he is gaining more and more confidence.
And of course he has also conquered my heart!
That's how Atlas & Tiago from Spain came into my life!
Warm regards, your Martina
And now my part (Babsi):
Frenchie Love
My infatuation with French Bulldogs goes back a long way. During my "dogless" years I always dreamed of having a Bully, because every one I ever came across had eyes only for their owner – and that was exactly what I was dreaming of.
Che, the revolutionary – or rather the rebel
Through the family of my favourite person, Che the Frenchie – born in July 2008 – stepped into my life. I have to honestly admit that at first I somewhat overlooked him, because my heart beat far louder for the English family Bulldog Football. When I got together with my sweetheart in 2012, Che, the little rascal, was at our place more and more often at weekends, and when I finally moved to Baden in 2014, Che decided he wanted to live with us too.
He and Murphy are our family dogs, but Che has grown into my soul dog. Even if he has his Bulldog "quirks" and doesn't have eyes only for me the way I once dreamed, we love each other deeply and passionately. He had to win my heart first – but he managed it, and in a lasting way!
At first he was quite a challenge, and we faced a number of hurdles when it came to leash manners and interactions with other dogs. We're not quite where I want us to be yet, but we're on the right path — and there's no better teacher than the dog himself! I learn something new every day: about him, about me, about us.
"Bubu" (one of his many nicknames) is a self-assured little stubborn-head — intelligent, eager to learn, always motivated! If he could, he'd go for walks a dozen times a day and never miss out on any action, though now that he's getting a bit older, he sometimes rises above it all and simply chills on his royal cushion.
He's a small bulldog with a big ego — and whether it's hiking, learning tricks, trailing or just cuddling, Che is up for anything!
Murphy - the pack expansion
Since we were having so much fun with Che, and Che himself has a real soft spot for puppies, we thought:
"Why not get two at once?"
So we got in touch with Che's breeder (his registered name is Timotheus), because we absolutely wanted a Frenchie that can breathe freely. And not only Che, but also other "family members" we happened to meet in Baden confirmed that they all get plenty of air.
Johanna Fritthum has been running her kennel "Frenchie vom Künigelberg" for decades and knows exactly what to look for when breeding French Bulldogs. After a few conversations and messages, she told us we could pick a male from the December litter.
As fate would have it, there was exactly one male in the litter... Red Murphy (Red, because he's from the R-litter) was something truly special right from the start — his pink nose and the heart-shaped patch on the back of his neck made him stand out quite a bit.
The wait until pickup flew by — and somehow also didn't, because there's nothing you long for more than that day. What definitely made this phase easier were the regular photo and video updates from Johanna. Visits to the Künigelberg were of course always especially exciting: How had the little guy developed? Had he grown? Were his ears standing up yet? Was he getting cheekier? How were his littermates doing?
In February 2017, the day finally came: we brought Murphy home to our pack!
Che was immediately and completely thrilled, and they started playing together in the garden straight away (watch the video here). That evening — the "little worm" was, of course, still very much present — you could practically read Che's thoughts: "Seriously! Is he staying?!" He gave the little squirt the cold shoulder for a whole week, but Murphy didn't give up and eventually managed to "talk" him into playing.
And what do you know... from day 7 of Murphy's move-in, it's been daily wrestling, tugging, running, shoving and bulldozing above all — which keeps BOTH of them fit and makes them happy & content!
At first the blond fellow threw our well-established routine into quite some turmoil, but by now we can't imagine a single day without our little golden glitter boy.
Murphy isn't quite as bold as his "big brother", which is why he tends to hang out in the back of my knees, as Martina always so aptly puts it ;)
He was a very well-behaved puppy — house-trained super quickly, didn't destroy a thing (apart from his own toys), takes his cues from the older one in the car, and so on. Even now as a young dog he behaves quite "decently", although he can be a very vocal Frenchie when he wants something (which is not something we know from Che at all). If you'd watched the video, we could have seen that coming right on the day we picked him up, though...
Two dogs is definitely a challenge, but with patience, consistency & love it's absolutely manageable. We're so happy we decided to add another paw partner to the family!
That's how Che & Murphy conquered my heart!
Warm regards, your Babsi
