Camelot
is our first Brussels Griffon. He was born in Calgary and was flown to
our home in Ottawa in June 2006.
Most persons relate to his breed from a 1997 movie starring Jack
Nicholson called "As Good As It Gets" - the dog in that movie was called
"Verdell" and was a Brussels Griffon.
Amy Shannon, President & CEO of Loving Paws & House Sitting, dreamt of
having a "Griff" friend since she was 14 years old. So Camelot couldn't
come soon enough.
As a Brussels Griffon, Camelot is known for his quaint personality that
is full of character and not just for his charming good looks.
Camelot brings a lot of love to the household. He is very gallant,
gentle, playful, well-mannered, and a wonderful cuddle buddy.
We involve Camelot in many games and activities like going to the
cottage, going on weekend road trips to wine country, running errands,
swimming in the pool, playing chase and tug with the oven mitt and his
many toys.
The toy Camelot probably loves the most is the little helicopter. We
have countless videos of him chasing after it – it’s very entertaining
to watch him try to catch and play with it, and it’s rewarding seeing
the joy it brings him.
Camelot also enjoys attending the Ottawa Humane Society’s Annual Wiggle
Waggle Walkathon because he loves to meet new friends.
He also loves to visit the retirement home where the grand-mother
of the family lives. She and other residents in the home give him lots
of affection!
With each passing day, we enjoy seeing Camelot grow more attached to his
new furry sister, Briella, our most recent addition to the family.
Briella
is the newest little companion to the family; she's also a Brussels
Griffon, born in Victoria, BC. She arrived by flight in Toronto in
January 2011.
Camelot showed great interest in Briella when he first met her in
Toronto where we all went to pick her up as a family.
Briella does share similar personality traits with Camelot; however, she
is also very different even though they are the same breed and are
distant relatives. Briella is playful, social, full of energy, and has
some sassiness too, all with a curious appetite for exploring the house
and yard.
One funny thing about Briella is that she took over the gardening
responsibilities. She loves to chew leaves and eat dirt. A behaviour Amy
Shannon, President & CEO of Loving Paws & House Sitting, hopes she will
abandon like Camelot did.
While Camelot may have appeared to feel slightly threaten by Briella’s
place in our family at first, we know he realizes she’s not here for
just a play date, or to take his place in the family hierarchy. They
quickly became best friends and play like crazy together. She’s
certainly not shy to steel toys away from Camelot or give him some sassy
attitude if he doesn’t let her win more often.
Together they make the most adorable pair when they sit quietly on the
carpet, side by side, looking at and waiting for Amy Shannon to give
them the "Okay" and "Come" commands.
Briella is a fun loving, and wonderful new addition to our family. We
look forward to seeing more of her personality traits emerge while we
watch her grow.
Our
little adorable Lhasa Apso was a birthday gift in 1995; we named her
Suky, which means “beloved” in Japanese. She definitely earned her name
because she really touched our hearts and souls. Suky lived a great life
even though she developed a few health challenges in her last years. We said
goodbye in September 2010.
Suky loved going for walks, and especially for drives to the family
cottage; just the thought of these made her prance about in wild
anticipation.
As for her love of treats, she would manoeuver through a series of
tricks so quickly and with such excitement that it’s as if she executed
them almost simultaneously. She always left us wondering what else could
she do to impress us for another treat.
She obeyed diligently to her sit and stay commands when entering the
house with wet paws, and waited patiently and quietly until her paws
were dry and for the release command – in fact, she was so quiet we’d
sometimes forget she was there until she let out a little cry to ask to
be released.
When it came to Camelot, she tried to appear as though she was
“tolerating” him and his frequent tugging of her tail to get her to
chase him for play but we know she was very fond of him. She enjoyed his
company as they played during the evenings and then cuddled together in
their bed!
Suky was very intelligent, affectionate, and full of love to give. She
was truly a fabulous, best friend – there are no words to describe the
bond that she had with Amy Shannon, President & CEO of Loving Paws &
House Sitting. We could not have been happier to have such a wonderful
furry family member like her in our family and in our lives.
We wish her a great adventure in the sky until we can be reunited.
Our Team
