![]() ![]() We told her about Jasper, our new rescue, and she agreed he looked like he had Patterdale Terrier in him. An easy talker, Betty filled us in on the challenges of breeding and showing in England and we filled her in on Sophie and her life in New York. She ushered us into one of the sitting rooms, a cozy space with walls draped with dog and horse show ribbons. Her big smile and warm demeanor made us feel immediately welcomed. I didn’t dispute.īetty met us at the door, her brown hair wild about her face. A large Mastiff held court at the head of the area, with a sign on his door, simply reading The Boss. The property was dotted with pens and crates, and there was a big, heated barn which I learned held many of the dogs, as well as pigs and goats that Betty also breeds and shows. We arrived for our visit on a typically dreary English winter’s day, with the continuous drizzle making a muddy muck out of everything. So, when I reached out to her to set up the appointment, I simply declared, “I need Podengo love!” And, Betty did not disappoint! While Betty and I had communicated several times by phone and email over the years, we’d never met. If you’ve never read Sophie’s Story, you can find a link for it below. You might have read about their crazy all night journey, driving from England to France, so that Sophie could travel to her new home in America inside the cabin of a plane (they don’t allow that in England). My husband, Stanley, had met Betty when he originally picked Sophie up. In her mid-70’s, Betty is a sight to behold – a salt-of-the-earth person, harnessing a feisty spirit and a fierce passion for life inside of her four foot-something frame! Sophie started life at Plushcourt Kennels in Faringdon, England, where kennel owner Betty Judge, the #1 breeder of Portuguese Podengo Pequeno’s in the UK, lives with a rather large family of animals. I was going to see where life began for our Sophie! You’re ripe for a puppy fix! And, was I ever! But, this one was planned and very special. ![]() ![]() You know the feeling you’re away from home and your furry babies couldn’t come along. I’d been excited about this visit all day. I can still feel the soft fur on my face and the delicate licks of their kisses. Just snap or choose a pic you’ve taken that matches that week’s theme and post it on your social networks, with the hashtag #52Snapshots, so we can all follow along! For pet bloggers, this is a BlogHop, so hop on! You don’t have to be a blogger to participate. Pet blogging friend and colleague, Christina Berry of The Lazy Pitbull, created this fun challenge. She lives out in Connecticut and has a big backyard, something Sophie didn’t get to enjoy, living in NYC. Here Izzy, who is around Sophie’s age, is being a regular pup, doing what regular pups love to do – racing around! In this shot, Sophie is being chased by Izzy, a stunning smooth coat Podengo, who went on to win awards as a show dog. At this time, Marilyn had five Podengos, both smooth coat and wire haired. This was the first of several visits we made with Sophie to meet her tribe. Marilyn turned us onto the breed, when we met her at the very first Meet the Breeds event in NYC, back in 2009. We were visiting her Aunt Marilyn Piurek, who was the first person to bring the Portuguese Podengo Pequeno into the U.S. This photo was taken when Sophie was about seven months old. For this week’s 52 Snapshots of Life Photo Challenge, I’m taking a little walk down Memory Lane. Dogs love to run and Sophie is no exception. ![]()
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