Emma Theodora of OZ
"Emma"
November 29, 2003 - February 17, 2017
Emma was the biggest girl in the litter but managed to grow up the smallest one. Her mom Lora being in a league of her own, Emma was an Alpha in the family. She looked and acted as a more mature dog than her brothers and sisters were. Emma was not playing with toys, but what got to her stayed with her. If Philippe would throw a toy in Emma's reach, he would then lay quietly (very uncharacteristic of him) waiting when Emma would have had enough of it and would let him take the toy back.
Emma was my favorite pet. She liked to hug, meaning that she hugged you. She waited until I sit on a chair or a sofa, and she would immediately jump on my laps, and curl happily like a cat so we called Emma "our kitten".
Emma liked to be photographed. She was present on almost every single picture that we took at home.
In May 2007, Emma had a litter of 7 beautiful puppies. Being as responsible as she was, she was a wonderful mother. Emma was quite passionate about the puppies, and the rest of the dogs honored it, staying away from the bedroom where the whelping box was. Lora was the first one who was allowed to share the responsibility of caring for the puppies. Later the rest of the family joined to play with puppies, except for Karl who preferred to stay away from the little sharp teeth.
Emma was so attached to her daughter Taya, that when Taya left to live with a handler at the age of 15 months, Emma was restless, was searching for Taya everywhere, went outside every so often to check if Taya might be there playing with her neighbor friend... Emma could not sleep for a week, and neither could we. Then, 6 months later, when there was a show nearby, I took Emma there to meet Taya, so that Emma could see her puppy is well, and everyone was so excited to see Taya's mom! They knew Philippe well but never met Emma before, and the common conclusion was that beautiful Taya took more from her mother than from her sire.
At the age of 10 Emma suddenly went down with FCE (Fibrocartilaginous Embolism). She was completely paralized and could only turn her head slightly to the right but after few weeks started to recover. Even while being immobile she ruled the house with a firm paw. She would lay in the center of the kitchen on her double bed and control everything, nothing skipping her attention. Once Emma regained some strength, we started rehabilitation, and she did remarkably well. With time, she was able to run again! She loved Dr. Brown, and was allways happy to do workouts. Her rehab sessions continued to the end of her life, and she enjoyed them very much!
Emma was committed to remain in control, including control of her life. Emma remained true to herself, and she did command when it was time for her to go.
Emma had a lot of personality, and it is nice to see sparkles of it in her descendants.