Whoopi Goldberg is a star in every way! Carole Eklund would bring these two amazing Malinois pups to the Canine Academy, and they would beg to play the games too, so it wasn't long before I went from using them as demonstration dogs, to training both Whoopi and her sister, Red, in the fundamentals of Agility. Of course, I had my hands full at this time with my mature Malinois, Ruffian, blazing quite a reputation in agility arenas, as well as finishing the titles of several other dogs, so taking on the challenges of training some boisterous Belgian brats was insanity. To make matters more interesting, my (future) husband, who I was only dating at the time, had the habit of visiting the training facility and sitting by the outdoor fire, drinking beers and watching me while I worked my "behind" off running around like a crazy woman trying to train all these high-power dogs at different levels of agility. This lasted for about 3 weeks, until I handed him Red's leash and said "get up and get out here!" while I kept working Whoopi.
We had a tremendous amount of fun training the two dogs together-Red fell completely in love with Michael from the moment she first set eyes on him, and he quickly began to spoil all the dogs rotten, I still maintain that he taught Whoopi how to "flirt"! We never intended that our household end up with 3 from the same litter, but when you combine homes, the dogs come too (of course!) and now here they are, each secretly convinced that they are the favorite and certain they should be top dog.
Whoopi has such a naturally gregarious nature, it is really atypical for a Belgian. However, having come from a background of Hounds and Northern Breeds, (that are commonly more outgoing) I have greatly enjoyed Whoopi's social abilities, and encouraged and capitalized upon them. Whoopi is a certified Therapy Dog International, and as such, enjoys visiting people who appreciate dogs and cannot have any themselves, such as elderly in care centers, and the hospitalized. She was taught not to jump up, or to pull on a leash, and will gently insert her muzzle for a nuzzle under the most timid or weak of hands. Perhaps her greatest asset is towards improving literacy among children, as she enjoys participating in Canines in the Classroom, helping encourage children to practice reading in a non-judmental environment. She is amazing in this program-showing all evidence of interest and pleasure over each page a child turns, never wavering in her attention.
However, she has given her heart to another owner, and Michael, Carole and I are but poor runner-ups in Whoopi's list of priorties. Her heart, eyes, and focus are always pointing squarely at our young son, Toby, and the devotion she lavishes upon him is totally Belgian in it's intensity (so sweet, pure and cute it surpasses adorable!) I find her sneaking out at night to sleep with him, or sitting next to him while he takes a nap-just watching him in case he wakes and needs her for...anything. He learned to walk tottering after the dogs, and they learned to rate their pace down to a slow amble that he could match while clinging to fistfuls of fur. The worst mistake they could make was bumping into him, and punishment was swift and certain for the dog that forgot and knocked him down while being rambunctious! Now as he gets older, his abilities to throw balls and ride bicycles/scooters for seemingly inexhaustible periods, to everyone's mutual delight, has firmly cemented the realtionship between a boy and his dogs. If Mommy and Daddy don't watch out-he'll steal the hearts of all our dogs, but he and Whoopi Goldberg have an amazing, close relationship.
| CH
Calia Sister Act OA NAJ AKC # DL76253503 |
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| CH | Champion (conformation) |
| OA | Open Agility |
| NAJ | Novice Jumpers With Weaves |
| NADAC # 01-21444 | |