Kipper Klaus

Kipper will always be tied in my heart to St. Nicholas. For it is on the Feast of St. Nicholas (Dec. 6th) that that crazy Brittany with the gorgeous brown eyes left this world.

He always loved Christmas, getting antsy (yes, antsier than normal) as the big day approached. On Christmas morning, he was always in the mix of the presents, waiting patiently for his and wagging his tail and prancing like a reindeer when he got his new bone or chew toy(s).

Here are some pics from Christmas' past

Lessons Kipper Taught Us

When I started this blog, much of the content was devoted to my Brittany, Kipper and his shenanigans. As we say goodbye to him, I wanted to share the lessons he taught us.

Kipper taught us to live life fully,
To love unconditionally,
To trust for no good reason,
To never give up hope,
To always look on the bright side,
To push against barriers and keep trying,
To laugh when you want to cry,
To dance when you hear a good tune,
To get out and run when you need to,
To treasure those closest to you,
To be contented with life as you know it,
To accept and enjoy this life and
To look forward to the next.

Kipper's Kristmas

Kipper's Kristmas kame early this year. Walks every day, extra love, petting and treats along with many "That's a good boy." He got a new bed complete with red plaid because he soiled his other one. He got to spend a weekend at Uncle Bob's with a huge yard to explore, two young dogs to romp with and plenty of love from Aunt Barb who used to babysit him and the boys. Plus Uncle Bob is one of his favorite people. Ham, pepperoni, ground beef, swiss steak, NY strips, beef jerky --if its meat, we give it freely.

Kipper may not make it until Santa comes, so he's getting it all now.

We love you, Kip.

Kip-peeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Some dogs are leg-lifters and some are squatters. My dog, Kipper, is a squatter. He runs outside full-force, hunches down and unleashes the contents of his bladder. He isn't dainty about it, yet he feels the need to squat instead of lift his leg. Maybe it's because he pees a gallon at a time and his leg would get tired out.

When Kipper was young, he would sometimes get excited when company came over. I swear to God he had just gone outside, but when my sister and husband came over for my son's birthday, Kipper forgot himself and left a lake in the kitchen. Thank God for ceramic tile.

Luckily, Kipper is cute, otherwise...

Kipper's Krunch

My dog loves to eat vegetables and fruit! He actually begs for them more for meat or anything else. When I'm cutting up a salad or peeling an apple, I can be sure to find Kipper by my side, watching every movement. I "accidentally" drop a scrap of lettuce, carrot, or celery stalk and he's in heaven. I guess even dogs are health-conscious these days!

Jingle Pooch to the Tune of Jingle Bell Rock

Jingle pooch, jingle pooch, jingle pooch Kip
Jingle tags swing and harness does ring
Sniffing and pulling and bushels of fun
Now the jingle pooch has begun

Jingle pooch, jingle pooch, jingle pooch Kip
Jingle tags chime in jingle bell time
Dancing and prancing and sniffing the air
With a doggy stare.

What a bright time, it’s the right time
To walk the pooch today

Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go walking in the park I say
Giddy up jingle pooch don’t you go poo
Jingle around the park

Mix and mingle with the other dogs too
That’s the jingle pooch
That’s the jingle pooch
That’s the jingle pooch bark!

Kipper's Shenanigans

Kipper is getting ready for the holidays. He's practicing his sad eyes, head between his paws, I'm so neglected routine. He lifts his head to look at you and lets out a big sigh. Then he puts his head back down.

He's also working on his big goofy dog, don't forget about me Santa act. Lying on his back, flopping from side to side and then stopping with his paws sticking out in the air, his head cocked to one side, and one big floppy ear covering his eye. He stares out like he's not noticing you, but really he's trying to get your attention.

Well, Kip we'll try to manage some leftover turkey for you. If not, there's always Christmas!

Kipper's Kostume

Kipper loves getting dressed up for Halloween. I first experienced this last year when he started getting excited as the four of us were getting dressed. I found a shirt from an old ninja costumes my kid's had and put it on him. He was so proud! He pranced around and sat for pictures.

This year it was more hectic and I was already costumed and the kids had gone out. Kipper sat in the window watching the trick or treaters. When a break in the action came, I went into the closet where I keep clothes to donate or for the next garage sale. I found a Dallas Cowboy's jersey-type T-shirt with T. Owens on the back. I brought it out and Kipper sat at attention. He let me pull his arms through the sleeves. Later my husband added devil horns on the back of his neck and declared him "Terrible Terrell Owens". Terrell was cut by Dallas in May of this year and now he was back with a vengence!

The Miracle of the Harness

Kipper has always been a little, shall we say, boisterous when walking him. Basically, I would take him for a walk, he would pull on the lead, sometimes pulling the leash right out of my hands. Like the time he pulled it and it got caught on the black rubber landscaping material of my neighbor's yard. I'm not sure the neighbor lady appreciated it. We were actually able to catch him that time.

So, after having to go the doctor for recurring knee issues, I decided not to walk him anymore.

Six months later, Kipper developed very dry skin around his neck. This area was aggravated by his collar. Someone suggested using a harness instead of a traditional collar. After figuring out the various attachments, I got it on him. Reading the manual, the harness promised to make control of your dog when walking him a breeze. I decided to try it out. To my amazement, Kipper could no longer pull me off my feet when he saw a dog within 200 feet of us!

So, I've started walking him again. Usually he doesn't even try to pull. When he does get excited and pulls, he ends up doing what resembles a somersault with a twist. Nadia Comaneci would be proud. Finally, after all these years, it is possible to walk my dog without having to worry about those pricey surgery bills.

Kipper Installment

Dogs, like us, are creatures of habit. Here are some of Kipper's more interesting ones.

Kipper, likes to play air guitar. When he gets an itch on his underbelly, he takes his back leg and moves it back in forth as if to scratch himself, but he can't actually reach the spot. He keeps doing it any way.

When Kipper is in the house and excited, he walks around the dining room table over and over again, like an Indian doing a war dance around the fire.

Like most dogs, Kipper loves affection. One of his most annoying habits is to present his snout to your hand when you are not paying attention and he does it just right so that your finger ends up his nose. It's rather disgusting.

Speaking of affection, Kipper is very jealous. If the cat comes on my lap, Kipper makes his way over, sits down, looks at me with those big brown eyes and whines (or talks), saying, "Hey, spread some of that over here." He is also jealous when Steve and I are without the kids and in the living room having a good conversation. He starts whining or turning circles. When he's in that mood, if I ask him if he has to go out, he just stares at me dully. If Steve asks him if he wants to be poked in the eye with a sharp stick, or anything else, he starts wagging his stub and dancing in circles. It doesn't matter what Steve says to him or the tone of voice, Kipper indicates he wants to do something with Steve. I can ask him all excited, "Want to go out boy?!" and he'll turn his head to Steve.

On the other hand, when it comes to discipline, Kipper listens better to me than Steve. So I don't know who is the master. Well, actually I do know. If I really think it over, all the history, everything that's happened, yes I do know. It's Kipper.

Tenderness of a Dog

Kipper comes and sits by me in the morning. He regards me with his big brown eyes. He doesn't try to speak so early in the morning, but uses his eyes to tell it all. He holds nothing back. Kipper tells me he loves me, is grateful for my love, wishes I would sit with him all day, wants to go out exploring and that he will always be loyal to his family. He sits quietly, enjoying the stroking of his neck, ears and face. His nose is cold and his fur is fluffy. I can tell he feels sleepy, but still he sits until I lift my hand away to pick up my basket of books. Then he jumps in the window. He lets me go on with my day, but I can be sure that the next time I sit on the couch or walk in the door, he will come to me and greet me, offering himself for another session of soothing.

Kipper's Socializing

Kipper has a big, deep voice. He loves to bark. He loves to talk. He loves to sit in our large bow window and watch the people and dogs go by as they head to the park at the end of our block. The only problem for us is that he loves to bark at other dogs. It can be a great dane or a chi hua hua--if it belongs in the canine species--he wants to bark. After several years, he has finally learned that his human housemates do not admire the high-pitched incessant barking accompanied by the ramming of the large snout into the window. So, he tries to control himself. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If' it's the pooch that lives on the corner, he cannot help himself. He has to let out at least one bark, before forcing himself from the window and proceeding to pace in circles around the dining room table. He tries so hard.

Another thing he likes to do is to "talk." When I come in after being gone for a while, he meets me at the door with a wagging tail, like most dogs. But what is unusual, is his verbal greeting. "Arooo" strangely sounds like "hello". He is also fond of saying, "Garooo, grooo, roo, rarh, rah." I think the meaning is something like, "I missed you so much."

For a while, Matt was learning the flutophone as part of his music class at school. When he would practice, Kipper would join in with high pitched singing or howling. Kipper also reacts this way to the sound that comes from hand-held video games or if any of us sings for more than a few moments.

Kipper's musical talents are not restricted to singing. He also likes to dance. His age keeps him from being able to stand on his back paws and present his front paws to you for a quick two-step around the living room like he used to. However, he still stands up, wags his tail and pants at you, indicating his desire to boogie. I think he really loves music and recognizes how it lightens the mood and relaxes all of us. His favorite is probably "Hey Bulldog," by the Beatles. "What d'ya say? I said Woof!"

Kipper Kontinued

So, for the most part, the beast was contained. Once in a while, someone would let their guard down, and he'd run the neighborhood, barking at little old men, getting in mud up to his chest in the creek, and just generally wreaking havoc on the neighborhood.

He became a legend. In other words, our neighbors know us as "you're the ones with the dog that gets loose." It's a heck of a reputation to live up to! But we do the best we can.

Kipper has always loved harassing our cats. Our cat Smokey died about a year after Kipper came to live with us. I don't really think it was a coincidence. Tiger came next and the two learned to pal around well. We thought we needed a buddy for Tiger to keep him company while Kipper was crated when we were at work/school during the day. We tried adopting a cat, but she was so thoroughly scared of Kipper that she crawled up into the ceiling in the basement. Once I tried to extract her, while she stationed herself atop the VCR to avoid the dog and found myself with two deep teeth marks in my hand. Later, we got Chips. But he and Tiger ended up having it out...that's another story for another time. Anyway, Kipper will frequently try to rile up Tiger, but in typical cat fashion, Tiger just gives him a look or makes himself scarce.

Just as we got into the routine of locking up the dog in similar fashion to how they keep the gold in Fort Knox safe, something changed. Steve retired and found himself home with the dog all day long.

What new metamorphosis would this bring about? Stay tuned...

Lock Down

Chain, check. Gate locked, check. Back door locked, check. Crate, check.

We thought we had Kipper secured now. We finally could go on vacation and not worry.

Renee came over to dog sit. She held his collar out the back and hooked him up to the chain as requested. Five minutes later she went out to let him in, but finds the chain with no Kipper on the end of it!

He had escaped again! She finally caught up with him, but wondered how he got off the chain. The problem was she had hooked the chain to the weaker loop on his collar that held his tags and he had used his brute strength to pull the loop free. Yes, my dog can bend and break metal!

So I added to the list of instructions to make sure you secure the chain to the heavy loop on his collar.

No worries to Kipper though. He next found out how to open the front door and get out. Or he would wait patiently for someone new to enter the house, see his chance to bolt through them before they closed the door, and out he went!

Keep screened door locked, check. Warn everyone who enters the house, "Don't let Kipper out!" Check.

Most of the time the above measures worked, but as they say, where there's a will, there's a way!

Catch Me If You Can

Alright, we've solved the problem of containing Kipper by buying a crate. Not so. One day, we let Kipper out back to do his business and the next thing we knew, he was gone! Further observation revealed that he jumped the neighbor's fence and escaped out their open gate.

Not wanting to install a privacy fence, we decided we would need to chain him when he goes out back. Ironically, this did not totally solve the problem. We soon discovered that he knew how to open the back screen door as well as the door on our sun room. Then he would use his long nose to lift the latch on the gate, and out he would gallop, like a thoroughbred in a race!

My husband, Steve, gave chase around the neighborhood. If he drove his car, Kipper would actually start running beside or behind the car, chasing Steve. Kipper could easily run 30 miles per hour in his youth! It was an amazing thing to watch as he ran across front yards up and down the neighborhood. Next he would head for the park for a dip in the dirty creek. Eventually he would get tired or Steve would trap him in a backyard and bring the naughty pooch back home. Kipper was never sorry for what he did--he would pant happily--proud of his latest adventure!

So we bought a lock for the gate and vowed to keep the sun room door locked. However, there is more than one way out of a house. Is there no end to Kipper's escaping abilities? So it seems...

A New Friend

We walked into the animal shelter with heavy hearts. Beloved Buffy had passed away a week earlier, and we longed to hear the scampering of a dog in our home again.

The dogs barked and jumped as they vied for our attention. All but one pooch who sat still and simply regarded me with his big brown sad eyes. He had long reddish-brown ears that looked like silk. He was white with spots the color of his ears and a stub tail. I found out he was a Brittany Spaniel.

I knew Springer Spaniels were nice, calm, and well-behaved dogs. I figured this dog would be similar in temperament and obedience. After a quick walk outside (he seemed a little rowdy), his eyes got the best of me and I decided I wanted to take him home. We signed the paperwork and took him out to the van.

My oldest son was about 5. He was not immediately enamored with this new dog. My husband came up with the idea to name him Kipper, after the cartoon dog my son adored. My son seemed to take to him more now that we named him.

It seemed we'd found the perfect dog.

When we got home, we discovered he'd peed in the van. We chalked it up to first day jitters. But more surprises were in store as we started our adventure as the owners of Kipper...Stay tuned for the next installment.