"Cotton Ball"

Angel is a whole new dog, apparently! Gina, Marley's owner, decided to have Marley (a.k.a. "Yofi" to some) DNA tested to learn more about his breed.  At the time I obtained Angel, her breed was a good guess-- part Maltese, part American Eskimo, according to her traits. We were told that  Angel was impregnated by a Maltese at the Ohio shelter, but that's all the information that was available at the time.

I had no idea that dogs could be tested for DNA! So, I was pretty surprised to hear from Gina that Marley tested positive for only 2 breeds. 1 being a Maltese, and 1 being a Coton De Tulear. Yep, you guessed it right! Angel would be that Coton de Tulear!  What was more surprising, and perhaps a little curious was the fact that both parents are purebreds, according to Marley's test. Not only that, but Marley came from 3 generations of purebreds. Now, figure that out. It's a little strange, don't you agree? How did a purebred end up in a shelter, impregnated by another purebred? That's another mystery.

Gina and I have been exchanging emails over this exciting news. We've both been combing the internet for information on the traits of these breeds. Angel fits the Coton to a tee! When I looked up images, it was basically her face! 
 
She may come from royalty, but to us, she's just the same old dog who once in awhile gets in the trash or recycling, chases chipmunks, and drinks out of puddles. She may be a purebred, but since she has been spayed, her value is in making her humans happy, not making more pups! 

Her newest nickname is now "Cotton Ball", since Coton de Tulear is french for cotton ball. Daddy thought now that she had "moved up in the world" that she should be served like royalty. So last night he served her some vanilla ice cream in a crystal pedestal dish! 

Check out Marley's story over on Gina's blog, "A Family Blessing".

Interception!

Angel "intercepted" the football we were tossing at the beach, and quickly made mincemeat out of it! She just can't help herself when it comes to balls. She loves to chase them, pop them, and run off with the pieces with the rest of us in pursuit! Such a stinker sometimes, but still so much fun!

Have Angel, Will Travel

Angel went up to our family cottage with us last Friday and we just got home today. There were 15 of us there, some of whom she had never met. She did surprisingly well, even seeming like she enjoyed all the people and chaos! She barked a bit at first when people came near, but once she was able to say "hello", she calmed down. She was also happy to be running off her leash for most of the time! She chased apples running top speed! She walked to the end of the dock, slept in a tent with us, and even went to Torch Lake and Traverse City.  She's getting better about walking in public, but is still pretty nervous, so we take things slowly.

At night, she curled up on my lap in front of the fire. By day, she was my little shadow. She watched the fireworks without so much as a flinch! (I covered her ears) What a great little dog and an adventurous one at that!