BREED: Croatian Sheepdog

FULL NAME: Kiša Con Maige

CALLING NAME: Kiša (Kisha)

BREEDER: Tanja Janeš (Con Maige)

BIRTHDAY: 15.04.2006

HEALTH CHECKS:

Hyps: free (A,A)

Elbows: free

BEST RESULTS:

Obedience: exam B-BH

IPO1

Croatian Sheepdog Working Championship 2009:

overall 3rd place

Kiša means rain in the Croatian language, and I sometimes think that might have something to do with the fact that this dog just didn’t have much luck at the beginning of her life. She changed owners four times, homes five times, and her nationality three times. She was described as difficult, aggressive and hard to handle, but since I own her aunt, I just couldn’t look away when that poor dog was searching for a new home for the fifth time.

Because of her history, I was prepared for a problematic, spoiled and bad-mannered dog, but Kiša’s arrival left me open-mouthed in admiration and that hasn’t changed since. I can hardly find the words to describe just how amazing she is. Her willingness to work is impossible to measure. Every time we go to work, she turns from a little quiet mouse to a crazy monster, who always leaves her heart on the field.

After being a couch-potato for the first year and a half, she was not really in top athletic form, but since she has had to keep up with my never-tired dogs, and walk for hours every day, she is now as fit as she can be.

Everyone who has ever seen her work has noticed her incredible talent for agility. After less than two months of training she can basically run any jumping course with slalom, which gives you an idea of how fast that dog learns. And you can see even from a distance that she LOVES it. She gets a huge smile on her face while running – it is not the nicest one to look at though…She is showing all her teeth – so I call it her Dracula smile.

At home, you don’t even notice her. She is just lying somewhere being quiet. I almost miss some action from her in the house, but if I think it through – one crazy barking dog in a house is more that enough and I think Šaj is doing that part of the job well enough. I was told by her previous owners that Kiša tends to dominate and intimidate other dogs, but in fact she immediately become friends with my sensitive Šja. Šaj on the other hand hates her with all her heart, but Kiša knows how to avoid the little devil. If she gets a chance (when Šaj is busy with something else), she loves to jump into my lap and enjoys being scratched behind her ears.

Yes, she is really a special dog, and that can also be seen by her looks.  With her straight short hair, helicopter ears, brownish coat and giant fluffy tail she doesn’t look like a Croatian Shepherd at all. But for some people we meet, she is by far the nicest looking dog in our pack. (Well, if handsome Toby is not included….)

Anyway, Kiša is a dog everyone could wish for. Smart, focused and passionate while working and the biggest couch-potato when there is nothing to be done. And to bring this story to an end – after every rain comes the sun!