Reveille Calypso Trapper
'Trapper'
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AKC # HM 36199004 OFA: BJ-198G28M, CERF: BJ-433/2001 born July 26,1991 died October 27, 2006
I DID, however, wish to add the 'new' old African bloodlines to my own, and decided that the brindle bitch, named AVONGARA M'BLIKI was the best of the lot, and asked Miss Damara Bolté, her owner, if she would accept a reservation on a puppy from me. She did and Trapper is our M'Bliki son! He was acquired in 1991 at the North Carolina national specialty... I'll never forget my first sight of him and his sister, Savannah: yellow puppies! And for the first two years of his life during each coat change, stripes would appear for a couple weeks over his loins and withers.. then disappear! I have since learned that this particular color expression is termed a 'masked brindle'.... this is not to be confused with what we call 'mask' in describing the black muzzle hair that marks mascara'd reds, but refers to the brindle patterning gene being 'masked' or repressed. Trapper's color has deepened as he has aged, and he never produced a puppy whose color matched his own. He has the most fantastic teeth (nice, big AFRICAN teeth!) and one of the best shoulder laybacks ever seen. In 2004, M'Bliki, passed on, and Trapper (aged 14 as of 2005) is in wonderful health, and does NOT look his age. His children share this trait. In fall of 2001, we re-CERF'D his eyes. It is too bad that judges just could not get past his color as Trapper dearly loves to show for his Mom. No one else can handle him however. He is a true Alpha male, and only Susan is his equal or boss. It took him several years, really, to accept Susan's cousin, Kevin, as an authority figure. Trapper and Sunny are kennel mates, and he has very high regard for his dear friend. They have produced two litters, two pups of whom are in Japan, including a true TIGER STRIPE male, Calypso Toranaga. Trapper's and Sunny's long backs reproduce themselves and most of their kids have not been square enough to be show competetive. Trapper is in his 14th year, (summer 2005) and in very good health. He is losing a little muscle but is otherwise doing wonderfully. The muzzle is getting pale, and he's not quite such a 'powerful' looking dog, but he shows no signs of joint deterioration or change in his gait. Neither of the breedings we did with his son, Legend, came to fruition, and so we are disappointed that apparently nothing of his bloodlines are going to be carried forward. However, we DO have Trapper, and hopefully will continue to enjoy his company for years to come. As I write this, his jungle-born mother passed away in 2004, (aged 15 yrs) and I am deeply hoping for that same long life for her son whom I adore! He's my "Doodle"!!! Update: Trapper passed away on Oct. 27, 2006. Later in his 14th year, he developed cataracts in both eyes, and seemed to have either arthritis in both hips, or perhaps a pinched nerve. He finally started to slow down some, but still zinged around the property with that same ground-eating reach and drive. He was in great enough shape that he was entered in 3 (!!!) classes at the 2006 BCOA National Specialty in Warwick, RI and made the trip north with 4 other Calypso dogs for 8 days of being 'show dog'. Trapper was the main companion for our Benin girl, Honey. They fooled everyone into thinking them father & daughter because of their mutual resemblance - and yet Trapper's genetics were 1/2 American, 1/2 Congo import, and Honey 100% west African. Trapper had the time of his life. We had been practicing "show dog" at home, and so he was ready for what was expected of him, but the ring was HUGE. His first appearance, in the African Exhibition veteran's class, he seemed to lag, and his left rear "hitch" seemed to worsen. I worried that I would have to pull him from the next day's Veteran Sweepstakes and the veteran's class of the regular Specialty, but Trapper had a surprise in store. His ring appearance had generated the usual reception accorded all veterans at a National Specialty - clapping, whistling, yelling. Ringsiders pour on the enthusiasm for the old dogs, and I could tell that all the fuss made an impression on him. He may have been gimping, but he was jazzed! The next day for Sweeps, I had warned the judge that we'd make just a little trip around the ring after the table examination, and gently lifted Trapper to the ground. I no sooner got out, "Ok, Trapper - show boy!" than he took off in a charge! I was towed forward by a solidly moving, 100% "there" Mr. Show Dog! Of course, the usual loud and enthusiastic reception rained upon his ears and he was lifted on this cloud of good will - he powered around that big ring and I just ran to keep up! Doodle Man - having a blast! He cleaned up with more prizes that the show committee had set aside for the old guys and gals. Trapper was accumulating a haul! But we weren't done! In the regular class of veterans, Trapper was one of 5 in his age group, competing against dogs some of them 4 and 5 years younger! Hardly seems fair - but Judge Cheryl Myers Edgerton was impressed with his full dentition, muscle condition and the way he threw caution to the wind and flew around that ring yet again. By now, people would be yelling out, "TRAPPER! TRAPPER!" and the Dude was loving it. What a lot of screams when Judge Myers Edgerton pulled him out for a 4th place with all those younger dogs! It made our whole trip! and once again, Trapper's prizes threatened to overflow the van for the trip home! During the photo session after judging completed, the Judge was so very gracious with Trapper. He was the oldest dog in competition at the Specialty, and she thanked me for bringing him along. Being able to be part of an old dog's triumph is a thrill for us all, and it sweetens the experience for the lucky person judging. Trapper came home with a new spring in his step - after all, he was a big National specialty 'winner', and had gone off on the big vacation with Mom and the other show dogs. He had tales to tell and a new shine to his rank as top dog here at Calypso. A month after the Specialty during his lunch, he experienced a massive CVA (cerebrovascular accident = Stroke), losing the use of his legs. He seemed to take comfort at being loaded back into the car for the ride to the vet's office - after all, his last trip had been such a great experience for him! During his exam, a rolling series of small seizures started that were continuous. I made the decision to send him across the Rainbow Bridge where I knew a huge reception befitting his status at Calypso was no doubt already forming. He had always been wildly popular with the girls at Calypso, and no doubt a raucous welcome awaited his arrival. I knew I was sending him along to a better place, and he had had a fabulous run already, on this side of the divide. There were certainly no regrets. Trapper had never really been sick a day in his entire life except for the occasional bouts of diarrhea as some virus or bacterial infection ripped through the kennel. He had fabulous health, a marvelous constitution. He was a credit to his genes. Trapper was the Meet-and-Greet guy here at Calypso. The rule was, if Trapper did not approve of any visitors who were potential future owners, they certainly were not going to be getting a basenji from Calypso! He was the undisputed King of the kennel, and had quite the attitude to go along with it. Trapper viewed himself as no small potato, and on more than one memorable occasion, he locked horns with the humans in charge. With Trapper, there was tremendous mutual respect - he was NEVER treated like a "dog" - he was one of the co-Alphas here, and received the respect accorded the position. He had only one boss, really, and that was Susan. She was the only one who could show him since that involved giving up control to someone else. On other occasions when someone else had taken the lead, the situation very quickly deteriorated and a handler change was accomplished without delay. He loved his friends and was loyal to a fault. He provided comfort to friends in need, and even protection on certain special occasions. Our Trapper stories are
legion, as befitting a legend such as himself. We are grateful and
privileged to have shared in his life, and selfishly regret having to
let him go on... He was one of the very special ones here at Calypso,
on equal par with Cruz and her brother Rhett (American Express &
American Gigolo), and Tux, putting him squarely at the top of our heap.
Trapper was Top Dog in every way imaginable, but most of all in
our hearts. |
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