New Perspectives with a New Puppy
Susie Larsson
As some of you know already, I have a new puppy and her name is Kaela Skye. I knew that my life would change, but I thought it would change in different ways than it has.
At almost all of the art shows I’ve attended from Arizona to Colorado and Washington to Idaho, I’ve seen so many people at art festivals with their beloved dogs. In Arizona, I noticed that many people own dogs and they are usually small and their owners carry them. Maybe they carry them because they may be scared to be on the ground and it gets so hot in Arizona that their little paws would get burned. My first show in Arizona, I was approached by not one but several dog-owners who wanted to get a custom “bracelet”, or a collar, necklace for their dogs. Some customers came up to me and almost whispered into my ear that they wanted a nice piece for their dog. I was happy to oblige because I do love animals. How would I know that a dog would be wearing one of my pieces of jewelry??
With that said, I have seen many different dogs over the years at art festivals and have greeted them and wondered how life would be if I could bring my dog, a Dachsund named Buddy to my art shows. He would be my companion and he could hang out in the booth with me. I tried it. One time only. This was a “local” show about 40 miles north of where I live. I was so excited for him to come along with me and I regretted my decision about 2 minutes into my drive because he was whining the entire time. Then, I set up my booth and he was being very good and I thought, this is fantastic! He will come to all of my shows. No. I put him in my green “director’s chair” so he could have a view of everything going on. Everything was going very well until he spotted a big Samoyed dog and began barking and barking and he leapt out of the chair and I had to hold him back. 15 pounds of pure muscle and determination to chase down this large dog. This was the last time I ever took him to an art festival. He is now 14 year’s old and I split custody with him. He is with me now for 5 straight weeks and he just met the new 10-week old Cairn Terrier puppy.
I’ve been thinking about getting a puppy for quite some time and had the idea that during my travels, I would have a dog as a companion as well as a guard dog. Even though this breed will be small and weigh only 13-15lbs, I am certain she will alert me when there is impending trouble.
In July, I was at the Lavender Festival in Sequim, on the peninsula. I saw many, many dogs and spoke to my neighbors about my idea of having a dog. One of the concerns I had (I had many) was that some art festivals and shows do not allow dogs. My neighbors had a beautiful dog, quiet, sweet and laid down and waited for her parents. I asked them about how the art shows go with having a dog with them. They told me that they had no problems and if a show didn’t accept dogs, then she would go in her kennel under the tablecloth and nobody would even know she was there! This was a green light for me.
During this festival, I spotted an older couple who had a dog that looked like a terrier breed. It was beautiful. I left my booth (yeah, I know, not a good idea) and followed them and began to ask questions about their dog and what kind of traits the dog possessed. It was a Cairn Terrier and the breeder lived in Port Angeles, the next town up from Sequim. I started to look into the Cairn Terrier breed and found out that this dog would be a perfect fit for my lifestyle. An outdoor dog. An earth dog. Stubborn. Loyal. Mischievous. About 30 minutes later, another couple walks by and I notice that it is another Cairn Terrier!! This Cairn was from the same breeder in Port Angeles and they loved their dog.
The seed was planted and I thought about getting a puppy to accompany me on my travels to art shows. I contacted him in late September and all of the puppies were already spoken for but another litter would soon be born.
On Monday, October 2, 2023, my little Kaela Skye was born along with three sisters. I was still not sure about my decision for many reasons, but I asked my sister if she would like to take the ferry over to Port Angeles to see these Cairn Terriers.
This post is getting SO LONG! I picked my little girl up at 7 weeks old on November 21st and I love her SO MUCH!
Our first show together will be in Indio, California in less than 4 weeks.
Thank you for reading my blog. Happy New Year!
January 1, 2024