Am/Can/UKC/Int’l CH Shaman’s Rí Caithreim O’Lore, Am/Can/UKC CD, WSX, HCTs, CGC
Am/Can/UKC/Int’l CH Shaman’s Rí Caithreim O’Lore, Am/Can/UKC CD, WSX, HCTs, CGC
“CONOR”
Conor at 9 weeks old
Yes, Conor oftentimes suffers from the syndrome known as “Help! I’m barking and I can’t shut up!”
Some words about Conor, written in 2000…
Conor. ConMan. CMan. BratChild. Puppy Kid. Mr. Yappy. You Little Shit. Evil Brat Puppy From Hell. There are all names that have been given to my most delightful yet utterly sneaky youngest boy. He’s a brat who pushes one button or all buttons, depending on his mood, but who will rush up for snuggles in the most endearing way, all at the same time. At almost 3 years of age, I am not seeing any signs of him changing. And I’m glad, for this is what makes Conor, well, CONOR!
Life is a party and he’s the main event, as far as Conor is concerned. He’s always been this way — constantly happy and jovial, perpetually smiling at life. How could you not love that? Of course, he annoys the crap out of his brothers, delighting in tormenting them. His favorite game is to play keep away with ALL the toys, all at once, and if his bruzzers (or Mama) won’t play, he barks incessantly until we relent. Or until Pete decides enough is enough, and basically creams him, which is Conor’s second favorite game. I call that one “Kill Conor.” All his doggy friends delight in this game, since it pretty much consists of rolling Conor on the ground and chewing on various body parts and making lots of horrific noises. Try and break up this grand game, thinking you are doing “poor little Conor” a favor, and you’ll see a rather grubby white dog jump up and demand that the other dogs “do it again!” After all, if he really didn’t want to be beat up, he could run circles around almost all of his friends and he certainly beats the pants off his bruzzers in the tag department!
I’m really glad Conor is such a ‘little’ dog. At just under 55 pounds, launching himself at me when he wants to snuggle is a tad risky. For me, not for him. I’ve had the wind knocked out of me more than a few times with a very loud “WHUFF” generally followed by a “get off my face” statement. If he were to weigh much more, I’m afraid I might just suffocate from his affections, not to mention internal injuries.
ConMan is the consummate Samoyed, with his joyfully sneaky intelligence. He’s taught Nicky what it means to be a Sam. He’s taught Pete that he ISN’T a Samoyed (and Pete is quite glad of that fact). He’s shown me how much fun it is to be owned by a white dog, even if the outside color of the dog tends more to the beige or gray side!
I love Conor, really I do. But he’s SUCH a goofball that I have just got to make fun of him. Conor has such Joie de Vivre and he always makes me smile.
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- Conor at 9 weeks old
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- This is a shot of Conor’s first point he ever earned at the Bell-Vernon show by going Best of Winners. He was about 7 months old and really just too cute for words.
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- Conor has grown up a lot here, taking a Group 4 at the Puyallup Valley Dog Fancier’s show in 2002. That’s Bo Gloster, one of Conor’s breeders who showed him to that placement. I was too nervous to go into the group ring!
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- Not to overshadow his conformation success, but Conor kicks butt in the obedience ring. When it’s convenient, of course. Here Conor won the Novice B class at the Tyee Kennel Club on Vancouver Island — my favorite show in the whole world! Wow, and I guess I’ve recycled that outfit a few times, too! Bought that one when I first started showing Pete so it’s served well over the past 11 years!
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- Photo compliments of Ron Manor.
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- Getting beautiful for the show ring doesn’t mean you still can’t look like a dork.
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- One of my all-time favorite shots of a young Conor…..
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- And this one IS my favorite shot, entitled “Dorkus”
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- Christmas Day 2001. I went sledding early in the morning with Sandi as it’s her birthday. Weather was crisp and the snow had warmed up the day before but then frozen with those wonderful ice crystals. I got a lot of beautiful photos that day, of dogs and scenery. It was truly magical as we were the only people out that morning on the Mountain Loop Highway.
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- Wallace Falls. I actually never made it to the falls but Pete did with Ingrid. You see, I’d been having recurring problems with my damn ankles, spraining and re-spraining them and this day was no different. The morning was spent doing an obedience demonstration and then Ingrid and I took off for a hike. Within in, oh, I don’t know, maybe 100 yards, I turned the stupid ankle even while wearing my good hiking boots! Go figure. But I went on with the hike, being a trooper (or stupid), until we hit the last bit. The elevation gain was steep and the trail a lot rougher and I knew I’d never make it up. So Ingrid took Pete to the top and I waited with Conor and my camera. Sure, I got some more attractive shots of him but this one I love because it shows his goofy personality best.
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- Goat Lake, July 4th 2001 (I think). Ingrid and I went for a hike on this amazingly beautiful day. I’ll do this hike again any day as the destination is simply gorgeous. The hike itself ain’t bad either but that last half-mile is killer! Once we hit this glacier-fed lake in the Henry M. Jackson Wilderness Area, the dogs jumped in to cool off as it was a very hot day. With Conor are his best malamute buddies Indy (Pete’s nephew, sadly no longer with us after a very short battle with cancer) and Manuk. Manuk was fostered here at Lore Samoyeds as a young pup before he was placed with Ingrid, and Conor and Manuk have been buddies ever since.
