"Mojito" - Ch. Gryphon's Moonlight Caribbean Cocktail
Amore (Ch. Gryphon's Moon Hits Your Eye WTDA) & Marsh (Ch. Quinault's North To Alaska WTDX)
born January 20, 2009
Co-owned with Fred Westfall; living with and loved insanely by Fred & Tina
Mojito's health clearances - coming soon
*2009 AMCA #1 PNW Area Puppy Dog
Mojito, brother to Finn, Fiona, Mira, Cassie & others from the Amore & Marsh litter, is another super fun dog from this extraordinary litter, and offers yet another adventure. Mojito was always a super outgoing dog that epitomized "happy" - we just couldn't resist the name, as it is just so Mo! A sassy but elegant drink ... yep, that's Mojito.
Mojito's littername was "Pokey". The last in a litter of 10, he was a little slow getting started. To be honest we thought we were going to lose him, but his determined nature showed itself from the start. He came around quite quickly - but took some minutes to really get up the strength to eat and wiggle and get into the crowd. While we couldn't resist the name ... he may have been our Pokey Puppy getting started, but those were the first - and only - few minutes of his life he was slow at anything! Mojito hits the ground running in everything he does, and you can't help but smile when you're around him.
Mojito was originally going to a fellow breeder's home, but she had to back out due to personal reasons just before pups were to go home. We had filled our current puppy list (as we try to keep the families in line with the number of puppies so as to not overly disappoint anyone), and while we had some incoming applications, we decided to keep a hold of Mojito for a while. It just didn't seem quite right to let him go just yet. Mojito was a very pretty, showy puppy that had some real potential. It was a wee bit stressful at the time as we were already keeping two littermates, but somehow it felt right. The three musketeers (Finn, Fiona & Mojito) fit in quite well, and it was a joy to watch the three pups as they started growing into young adults. (See pictures from their first year below)
And, as they say, all things happen for a reason! When Mojito was about 7 months old, right about when he took some very nice puppy wins in the two local specialty weekends in August, our good friend Tina Allen (a professional colleague) spoke about the heavy hearts her and her husbands had with the loss of their big boy (a Leonberger-ish mix). Tina was not sure she could handle another dog just yet, the grief was just too fresh. But, her husband had - as a mutual friend put it - a "dog sized hole in his heart." Tina originally was asking if I might have any ideas, and, well, hmmm ... not exactly the type of dog you had before, but is Fred interested in meeting Mojito?
Fred & Mojito met at the Gig Harbor shows in Shelton that September of 2009, and there really was never any question. "Love at first sight" is one way of putting it - recognition of soul mates might be another. Fred & Tina were originally coming out with some friends to "meet" Mojito ... well, Mojito followed Fred like his long-lost dad, and jumped into his SUV with nary a look back. It might have hurt, just a little, to be forgotten so quickly ... but who could resist the look on both their faces?? (Needless to say Mo is quite happy to see his "original Mom" on visits still! but there was never any question who his heart really belonged to. All ended as it was meant to be!)
Fred & Tina have a good friend with a Nationally top-ranked show terrier, and were well aware of the oddity of the show ring scene. They not only were willing, but excited to keep Mojito as a show dog and support this part of his life. You could not ask for a better "support crew" - they graciously shared Mojito on show weekends, got him prettily bathed, worked with his training and just generally kept Mojito in very fine condition for showing. They made most of Mojito's shows - particularly Fred - and were a joy to partner with in this little piece of Mojito's life. It doesn't always work out well to have a "show" dog in a "non-show" home, but we were extraordinarily lucky. And Mojito did a fine job! (ok, he was usually a little wiggly ... but that was Mojito! and really, only because he was having so much fun, Mojito loooooooves to show!)
Mojito didn't show a lot, little spurts here and there, but when he did he did just fine. At 7 months old Mojito took two Reserve Winners Dog placements to majors at the two local specialty show weekends. One win was at the all-breed show accompanying the SKAMF malamute specialty; the other at the Mt. Rainier Working Dog Specialty. Not a mean feat! He was a little goofy, perhaps (in case you can't tell from the pictures!), but he charmed everyone! with that joy de vivre, who can resist? Our friend Angela Merfeld, a junior handler interested in having malamutes "someday", was hoping for someone to show here & again to learn about and work with the breed, and she often took in Mojito. Angela is the one who put several of Mojito's nice wins on him! As you can see, Mojito was gathering quite the support crew.
These wins and others put Mojito as the #1 puppy dog for 2009 in the Pacific Northwest AMCA standings. The next year Mojito kept things up and took some nice wins in the late summer shows again, including a Best of Winners/Winners dog at the all-breed show accompanying the Working Dog Specialty (with his mom Winners Bitch!), and another Best of Winners/WD and Best Bred-by-Exhibitor on the one-year anniversary of his "homecoming" at the Gig Harbor shows.
Mojito also showed with his mom Amore in Brace (where both dogs are shown together, at the same time). The first time was at the Canadian Nationals in fall 2009, where they showed - for the first time, without practice (eek) - in Brace four times between the Specialty and the three all-breed shows (with three Group 1s). They actually did very, very well. It was ... well, let's just say entertaining! but certainly fun :) and I was quite impressed with how well this goofy puppy did and how well the two came together on the fly. The next two years Mojito & Amore dusted off that brace lead and showed at the SKAMF specialty weekends, holding their own quite well! and taking home some nice group wins.
And, finally, in 2011 Mojito made one short foray into the ring in July, picking up all but his last point; and then holding out to hit the late-summer shows. Fittingly, Mojito became a Champion at the Gig Harbor shows in 2011, with a Best of Winners/WD and Best Bred-by-Exhibitor, just like the year before, to celebrate his 2-year anniversary "home" with a new fancy title! Fred & Tina were both able to be there, and we were so very, very happy ... it could not have gone any better!
But that's hardly it - all this show stuff is only a small part of Mojito's life. He is one happy dog, with lots of human and doggie friends and a life spent largely hanging' with dad on-site on his various work rounds when not lounging at home. Of course that took a bit of tolerance on Fred & Tina's part, as the malamute, ah, creativity was a little new to them! and Mojito had plenty of it to go around ... with lots of energy to go with it! But they took it all in stride and remarkable grace, and not only didn't pull their hair out, but would usually simply beam with pride at their wonderful boy ... and kept up with what all good malamutes need (particularly exuberant teenage ones!), lots of love and a little training about boundaries. It does the heart good, to see that kind of love, and to see just how perfectly they fit. Mojito regularly comes back to visit when we babysit, and it's lovely to be able to share in this beautiful boy's life.
Fred & Tina have been an extraordinary addition to our doggie family. It's expanded yet further when they introduced us to their daughter JJ, who later adopted Selene. Now when Tina and I are at a work function, there is always the ... "but more importantly, I'm part of the doggie family!" and so, as with all things that are meant to be, everything fit together quite nicely! (you can see a picture of Mo with his two "moms" in his slideshow above, at a work-related Christmas party:))
Thank you, Fred and Tina, for being the friends and family you are to us, and the family and soulmates you are to Mo. Who knew that a goofy, fuzzy, eternally-smiling malamute would be the one to fill that dog sized hole in your heart?
They are extraordinary spirits, truly.
Mojito's littername was "Pokey". The last in a litter of 10, he was a little slow getting started. To be honest we thought we were going to lose him, but his determined nature showed itself from the start. He came around quite quickly - but took some minutes to really get up the strength to eat and wiggle and get into the crowd. While we couldn't resist the name ... he may have been our Pokey Puppy getting started, but those were the first - and only - few minutes of his life he was slow at anything! Mojito hits the ground running in everything he does, and you can't help but smile when you're around him.
Mojito was originally going to a fellow breeder's home, but she had to back out due to personal reasons just before pups were to go home. We had filled our current puppy list (as we try to keep the families in line with the number of puppies so as to not overly disappoint anyone), and while we had some incoming applications, we decided to keep a hold of Mojito for a while. It just didn't seem quite right to let him go just yet. Mojito was a very pretty, showy puppy that had some real potential. It was a wee bit stressful at the time as we were already keeping two littermates, but somehow it felt right. The three musketeers (Finn, Fiona & Mojito) fit in quite well, and it was a joy to watch the three pups as they started growing into young adults. (See pictures from their first year below)
And, as they say, all things happen for a reason! When Mojito was about 7 months old, right about when he took some very nice puppy wins in the two local specialty weekends in August, our good friend Tina Allen (a professional colleague) spoke about the heavy hearts her and her husbands had with the loss of their big boy (a Leonberger-ish mix). Tina was not sure she could handle another dog just yet, the grief was just too fresh. But, her husband had - as a mutual friend put it - a "dog sized hole in his heart." Tina originally was asking if I might have any ideas, and, well, hmmm ... not exactly the type of dog you had before, but is Fred interested in meeting Mojito?
Fred & Mojito met at the Gig Harbor shows in Shelton that September of 2009, and there really was never any question. "Love at first sight" is one way of putting it - recognition of soul mates might be another. Fred & Tina were originally coming out with some friends to "meet" Mojito ... well, Mojito followed Fred like his long-lost dad, and jumped into his SUV with nary a look back. It might have hurt, just a little, to be forgotten so quickly ... but who could resist the look on both their faces?? (Needless to say Mo is quite happy to see his "original Mom" on visits still! but there was never any question who his heart really belonged to. All ended as it was meant to be!)
Fred & Tina have a good friend with a Nationally top-ranked show terrier, and were well aware of the oddity of the show ring scene. They not only were willing, but excited to keep Mojito as a show dog and support this part of his life. You could not ask for a better "support crew" - they graciously shared Mojito on show weekends, got him prettily bathed, worked with his training and just generally kept Mojito in very fine condition for showing. They made most of Mojito's shows - particularly Fred - and were a joy to partner with in this little piece of Mojito's life. It doesn't always work out well to have a "show" dog in a "non-show" home, but we were extraordinarily lucky. And Mojito did a fine job! (ok, he was usually a little wiggly ... but that was Mojito! and really, only because he was having so much fun, Mojito loooooooves to show!)
Mojito didn't show a lot, little spurts here and there, but when he did he did just fine. At 7 months old Mojito took two Reserve Winners Dog placements to majors at the two local specialty show weekends. One win was at the all-breed show accompanying the SKAMF malamute specialty; the other at the Mt. Rainier Working Dog Specialty. Not a mean feat! He was a little goofy, perhaps (in case you can't tell from the pictures!), but he charmed everyone! with that joy de vivre, who can resist? Our friend Angela Merfeld, a junior handler interested in having malamutes "someday", was hoping for someone to show here & again to learn about and work with the breed, and she often took in Mojito. Angela is the one who put several of Mojito's nice wins on him! As you can see, Mojito was gathering quite the support crew.
These wins and others put Mojito as the #1 puppy dog for 2009 in the Pacific Northwest AMCA standings. The next year Mojito kept things up and took some nice wins in the late summer shows again, including a Best of Winners/Winners dog at the all-breed show accompanying the Working Dog Specialty (with his mom Winners Bitch!), and another Best of Winners/WD and Best Bred-by-Exhibitor on the one-year anniversary of his "homecoming" at the Gig Harbor shows.
Mojito also showed with his mom Amore in Brace (where both dogs are shown together, at the same time). The first time was at the Canadian Nationals in fall 2009, where they showed - for the first time, without practice (eek) - in Brace four times between the Specialty and the three all-breed shows (with three Group 1s). They actually did very, very well. It was ... well, let's just say entertaining! but certainly fun :) and I was quite impressed with how well this goofy puppy did and how well the two came together on the fly. The next two years Mojito & Amore dusted off that brace lead and showed at the SKAMF specialty weekends, holding their own quite well! and taking home some nice group wins.
And, finally, in 2011 Mojito made one short foray into the ring in July, picking up all but his last point; and then holding out to hit the late-summer shows. Fittingly, Mojito became a Champion at the Gig Harbor shows in 2011, with a Best of Winners/WD and Best Bred-by-Exhibitor, just like the year before, to celebrate his 2-year anniversary "home" with a new fancy title! Fred & Tina were both able to be there, and we were so very, very happy ... it could not have gone any better!
But that's hardly it - all this show stuff is only a small part of Mojito's life. He is one happy dog, with lots of human and doggie friends and a life spent largely hanging' with dad on-site on his various work rounds when not lounging at home. Of course that took a bit of tolerance on Fred & Tina's part, as the malamute, ah, creativity was a little new to them! and Mojito had plenty of it to go around ... with lots of energy to go with it! But they took it all in stride and remarkable grace, and not only didn't pull their hair out, but would usually simply beam with pride at their wonderful boy ... and kept up with what all good malamutes need (particularly exuberant teenage ones!), lots of love and a little training about boundaries. It does the heart good, to see that kind of love, and to see just how perfectly they fit. Mojito regularly comes back to visit when we babysit, and it's lovely to be able to share in this beautiful boy's life.
Fred & Tina have been an extraordinary addition to our doggie family. It's expanded yet further when they introduced us to their daughter JJ, who later adopted Selene. Now when Tina and I are at a work function, there is always the ... "but more importantly, I'm part of the doggie family!" and so, as with all things that are meant to be, everything fit together quite nicely! (you can see a picture of Mo with his two "moms" in his slideshow above, at a work-related Christmas party:))
Thank you, Fred and Tina, for being the friends and family you are to us, and the family and soulmates you are to Mo. Who knew that a goofy, fuzzy, eternally-smiling malamute would be the one to fill that dog sized hole in your heart?
They are extraordinary spirits, truly.
Mojito (Pokey) as a puppy
(coming soon)
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Some pics of a young Mojito growing up ...
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