Kelly – Staaldam Real Love of De Liemers

Staaldam Real Love of De Liemers HD and ED Certificate

Staaldam Real Love of De Liemers Registration Certificate

Working Dog Profile

My Darling Kelly!!  In Afrikaans there is one of those words that cannot be translated without losing its meaning – that word is “STAATMAKER”- and perfectly describes our girl Kelly.

Kelly is one of those dogs that is just always a pleasure – she is friendly and affectionate and naturally obedient – sociable with any of the other dogs and an excellent mother. She has had a couple of litters and each one brought out the best of her lineage and a number of beauties!

Kelly’s story is quite a different one:

There was an elderly lady who wanted a puppy – Her first words to me were that she was 82 years old and that she had had Rottweilers her whole life.  She immediately informed me that she was quite aware of the fact that the dog would probably outlive her, and that I needn’t worry because she already had somebody who would take him over should she no longer be around.

The day came that she arrived here with her husband, Oom Thinus and friend (who would take over the dog in the event of her demise!) – All the way from Vryburg!  She was not mobile at all and could only walk with the help of a walker.  What a character she was – we had a lovely morning with them telling us all about the chickens that they presented at shows all over the country and that her and her husband were the “Voorsitters”of the “Skouvereniging”.  I was quite worried that the puppy would chase the chickens when he got older and how would she manage with this boisterous puppy that would grow up to be a really large dog.  She had no such reservations – informed me that this was not her first rodeo and that dogs are like children and must be sternly disciplined from day one and that they must simply do as they are told!  She then spilled the beans about the fact that she had been the principal of the school in Vryburg for many years – well then I wasn’t worried anymore – even I felt I had to sit up straight and listen!

In time we became good friends – if my phone rang late at night then it was Tannie Elma (I never call anybody Tannie, but Tannie Elma was the exception to the rule!)  She would tell me stories about her youth and all the things that happened in the town – confessed to more than one juicy secret which one might not have quite expected and was hilariously funny in the way she spoke in terribly correct Afrikaans and her very dry sense of humour.

I went to visit Tannie Elma and her husband in Vryburg one day – Never in my life has anybody ever gone to the hairdresser in the morning in anticipation of my arrival – and there was delicious Melktert from the Tuisnywerheid for tea.

Dino (the HUGE MALE ROTTWEILER) was quite a force to be reckoned with – not a problem in Tannie Elma’s life…  She spoke only once and Dino sat and stayed and rolled over and did exactly as he was told.  I was given a grand tour of the chicken coop – Dino didn’t even look at them – I think he was too busy watching me because he wasn’t taking any chances that anything might happen to his mistress!

Then Tannie Elma informed me that she would like to have a female puppy.  (She had first taken Dino to Onderstepoort to check his hip and elbows for displasia and to make sure that I was in fact breeding sound dogs!  Needless to say he passed and I was extremely relieved!)  I didn’t (dare argue) or have a female immediately available.  I managed to secure a puppy from my friend Listel at Staaldam Rottweilers, but we had to wait a couple of weeks before she would be ready to go.

One night, quite late, at the usual time that Tannie Elma would habitually call, my phone rang.  It was Tannie Elma’s daughter…

I knew immediately that something was wrong – I suspected that Oom Thinus might have passed away because he had become very frail in the months preceding.  She broke the news that her father had indeed passed away the week before.  The bad news didn’t stop there – Tannie Elma had taken a bad turn and went to hospital and passed away at the exact time that everyone was gathered to bury Oom Thinus.

Her daughter (whom I had never met and who lived far away) said she was phoning to tell me that the letter and photos of my new dog (Orka) that I had sent from Germany when I was there a few weeks before had arrived while Tannie Elma was in hospital and that she had in fact read my letter and seen the photos of the dog that I had obviously waxed lyricals about during out late night chats.  She thanked me for being a friend to her Mom and told me that she had heard all about our chats and laughs – I told her that there was no way I was sharing any of the secrets I had been told!

So have you guessed who Kelly is yet?  Yes!!  Kelly is the little female puppy that was supposed to go to Tannie Elma Brink from Vryburg.  Of course there was no way she was going anywhere or to anybody – and that is how she ended up staying with me.  That is also why she is so extra special and I cannot shake the feeling that Tannie Elma is somehow watching us through Kelly’s eyes.