|
| |
 |
|
| Here is Hank as a youngster. I had the privilege of helping
whelp Hank's litter and of showing him in fun matches as a puppy. You can
see more photos of Hank growing up in the book, Belgians:
From Start to Finished by Sallyann Comstock.
|
|
 |
|
| Mud is good for the complexion, right???
|
|
 |
|
| As Hank approached the completion of his AKC championship,
breeder Susie Williamson of Merson Malinois asked if I would like to have
him come live at my house and join her in a co-ownership. Although I
had always preferred the flashier appearance of the Tervuren, my
friendship with Susie (shown handling Hank above) encouraged me to learn more about the
Malinois and I developed an appreciation for their beauty as well. I had
adored Hank from a young age because of his bold, confident temperament so
I accepted her generous offer. Since joining the Hynes House, Hank
has earned his Canine Good Citizenship certificate and passed the American
Temperament Testing Society's temperament test. He also passed the Therapy
Dogs International test, however, he is still rather impulsive in his
affections and I worry that he would jump up to kiss a patient with dire
results. He has the potential to be a wonderful therapy dog because he loves
to gently lay his head in one's lap and just absorb love, but he doesn't
recognize the fragility of our senior and/or physically challenged
citizens.
Exhibiting
no sight or sound sensitivity, Hank is the picture of good health (OFA
Good hips, OFEL, OFA Cardiac and CERF). Click on the
Favorite Links at the left to learn more about Merson Malinois.
Two photographs of Hank were featured in The Dallas Morning News on
February 4, 2000. The article discussed the use of clicker training,
a method of training animals that emphasizes positive reinforcement.
In April of 2002, Hank competed at United Kennel Club shows in Denton,
Texas, where he was Best Malinois Male at one show and Best Malinois Male
and Best Male Belgian Shepherd at another. On September 30, 2007,
Hank again competed at a UKC show in Denton, this time in obedience.
He earned his first U-CD (United Kennel Club Companion Dog) qualifying leg
and a second place ribbon.
|
|
 |
|
| Although the strong midday sun makes Hank's black mask look
a bit washed out, I still like this photo of him as it shows his structure
nicely.
|
|
 |
|
| A nice head study of my handsome boy.
|
|
 |
|
| Although this is a poor photograph with lots of
background clutter and glittering eyes uncorrected, I slipped it in because
I think it captures the affection that Hank has for his little "sister,"
Katie. He was great about tolerating her puppy antics, yet let her
know with a roar when she was pushing too far. She, in turn, is
amazingly resilient given that he thinks part of their play time should
consist of him smashing her into the lawn and dragging her around by her
neck. I was concerned by the rough play initially, but whenever I
would intervene, Katie would promptly jump on Hank's head and start the
rowdy play all over again.
|
|
 |
|
Hank completed his Rally Novice title on 7/6/07 with a
respectable
score of 96/100 available points placing him 6th out of 17 competitors.
On 7/7/07, he earned an "insurance" leg with a perfect score of
100/100 placing 3rd out of 14 competitors. In case of a tie, the
judge looks to course times to make placements. The nice score
was made even more special because breeder/co-owner Susie
Williamson was there to cheer us on. Good boy, Hank!!! |
|
| |
|
 |
 |
Hank, flyin' high over the jump at 11.5 years of age. My photography
skills are lacking and I have a an entry level camera so Hank made this jump a
total of ten times before I could get this shot. Good boy, Banky!!!
|
