to the DOGS' OWN PAGE
	Over the years we have had several dogs: Bruce (Llewellyn Mawr - a black Labrador Retriever) 1968 - 83 Mick (Hansmic Damnation - a Large Munsterlander) 1/4/1983 - 20/3/93 Suki (Datroy Suki - another Large Munsterlander) 19/8/86 - 29/2/2000 and our present trio: Beamer (Hansmic Whitebeam - yet another Large Munsterlander) b. 1/4/96 Scully (a.k.a. Satan's Little Helper - a crossbreed) b. c.1/99 and Poppy (another crossbreed) b. c.11/9/2003
	We bought Mick , our first Munsterlander, when our old Labrador Retriever Bruce died. He was a lovely dog and had a promising show career until he brought it to an untimely halt by jumping off a cliff in response to being called (instead of coming back by the path he used to go up in the first place!) This left him with a slight but permanent limp, so we were persuaded to get another dog to show. Suki, however, despite her impeccable pedigree, hated it from the start: she just stood and looked bored and so we decided that it was time to call it a day and retire from the show world! Mick died of an inoperable tumour just before his tenth birthday and for a while Suki was left an "only dog" until Beamer came into our lives. She came from the same breeder as Mick and, oddly enough, shares the same birthday - April Fool's Day! Despite the age difference, Suki accepted her and indeed the new puppy took years off her. She had started to look and act old, so perhaps a puppy was just what she needed. For nearly three years we were a two-Munsterlander household, until, that is, my daughter went to do voluntary work for a week at the RSPCA animal shelter! Despite all warnings to the contrary, she fell in love with an abandoned puppy and Scully came to stay. Weighing in at a mere 7lbs, she proceeded to eat us out of house and home and began to GROW. She is supposed to be a cross-bred Labrador Retriever, but judging by the look of her there is also some German Shepherd in her as well, with a touch of Collie and a fair smattering of other bits and pieces thrown in for good measure! Beamer thinks she's lovely - she's a new toy to play with - and has taught her everything she needs to know (and a few things we'd rather she didn't know!) They are really no trouble - two dogs or three dogs doesn't make a lot of difference - and they are wonderful company.		A boy (and girl) and his dog... Above : Christopher and Bruce, 1973, and (below) Andrew and Mick, 1985 Mick with Catherine, 1985
	Suki passed away on Leap Year Day, February 29th 2000, aged thirteen and a half. She had a series of heart attacks during her last month and we knew the end was not far off, but even so it came as a dreadful blow and she is still terribly missed. Beamer pined for a while, but gradually settled again; Scully didn't seem sp distressed as she was a lot younger. Since then she has grown into a pretty big dog - it's just as well that they are both good-natured! Then, in November 2003, having watched FAR too much Pet Rescue on TV, we were ready to get another dog. We debated getting another Munsterlander but then decided to give a home to a dog who really needed one. A trip to a couple of animal rescue shelters found us our new dog, another abandoned puppy, found wandering the city streets and never claimed.
	This is Poppy aged nine weeks, the day we adopted her from the local Animal Rescue Centre. We decided to call her Poppy because it was November 11th - Poppy Day. She is a "Collie Cross" - although crossed with what we may never tell! The other two dogs accepted her very quickly and she is settling in well : My Three Dogs - January 2004 Beamer and Scully at the back, and 4-month-old Poppy in front photo courtesy of Dog Portraits of Lincoln © 2004 all rights reserved
	To read stories of life with Beamer, click here! ... and a children's story about Scully is here.
		CATS' PAGE	FAMILY & LINKS
	The dog featured on this background set is my Large Munsterlander bitch, Hansmic Whitebeam, whose pet name is "Beamer." If you would like to see more of my background sets, click on the "Graphics" button.