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Happy Monday!
I received a holiday greeting card from Winnipeg’s liveliest sports fan, Dancing Gabe (Gabe Langlois), last week. And, since this is the first time I made his list, a lengthy one that includes reporters, photographers and editors at the Winnipeg Free Press, I was overjoyed.
But now, before I take a much-needed two-week break this holiday season, I want to share another festive greeting I received from, well, a pair of dogs and their dedicated owner who runs an Instagram account dedicated to canines.
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Natascha Klan, who also operates a micro-kennel in Manitoba, has had a lifelong interest in dogs and has focused much of her training on household and competitive obedience.
These days, she’s busy providing plenty of one-on-one time, exercise and socialization to dogs that visit her at Winnipeg’s Pets Furst, located about eight kilometres north of Cooks Creek, Man. She also spends a lot of time with her own pooches, Samwell (Sam) and Ezra, handsome Labrador retrievers she adopted from the same breeder but who are, it turns out, not alike at all.
Sam and Ezra
“Sam likes to help out and bring in the paper from the end of our driveway every day,” she explains. “Whereas Ezra would rather find things in the snow, such as crabapples to eat.”
Sam, who celebrated his fifth birthday in November, still behaves like a young pup despite having a few aches and pains.
“I enjoy doing a variety of sporting activities with both of my dogs, but Sam has excelled in almost everything we’ve tried,” she says.
Before he was two, Sam achieved his Rally Excellent title in the fast-paced sport of Rally, which is a combination of obedience and agility training.
He also recently passed his Working certificate test, which Klan says is a hunting proficiency test that determines his willingness to retrieve upland birds and waterfowl.
“In his spare time he helps around the house with chores, such as bringing in the paper and also keeping his buddy, Ezra, entertained,” says Klan. “And he keeps us smiling with his antics.”
Sam
Both Sam and Ezra, who are thrilled about all the snow our province has received, love to go for long walks and snowshoeing adventures.
But for now, the pair of black, four-legged friends would like to wish everyone, including Dancing Gabe, a happy Christmas and a “fetching” new year.
And, so would I!
Happy holidays!
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