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Hannah 6/02/86 to 19/09/87 |
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We bought Hannah in response to an advert in the local paper; she was our first Bernese and we knew nothing about the breed except for the fact my brother had just been given a puppy who had stolen my heart - I've since learnt that there is a part of my heart with unlimited boundaries where all Bernese come to stay.
Being inexperienced with dogs, except for happy-go-lucky Labs, we saw nothing wrong with the fact that Hannah was a very ‘nippy’ pup, nor that her ‘breeder’ wouldn’t register her. Looking at her pedigree now rings many alarm bells, but then I was just impressed by the many champions that appeared, some very frequently - surely our pup must be a champion too?
She had problems from the start, from allergies & loss of appetite to an umbilical hernia & blind rages. After a lot of research I now think that she suffered from idiopathic aggression/rage syndrome - she regularly turned on me and mauled me, usually when we were out for a walk, but only when we were on top of the cliffs. She never bit anyone else even though my son was only 8 and played hard with her at home.
She was extremely shy and nervous; at training class she hid under a chair and refused to come out – we persevered for 6 weeks and she never got any better. She hated other dogs, other people and the hall where the classes were held. However, she loved my parents’ chocolate Lab (Nuala) who came to classes with us to give Hannah some confidence.
I worked very hard with her, never letting
the fact I was constantly in danger of getting bitten put me off,
and by the time she was 18 months old, she was able to cope with
meeting my son from school without panicking when the children
poured out of the gates. She even managed to stand her
ground when a stupid child fired a cap-gun near her!
One day when we were out walking on the
heath with Nuala, Hannah gave a yelp. I felt her all over,
found nothing and carried on. Within 5 minutes she was in a
very distressed state and by the time we got to the car she could
hardly breath and was drooling alarmingly.
My Dad drove us the 20 miles to the vet
– holiday time on the IOW is not a time to rush, too many
tourists and coaches – and I spent nearly an hour giving
Hannah artificial respiration. It was too late to save her
by the time we arrived and I was told she died of anaphylactic
shock after either a bee or wasp sting, or maybe an adder bite.
A truly sad waste of a life that still grieves me today.
Click here for the tale of our next Bernese, Hannah Too
