Oh-Lala in Memory

Sél. OH-LALA des Monts d'en Crauzille

Those we love don't go away,
They walk beside us every day,
Unseen, unheard, but always near,
Still loved, still missed and very dear.

Sélectionnée France 1999, Italy 2001
HD 0/0, CEA/FD/PHTVL/PHPV/PRA/CATARACT clear, ERG clear, CSNB Carrier * full breeding confirmation in France, Italy, Austria

January 23, 1998 (France) to April 14, 2010, 3:50 p.m.
Sire: IATUS des Sources des Fontassault (Pré-Sélectionné France)
Dam: PENELOPE du Clos des Cèdres (confirmée France)

Oh-Lala came to me shortly before her third birthday. I learned that the breeder of my Zabou wanted to rehome this girl and immediately asked if she could come to me. Pascale hadn't wanted to give her to a breeder because she was a CSNB carrier, but when she learned that I test my puppies if a parent carries this genetic defect, she agreed. This fulfilled a long-held wish of mine: I had wanted a grey Briard puppy for a long time, and now I even had an adult female who was hip dysplasia-free, had passed the French selection process, and was fully approved for breeding (she had already had two litters with Pascale).

So, on December 14, 2000, I set off for Belgium to pick up Oh-Lala. I had seen some photos of her, but meeting her in person was even better: a wonderful personality, cuddly, funny, the perfect size...... at our first meeting, she acted like we'd known each other forever - simply a dream dog. I spent one night in Belgium, then Oh-Lala and I headed home. Everything went perfectly. She didn't hesitate to get into my car, we took breaks along the way, and once home, she went for a walk off-leash and came back immediately when called.

I had expected to have to keep Oh-Lala separate from my then heavily pregnant Yazoo, but I was wrong. From the very first moment, the two interacted very positively, and from the first night onward, they slept together by the bed. And when Yazoo's puppies were three weeks old, Oh-Lala was allowed to help with raising them, which she absolutely loved, and Yazoo enjoyed her well-deserved breaks from her pups.

Oh-Lala met all the requirements for breeding in Austria. In February 2002, I traveled to the Netherlands for her to be bred, and in April 2002, Oh-Lala gave birth to my G-litter. A second attempt to breed her unfortunately failed: she aborted the pregnancy after our Frizzy in the autumn of 2005, and I didn't try again because I wanted to breed with Zabou (unaware that she would contract an "incurable" bacterial infection during their first mating, and that I would face significant challenges in the years to come).

I didn't show Oh-Lala very often, as I was relatively infrequent at shows when she was at her prime for the show ring, but whenever she did appear, she achieved excellent results. In October 2001, she and Yazoo attended the Italian Selection and Club Show and came home with an outstanding result: she not only became the best dog of all the dogs presented in the character test, but also received a V3 rating among 11 fawn bitches (she had been classified as fawn by the show management because her pedigree incorrectly states that she is grey, although she was born black).

Even when Oh-Lala was older, no one noticed. She enjoyed life so much right up until shortly before she left me. She played with the others, and she especially loved playing with puppies and small dogs. She was a wonderful playmate for all my litters, including the Chinese Cresteds and Yorkies. They loved to romp around on her and had so much fun with her. She leaves a huge void for all future puppies. I still can't believe she's gone; it was so unexpected.

I thank Pascale for entrusting this dog to me. She was a blessing to my family, and I wouldn't trade a single day with Oh-Lala. And thank you to Oh-Lala for all the love, joy, fun, and success she brought to this home. I will never forget her; I miss her so much ...…

Oh-Lala's special success: