MEMBER’S STORY – Chrisi Burns
I am the very proud mum of Loki, who is 6 years old. He is just so very adorable and I can’t put into words just how much I love him and what he means to me.
When my late husband I married we had a Bichon Frise called Lucy, who lived till she was 17. After that we were not ready for another dog until 3 years later.
I started researching small breeds and came across the Bolognese. We both fell in love with this breed and luckily for us, Mary and Ian Poulter of Tenderella Bolognese had a beautiful little girl called Cipriani who was having puppies. I made contact and we went to meet Mary and Ian who are so lovely and are now firm friends.
Not long after we picked up the most beautiful puppy and named him Tino. A couple of years later, Tino had been sire to Whisper and Bettina from Tenderella and we adopted one of his puppies aged 10 months and named him Santo.
Tino and Santa were wonderful together, always playing and having fun. Sadly, poor Santo suffered a disc herniation aged 6. Thanks to the vets, his hydrotherapy team and my training in his physio, Santo did learn to walk again, albeit with a limp, and we had another two years with him before, sadly, he had to be put to sleep. This was 3 weeks before I lost my husband so was a really bad time for me.
However, I still had Tino and the support of my dear friends Mary and Ian. Tino was such a funny boy, especially where food and treats were concerned. He would bark non stop and stand on my feet whilst preparing his meals. He loved going on holiday to Aberdyfi and would make a beeline for the pet shop, Dyfy Dogs, where he would bark for treats and even stand up with his paws on the shelves looking at the treats on display and then at me.
In January 2019 I became Loki’s mum. I owe my deep gratitude to Mary and Ian for letting me know that the breeder in Switzerland, Marguerite Seeberger, where they now sourced their girls, had a little boy puppy available, the brother of their puppy Zara, who they were collecting in January. They were worried I would be in my own after Tino as he was getting older. I jumped at the chance to have another Bolognese.
Loki loved Tino but I think Tino tolerated him. Loki would chase Tino, jump on him and pull his top knot out. Hilarious.
Tino lived until he was almost 16 and I’m so glad I had Loki to help me through.
Loki is named after Loki, God of Mischief. He really does live up to his name, getting up to mischief all the time and such a funny little boy,
I love him so much and I just adore the Bolognese breed for their amazing personalities, sweet natures and fantastic companionship.
I will always have a Bolognese in my life.
