TRAVIS THE THOROUGHBRED

written by Rette Solomon

(Ceramic Paw Print Portrait

with Hoof Impression on Reverse-side

Custom-made by Paw Prints with a Purpose)

Travis is my Thoroughbred Horse. He is almost 17 hands which would be almost 5’ at his

shoulder. I have competed in one horse show with him…and it was very eventful.

The morning of the show, I had to get up at 4:30 AM (!) to get Travis and his friends at the barn.

When we arrived at the show, my particular show class was not going to be for a little while,

and we let Travis graze in the parking field. Travis breakfasted on the lush, green grass.

When it was finally time for my event to begin, Travis was by far the biggest horse in the ring.

Little ponies were trotting all around him and I felt very nervous and conspicuous.

When it was time to trot over poles, a special event in the competition, Travis trotted politely

over the first three, but when confronted with the fourth pole, he couldn’t resist. He took a

giant leap over the miniscule pole and cantered away, the Thoroughbred that he is.

Due to Travis’ enthusiasm, we placed 3rd out of 4 in that class. However, the remainder of the

day was much better with Travis and I placing 2nd in another class.

Recently, my instructor had another student (and her well behaved pony) and I canter over

poles once again. We are reminded that Travis still likes to leap over these small jumps. Maybe

his zest for jumping will be fulfilled when I finally get to jump 2 feet and higher!

"Fly"

Ceramic Paw Print Portrait

with Paw Print Impression on Reverse-side

Custom-made by Paw Prints with a Purpose

Fly's Retirement Plan

shared with us by Lynn Solomon, Fly's devoted owner

We finally relented after years of pleading and begging from our youngest daughter.  After coming home with a Christmas wish entitled “I Will Never Stop Dreaming of a Dog”, my husband and I decided we would welcome a canine into our home for our daughter’s ninth birthday.

We knew an adult dog would be the right choice for us as we were already juggling two cats, three rabbits and two children. When I mentioned our dog-quest to a friend, she implored us to take one of her dogs, and this was a dog we already knew and liked.  My friend had added a newer, bigger German Shepherd to their home and keeping the two separated was becoming more difficult.

Our soon-to-be-doggie was named Fly, a black and white Border Collie named after the mother dog in the movie, Babe the Pig.  For us, he became our Flyboy.

The long awaited day came for us to bring Fly to is new home.  Without delay, he let us snap on a leash and jumped into our car. Once home, Fly only had eyes for our three outdoor rabbits.  A herder by design, Fly assumed the role of protector of our bunnies.  Herding them was made easy by the fact that they were contained in a hutch, but that did not diminish Fly’s enthusiasm and instinct to guard them from lurking predators. 

Each morning Fly would clamor to get outside to see his bunnies.  He would skulk down to the cage, crouching to make certain none of them would escape.  After circling the hutch a few times, he would settle down in guard mode and lay by the cage until summoned back inside.  The mere mention of “the bunnies” would send Fly to the door to check on his flock.  At the age of nine, Fly finally had the chance to be a working dog as generations of Border Collies had worked before him.

Fly was equally good at therapy work.  Led by our daughter, he passed his Canine Good Citizen Test with flying colors and spent the next 2 years visiting his fellow seniors at local assisted living facilities.  Fly was pleased to be accompanied by his beloved bunnies on these visits as they aced their Good Citizen Tests as well. The quintet of three rabbits, one dog and a small girl entering through the door brought grins and laughter to all who witnessed the unusual visitors.  Once inside, Fly sat patiently and waited for petting while the rabbits really stole the show with the residents.

Like many heroes, Fly’s time was cut short too soon. A combination of hip dysplasia and arthritis through his spine created enough nerve damage to end his life just before his twelfth birthday.  We know Fly’s years in retirement with us were ones he truly enjoyed.  He is missed terribly by his family and our remaining pets.  We are confident that he is now in doggie heaven herding rabbits to his heart’s content.

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Corgis galore!

Corgis are so delightful and they
are equally delightful to paint!

Each of these dogs has such an
independent and happy spirit.

It is impossible not to fall in love with
them, much like the owner of these

three adorable dogs. The great thing
 about Paw Prints's Large Breed

Ceramic Pet Portrait is that
you can use it to include all

of your pets! On the reverse side of this
portrait are three paw print impressions,

each one specific to one the dogs in the portrait. 

These portraits are a true treasure,
 combining art with sculpture

and the commemoration of our best friends.

These are portraits are custom ordered
at Paw Prints with a Purpose.

We offer a variety of forms
of portraiture and sculpture.

pawprintswithapurpose.com

www.facebook.com/PawPrintsPurpose

www.etsy.com/shop/pawprintswithpurpose?ref=seller_

Phone: 603.526.4844

Email: pawprintswithapurpose@gmail.com

Tomorrow, we feature our
"Pet of the Week" on our blog. Get ready!

Meet Bella! She's a Pug/Boston Terrier mix, or affectionately know as a BUG! Bella's Dad wanted to give a special gift to Bella's Mom, so he had us make a Desk Pet, shaped in kiln-fired ceramic then carefully hand-painted. The longest dimension is 6".  $80
www.pawprintswithapurpose.com

Aw... an adorable Yorkie!
www.pawprintswithapurpose.com

See the pink nose? Is there anything more adorable?

www.pawprintswithapurpose.com