Ch. Brandy
I have a heart dog. My first Champion. Ch. Le Flamin Brandy O'Whisky Bay, CD. She is always in my heart. I have a picture of her looking at me right now. She would sneak on my silk comforter on the bed as soon as I would leave for work. She would lay on my ex husband's pillow just to annoy him. (She knew he was "not good" for me). She watched me sneak out the door, pushing her back, because she knew something was wrong, the morning that I left to have my first child, because I had been in labor all night long.
I never saw her again. She died at age 8 two days after my first daughter was born. I will never know for sure why. I suppose she was heart broken because I "left" her. I still miss her very much. She will always always be in my heart.
I remember getting the "pick" of the litter. She was the most active of the bunch, picking on everyone else, and the FIRST to come see who I was and "just what was I doing there?" I carried her EVERYWHERE with me, until she grew too big to carry, then she still came along, attracting attention whereever we went. I remember she could not drink out of a pail unless she had at least one foot in it. (Just like her Daddy.) I remember her running from the front of the blue station wagon to the back, rocking the car, barking at and running after the birds that she saw. I remember her running, running, running, and running, in the back yard until she was staggering with exhaustion from chasing all the birds out of her yard and out of her sky. I would have to bring her inside to make her stop. I remember that I was so lonely that year in 1980 and she was there every single moment for me. I remember she would wait for me to come home from working two jobs. I remember that we would roast marsh mellows in the fireplace at night, I would leave the package on the hearth during the day, and she would never touch them. But, as soon as I walked in the door she would lead me to them sitting on the hearth all the while roo-roo-ing. She WANTED a marsh mellow. I remember as soon as I would answer the phone, she would start talking, roo-roo-ing, then barking loudly. And it would get louder and louder until she forced me off the phone. She wanted my attention. And she wanted it RIGHT NOW!
She was a delight to be around. A true Irish Spirit.
She was the Irish Setter picture in Dr. Ross Clark and Joan Stainer's book, "Medical & Genetic Aspects of Purebred Dogs". I remember that she would always pose for pictures whenever there was a camera around. I ran across the diskette that had that picture on it. My computer had never been able to open the file. I asked the printer to create a jpg file and they did it for free! They remembered making my stationery for me in 1993. She was my sweet "Bran Flake". May shamrocks fall softly...
