Du-Bi-Nor's Tonya

"Tanya" was our pet name for Du-Bi-Nor's Tonya, a pedigreed Samoyed from the Norton kennel, near Winnipeg. Tanya was born in December, 1968 and registered as G3K 27Z with the Canadian Kennel Club. She was five months old and topped the scales at 29 LBS (13Kg) when we got her. She was a little timid, and Norton's were not sure how she would develop. They need not have worried! She fitted into our house beautifully. Tanya was never a large Sammy, and weighed 35 lbs (16Kg) when fully grown. She was a gentle dog and a full-time companion to our two sons from the time they were born; she was 10 months old when Michael was born and was in the car when he came home from the hospital. She was introduced to him by lying him on the floor where she could sniff him from end to end. From then on, he was her 'people puppy'. She taught both our sons to walk; she would wait until they had crawled up to her and curled tiny fingers in her fur and then she would get up slowly and move them along with her at a gentle pace.

Tanya moved with us from Winnipeg to Greenwood, Nova Scotia, then on to Halifax, Nova Scotia, back to Greenwood and eventually to Ottawa. She was a loving and obedient dog, who would walk through traffic or by a cat without needing a leash. She was a good flyer and flew in our aeroplane for more than 125 hours and on many cross-country trips. She would curl up on the back seat with her chin on Mike's knee and sleep across the miles. Perhaps even more than Major, she ensured that we would be 'Samoyed people' long after she had passed away. She lived until she was 12 years old and was sorely missed when she went. We could not wait for very long to find a replacement! 'Duchess' then came into our lives

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