Erin Bishop's lovely tricolor Indy has appeared in our Facebook INDog Club.
I asked Erin to tell us her story for this blog:
I really, really wanted to get a dog of my own, and my boyfriend needed some persuasion. I was constantly looking for puppies on Petfinder, and researching breeds. I would barrage him with puppy photos, and beg and plead with him but he always said no.
Then, and I remember the exact moment and where we were (driving in the car on British Columbia's 'Sunshine Coast') when I showed him a puppy photo that broke through and melted his heart. This was the photo:
Above: One of Frankie's best friends is a Goldendoodle named 'Archie' - here they are cuddling at the dog park
Above: Frances getting pet!
Above: Frances and another Desi pup we met at the park - Xola
Above: Frances in her sweater, getting ready to head out for a walk
Above: I love this one. Frances backstage with my band, she hung out in the dressing room while we performed
Life with a Desi is a lot different than life with a more human-focused breed like a lab, or border collie. Desis are extremely smart (they had to be in order to survive on the streets), resourceful and cunning. Frankie can be downright manipulative at times which is both frustrating and endearing.
With the help of a trainer, we have learned to be the type of owners that Frankie needs, with assertiveness, structure and rules, and our relationship has become very rewarding.
To bond with an animal that is so close to wild is truly a special thing. She is a very quick learner, very playful and energetic, and very very fast! She is a cuddler - extremely affectionate and loving, and overall just has so much personality it's hard to imagine ever having as much fun with a different breed.
Frankie in the fall leaves
Above: We carved a pumpkin of Frances' face at Halloween, based on the photo on the left
She is a great running companion, and a great 'staying in to watch a movie' companion. She is a guard dog, and a lap dog. She is just about 15 months now, and we can't imagine our lives without her!
Photos and story: Erin Kathleen Bishop
Vancouver,
Canada
The black-and-white photo at the top of this post was taken at a pet-friendly hotel in Victoria BC.
Please do not use images or content from this site without permission and acknowledgment
I asked Erin to tell us her story for this blog:
I really, really wanted to get a dog of my own, and my boyfriend needed some persuasion. I was constantly looking for puppies on Petfinder, and researching breeds. I would barrage him with puppy photos, and beg and plead with him but he always said no.
Then, and I remember the exact moment and where we were (driving in the car on British Columbia's 'Sunshine Coast') when I showed him a puppy photo that broke through and melted his heart. This was the photo:
Above: This is Frances at approximately 12 weeks, taken by her foster family in Delhi
I had been searching for a whippet when I came across AAIDD (Adopt an Indian Desi Dog), a rescue organization based near our hometown of Vancouver, BC, which brings puppies over from Delhi for adoption in Canada. I had been in contact with Barb at AAIDD and this was one of many photos she had forwarded my way since we first spoke. With my 30th birthday approaching, we went out to meet Frances, and the rest was history - there was no coming home without that sweet little pup!!
Above: Frances with her four sisters. She's the one in the middle. All five are now living in Vancouver.
Above: One of our cats checks out Frances on the first day we had her home
Frances, or Frankie as we call her more often, adapted to big city life pretty quickly. She is a great apartment dog since she sleeps a lot while indoors, probably because she gets a lot of exercise enjoying the best of Vancouver, from rainforest trails to beaches to the seawall and dog park that are just minutes from our front door.
Above: Napping is important to Frankie
Above: Frankie with me at the beach - a little older
Above: Frankie now lives in the Vancouver Athletes Village from the 2010 Olympics
Above: One ear goes up, at 6 months of age
Above: More napping...
Above: We walk often in Pacific Spirit Park - the rainforest!
Above: I am a part time dog walker, so Frankie comes out with the pack to walk through the forest
Above: Ready to go for a run with mum
Above: At the local off-leash lake area
Above: Frances, Rob and Nigel the cat
Above: Frankie and Daisy
Above: Rob walking Frances walking Daisy
Above: Frankie playing with Willis (another Desi from AAIDD and Frankie's best bud) at the beach, Vancouver in the background
I had been searching for a whippet when I came across AAIDD (Adopt an Indian Desi Dog), a rescue organization based near our hometown of Vancouver, BC, which brings puppies over from Delhi for adoption in Canada. I had been in contact with Barb at AAIDD and this was one of many photos she had forwarded my way since we first spoke. With my 30th birthday approaching, we went out to meet Frances, and the rest was history - there was no coming home without that sweet little pup!!
Above: Frances with her four sisters. She's the one in the middle. All five are now living in Vancouver.
Above: One of our cats checks out Frances on the first day we had her home
Frances, or Frankie as we call her more often, adapted to big city life pretty quickly. She is a great apartment dog since she sleeps a lot while indoors, probably because she gets a lot of exercise enjoying the best of Vancouver, from rainforest trails to beaches to the seawall and dog park that are just minutes from our front door.
Above: Napping is important to Frankie
Above: Frankie with me at the beach - a little older
Above: Frankie now lives in the Vancouver Athletes Village from the 2010 Olympics
Above: One ear goes up, at 6 months of age
Above: More napping...
Above: We walk often in Pacific Spirit Park - the rainforest!
Above: I am a part time dog walker, so Frankie comes out with the pack to walk through the forest
Above: Ready to go for a run with mum
Above: At the local off-leash lake area
Above: Frances, Rob and Nigel the cat
Above: Frances at 1 year
Above: Frankie and Daisy
Above: Rob walking Frances walking Daisy
Above: Frankie playing with Willis (another Desi from AAIDD and Frankie's best bud) at the beach, Vancouver in the background
Above: One of Frankie's best friends is a Goldendoodle named 'Archie' - here they are cuddling at the dog park
Above: Frances getting pet!
Above: Frances and another Desi pup we met at the park - Xola
Above: Frances in her sweater, getting ready to head out for a walk
Above: I love this one. Frances backstage with my band, she hung out in the dressing room while we performed
Life with a Desi is a lot different than life with a more human-focused breed like a lab, or border collie. Desis are extremely smart (they had to be in order to survive on the streets), resourceful and cunning. Frankie can be downright manipulative at times which is both frustrating and endearing.
With the help of a trainer, we have learned to be the type of owners that Frankie needs, with assertiveness, structure and rules, and our relationship has become very rewarding.
To bond with an animal that is so close to wild is truly a special thing. She is a very quick learner, very playful and energetic, and very very fast! She is a cuddler - extremely affectionate and loving, and overall just has so much personality it's hard to imagine ever having as much fun with a different breed.
Frankie in the fall leaves
Above: We carved a pumpkin of Frances' face at Halloween, based on the photo on the left
She is a great running companion, and a great 'staying in to watch a movie' companion. She is a guard dog, and a lap dog. She is just about 15 months now, and we can't imagine our lives without her!
Photos and story: Erin Kathleen Bishop
Vancouver,
Canada
The black-and-white photo at the top of this post was taken at a pet-friendly hotel in Victoria BC.
Please do not use images or content from this site without permission and acknowledgment
4 comments:
I fostered Frances and her four siblings. So happy to see her in a loving home.
Shilpa
totally agree... life's very different with an Indian dog. While I read about Frances, I could find a lot of similarities with my pet Duma, who is also a pariah dog. She too is very playful, energetic and manipulative too. I just can't match her energy, while she persuades me to play with her and run after her. If I'm busy on my laptop, she pats me from behind and runs away, to hide and wait for me. She too sleeps a lot. She lives at the countryside for a couple of months before we moved to Bangalore in an apartment. She has adapted perfectly. We have driven for days with her and she has been enthusiastic about the loooong looong drives. We found room in motels, with the condition that she will not bark. She didn't make a whimper. It was as if she understood everything. It's great to have an Indian dog. They win hearts easily.
Beautiful dog - loved all the pictures!
Was just looking for some post like this. Great to see are. Indys are loved abroad too.
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