Daoud, my new friend

My new friend – it is again a Grizzle-Saluki - has conquered my heart by storm in the truest sense of the word. Now he has been with us since the end of November 2008, and I cannot imagine that after my beloved Gorazan has passed away, I really was without a dog for nearly eight months.

Probably I would not have a new dog, if my husband meant at some time that it must return a dog into our house. Shera Chuat had a litter with beautiful puppies, that I liked because of their descent and rearing. But first I only secretly looked on the monitor to watch the puppies' growing. Finally we drove two thousand six hundred kilometres to see these puppies personally. Of course, we came back with one of them. This has been our Daoud Osjan!

But it had to pass more than seven months until I could finally decide that my beloved Gorazan should get a successor. In the meantime, Shera sent me many nice photos, and I got fully convinced to have a new fellow. From the first day - and that was in June already - I knew that I am interested in a puppy from the D / O Litter, but as it was in the South of France I postponed my final decision. From the first look I had even been aware that the only choice has been the cheeky looking little male No. 1. Later, the lady-breeder gave him the name Daoud Osjan. Honestly, I would have better liked a soft-sounding name like Dschanem or Dschawan. But now we got accustomed to Daoud, and he is obeying to his name, but as Saluki like only when he wants. Meanwhile, I also know that there is also a soft sounding one, the Persian version of Daoud, namely Davoud. And, my little friend got so many nicknames meanwhile, as my Gorazan also did, namely Schnuffi, Buebchen or even “little-Freddy”.

When I told one of my friends that my new Saluki is also called Little Freddy, she answered indignantly: “How can you call a Saluki <Little Freddy>? How will you call him, when he is adult?” I replied with a smile,” This is very easy, then I will call him <Frederick the Great>!” We both laughed.

Daoud had to learn a lot, when he came into our house, but this was carefully done in good portions: First, he learned to know his new home. Since we have two of them, we are often in different locations. But starting the engine, we could drive around the world in his opinion, when he is sitting on the rear bank. His head is no longer to be seen in the rear mirror, and I now and then have to turn round to know if my dog is still there. Likewise, he met to know a lot of people and animals and welcomed them all with great effusion. Daoud is really a very friendly and affectionate Saluki. He allows me to cuddle and to caress him, how long as I want. With the neighbour's dogs, he also made friends and learned to respect, electrical fences and horses. Some time ago I was with my new friend on the weekly market. In the city, he found each dove very interesting and wanted to chase it. When we went through the shopping centre, some people followed us, in order to recognize that it is a young Saluki. Since Daoud is with an other Saluki the only one of this breed in our city, he was a rare visitor.

After two weeks I dared to let my young Saluki off the leash the first time, although I was worried, because it had snowed a lot in the Sauerland, and I did not know how he would respond to new and unforeseen situations in a new environment. To my greatest pleasure my new fellow-traveller remained well-behaved at my side, because he was afraid that he might lost me. After we had tried this successfully for several times, one day he ran over to the other side of the valley, because he has seen two hikers there, he just wanted to welcome them. So I was forced to climb downhill and uphill, to clear the meadow-fences, and even to cross a creek to get back my amazing guy and to liberate the two hikers from my harum-scarum. But I always kept contacts to my Saluki-boy by calls and whistles. Then he even wanted to convince me that he already knew the way home. In the deep snow this action led me to sweat, so I was totally exhausted when we came back home. However, an Olympic training camp must be a true recovery in comparing to this exercise! But I was glad, that I came back healthy and had him with me. But when arriving home, I swore not to let him off the leash the next time during these weather conditions. Since we have two gardens, he can play and run enough in the meantime, which he always does with a lot of power.

A Performance given by Daoud on the “Garden-Stage”

Daoud likes to run in the banks of the garden. This is a good exercise and keeps him fit. If the horses are grazing on the adjacent pastures, it makes him a special fun to give them a free performance of his ability. It's only just wonderful to see how the animals are interested in each other and how they communicate, to monitoring this, makes me also great fun.

Meanwhile, I am waiting that my young Saluki, which is now eight months old, can make calls: “Hello, this is Daoud, nobody is reachable at the moment!”, because he always is rushing to the phone, when it rings, and he is astonished to hear my voice on the answering machine, but I am not at home. He has already adjusted the machine, so that callers can only hear: “Hold the line, please!” Also, the postman will be warmly welcomed, and each incoming letter is checked first, whether it is not hidden a sausage inside. If it is a bill, nobody will mind to get it ripped by him immediately, what he likes to do with pleasure. I am happy, that small oranges from the old orange tree do not taste him, but instead of this, he enjoys our socks and shoes, which we suddenly find everywhere. Then the nose is inserted and he is deeply inhaling. Lately, we stumble over stuffed animals and dogs' chewing-bones in our living room, find shoes on sofa cushions, looking for our letters, have Arabic characters on our window panes again, and are happy when Daoud is with us during cosy evenings, is stretching out his legs on his leather armchair and is watching television with us. For programs, in which dogs appear, he has a special interest. Then he stands up, sniffs at the screen and also looks behind the piece of equipment, perhaps a dog may be hidden behind. I still have found nothing, for which he is not interested. Even the neighbour's cat and the hedgehog in the garden of the Rhineland, they all he still knows. If I open a drawer, the first one, who knows what is inside or what I'm looking for, is my little, great friend, because he is putting his nose through.

However, whether my handbag has no longer handles, the beautiful leather leash is gnawed into two parts and my favourite slippers are in the garbage, when this little, big prankster looks at me with big questioningly eyes: “Was it not allowed to do?”, no one can be cross with him. Because nobody can be as happy as he is, if we enter our home. And this happens several times a day, even when someone just changes the floors and comes back. Daoud is a true sunshine, so life has happily come back by him. It is really true that without a dog - and particularly without a Saluki - life is only half so beautiful!

In January 2009

Dr. Margrit Miekeley

Margrit and Daoud on TV

May 15th, 2013

A TV report about Daoud and myself, broadcast in local news WDR Lokalzeit Südwestfalen:

 

- To be continued -