Jive
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Jive is from my "Dance Litter". Since I did so much Freestyle Dancing with Jive's father, Levi, I thought I would give his kids dance names. As a puppy, Jive just loved to jump into my arms with no forewarning whatsoever or when trying to move her on a lead, she would move very nicely and than suddenly leap into the air. I keep saying I should have chosen "Jump N Jive" as her registered name. Her intelligence, determination, soundness and ease of movement were evident as a very young pup. She was the first out of the whelping box and at six weeks of age was trying to climb out of the xpen.
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From the "string bean on stilts"
However, Jive was also the first dog I kept myself from my combining my show lines with working lines and I'll admit I was more than a little nervous about what the outcome of this decision would be. The pups in Jive's litter were more refined, had more leg, less coat, taller ears and were VERY gangling compared to what I was use to seeing in my previous litters of Siberian pups. When I took Jive to show handling lessons I remember being told that she looked like a string bean on stilts! Going from having two BIS winners, one I bought and one I bred, to being told this about my new dog wasn't too reassuring! I wondered if my dogs would ever do anything in the dog show ring again. Fortunately, Levi had taught me that patience pays off and I could see the soundness in this girl at a very young age. So, with the reassuring help of Karen Ramstead, I nervously remained patient and in time Jive and Karen showed me just how wonderful taking a leap of faith can be.
To the amazingly beautiful girl
In the show ring, Jive ended up being a Reserve Best In Show winner, a Best Brace in Show winner (combined with her sister, Ceilidh) and a multi Best Veteran in Show winner. She was a multi Group 1st winner at both the CKC and CFC shows. She also helped guide a number of Junior Handlers to Best Overall Junior Handler wins. In the US, she was primarily shown at shows with majors. Although I never got her down enough to finish her, she did pick up both her majors and was only out of the placings a couple times no matter how large the class. She was Reserve to Majors so often that I started to call her my Reserve Queen. She was Reserve Winners Bitch at a US Regional Specialty and placed 4th in the Open class at the 2011 SHCA National.
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She was also my main leader in harness for many years and the dog I could count on to keep the team going. She was always the first to start jumping and screaming to get going again if we stopped for any reason. When we did are first 20 mile run at one point all the dogs were getting tired and we were having trouble finding a combination to lead the team. I said to Carolyn, lets try Jive in single lead. We had never done this before but Jive didn't disappoint, she took on the task with the determination she would become known for in her senior years and got the team going again.
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She was also the #2 Siberian in Rally Obedience in Canada in 2014 and for 14 years was a fantastic Therapy Dog. She has produced champions, Group placers, and my one in a lifetime boy Pippin, Mult. BIS Can. GChEx/Am/CFC Ch. Chimini's Peregrin Took WD, WLD, CGN, RA, THDX, Therapy for Children, Am/Can National Specialties Award of Merit winner. Pretty impressive I'd think in most people's minds but Jive is so much more.
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Jive is my girl that can go anywhere and I know that her wonderful temperament and polite manners will serve her well. She is great with people and dogs including the smallest of puppies, no matter the breed, and she is even good with my mother's cats. She started going to Point Pleasant Park with her Grandmother Siri and became my primary off leash "park dog" after Siri's death. She also took over from Siri as the Queen of the house and inherited the covered "end of my bed" spot from Siri. Like her mother Freya before her, Jive was a super mother and once she finished her breeding career she immediately fell into the roll of "Auntie Jive" for all my puppies. She has also been a wonderful junior handler dog piloting several juniors to Best Junior Handler in Show. Although I've never competed with her, Jive knows most of her father's dance moves which she loves to show off to the seniors she visits or as my primary demo dog for my dog training classes. Up until my Mom's death in 2014, Jive not just visited the seniors in her roll as a therapy dog but was also my Mom's favourite girl. She would get emails each week from Mom inviting her to supper which were always signed "Love Nanny" and saying that she could bring me along with her if she wanted to.
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In her senior years Jive settled in as Queen of the house and when I retired in Jan 2019, she set up a schedule for me that started with a 5am walk.
I don't think anyone that knows Jive and I would be surprised when I say that this girl holds a huge piece of my heart in her paws.
More About Jive
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