Letting Lyra Go

By Debra Lampert-Rudman, Topaz Cockers

LYRA IS MY LOVE – and as time goes on I have learned that sometimes what I love isn’t necessarily meant to always stay just with me.

When I create a painting or ceramic artwork, I love and cherish it -but it doesn’t really come alive until it goes where it belongs to be loved by others. Lyra was my pick pup from Iris x Bentley’s magnificent litter (because she was a red/white girl and came to us right after our red/white Gigi passed away. She is the sweetest, gentlest, most beautiful girl and I treasure every moment we shared. She is now blooming and thoroughly enjoying life as a pet with one of her brothers and an amazing family. She is just who they need in their lives at just the right time. It was so hard to let her go live with another family – with all thanks going to Judy Bjelland for knowing what was right for Lyra and helping me to see it. Now a week has gone by without Lyra – a week filled with daily photos and videos I know she is shining and brightening lives where she is meant to be.

Love you, always, Lyra.

When I posted the above message on Facebook recently, nearly 130 people reacted to my post – one of them, the Publisher/Editor of Cocker Classic, Eilene White, said that my post “hits home with so many of us” and asked me to write an article about my experience in letting my pick puppy go to a pet home – I’ve been writing for a living for many, many years and yet I found writing this article to be one of the most difficult I’ve ever written.

Maybe because it’s all so fresh and I receive photos and news on Lyra several times a week. And, maybe because I wasn’t really used to the fact that she’s never coming back home.

Everything about Lyra and this litter has been special. I don’t breed frequently so the planning and anticipation and the hope – particularly for a red/white show puppy – was enormous and the planning went on for years. I was so fortunate to have bred my Iris (CH Topaz Purple Iris, RN, CGCA) to Bentley (GCH Windsor 18K Rolls Royce, CGC) and the resulting 7 puppies (known affectionately as the “Magnificent 7”) were whelped on May 6, 2016 at Judy Bjelland’s (Lomapoint Cockers) home in California.

I live in New Jersey so a long-distance relationship/mentorship resulted which was and is wonderful. In July, my nearly 15-year-old red/white girl, Gigi – great, great granddam of Lyra, passed away; so the desire for a red/white show girl increased to ease our hearts.

Judy knew I wanted to keep the red/white girl and, in my eyes, she was now the pick of the litter. I named her “Topaz Golden Compass” – call name “Lyra” – because she was going to be the golden girl of this litter.

All along, Judy never agreed that Lyra was the pick of the litter – but knowing how much I wanted her, she advised me to hold onto her and watch her grow. Since the litter was Futurity Nominated for the January 2016 Spaniel Club Show, Judy would see her there at 8 months old, and we would make some decisions. I also kept Lyra’s black and white sister, and a black and white brother.

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Posted by Alex on Jul 15 2016. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.