I honestly can not remember a time in my life when I have not had at least one dog! They are great companions, true friends and are a good excuse to go out for long walks on warm summer evenings when you should be studying or cleaning your room!

There have been so many of them, most only briefly staying with us before being passed onto their new homes. In Poland I can barely remember our Great Dane, Pola. She remains the strongest reason why I still dream of owning my own GD one day. Then there was Bandit, and Toby. They were followed by PolaII, Buster, Magic and Dot.

Until only very recently we had three dogs, Khaitek, Arsanyo and Sebastion.  

KHAITEK

This is the best dog we have ever had! He is very old now but in his youth he was a SUPER dog! My parents found him wondering around Oakleigh in the pouring rain and took him home. He was trouble and a half! He chewed up EVERYTHING!!!! He grew up and got smart, i took to training him to jump things. We'd go out on a Tuesday night and he'd jump the garbage cans and other bundles of trash! It was good fun! Except when Khaitek decided that jumping the fence would  also be fun. So begun a nasty time in which he'd escape a lot! Eventually he grew out it. Then he got old and i decided that his  jumping days were over. He was still full of energy at that stage, he'd still do running leaps into the creek and 'accidentally' fall into the pool on hot days, but i didn't want to hurt his hips and legs. Now, as the years pass, he gets older, stiffer, blinder and deafer! Khaitek was very seriously ill when i was doing VCE, the vet didn't hold up much hope for him but we would not give up on him. He means too much to us. He managed to pull through but was never the same again. Now he is a grand old gentlemen that lives inside where the other dogs are not allowed. He gets the special attention that his years have earned. We don't walk him much anymore as it tires him out very quickly, and in winter we worry about this arthritis. For now, he lives in the lap of luxury with people who love him.

ARSANYO

I was supposed to get a Great Dane. Then dad came home one day from work with a German Shepherd pup at his heels. So entered Arsanyo. His breeder was not exactly a very reputable one and abused his dogs, he decided that the money in GSD was not going to be enough so he got rid of his stock, selling dad the young male after bringing him to work. Arsanyo had a lot of issues to deal with before he became the great family dog he became. He had the learn that we would not beat the stuffing out of him if he made a mistake, but also that he had to take correction when he earned it. We also really had to work hard to get him trained. He was a beautiful dog, if not the perfect example of breed standard. In fact, he had some quiet serious medical faults that croped up now and then, but his breeding  was quite nice.  Arsanyo was a happy member of our family with a good vocal range which he displayed whenever he was happy or i was playing the sax! He also loved to fight with Sebastion. Early this year, however, the strain of his various medical problems became too much for his brave heart to keep fighting. He went rapidly down-hill in the space of three days. On the third day we took him to be peacefully put to sleep. He is buried in our back yard under the massive palm tree that is often used as a nesting spot for the neighborhood birds.

SEBASTION

This is a fat little yellow runt lab that i love very much despite his best efforts to drive me mad! He is still young, and therefore stupid, but thankfully he is actually showing signs of intelligence now! It took weeks to teach him to sit! He loves to swim in the dam, and to play football, but his number one obsession is food! I try to take him everywhere i can so he travels in the car really well. His girlfriend is a red heeler named Bonnie, and his best buddies (apart from his food dish) are Arsanyo and Lucky. There aren't many stories to tell about Seb yet, unless you'd like to read about the destruction fests he goes on in our backyard, how he Loves to put his whole head under water to fetch the football, how he is really sensitive to moods and how he lets Lucky bite him all over while standing there with a big idiot grin on his face . . . . .