Spicy is a Swedish Clumber and was born  with a wonderful future in store for her. Her breeder sold her with great expectations. Unfortunately, the same person bought Spicy who bought Andy and sold both of them at the same time to the US to be sold at auction.

 Spicy is a beautiful Clumber with a great personality and even though she came in with a broken spirit, she always knew what she would do or would not do. Spicy never lost her will or her determination but she had almost given up hope.

 I could not put a leash on Spicy as she wanted nothing to do with being pulled and would plop down and regardless of what I tried, she would not move. There was nothing I could do that would change her mind. After several weeks of getting nowhere, I decided to take her out by herself, off leash to see if she would do any better. Off leash she not only did everything I told her but she would stay right with me. She was overjoyed in her new freedom and seemed to know that I “trusted” her to listen to me. Letting her “off leash” was her “coming alive” moment. She started smiling, running and swishing like she was a puppy again. I’ve never seen such enjoyment at being “off leash” as I did in her.

 Spicy’s life in the puppy mill left her spirit broken and made her older than what she really is. She limps often and her shoulder gives her trouble but giving her a soft bed to sleep on has helped her body mend.

Spicy was the first out of Suzy and Andy to be left out among my personal clumbers and the reason was she would not go back in her crate when it was time. She fought me every step of the way and even when inside, all I had to do was look in her eyes and I could see the heartache. I knew right away that something had to be done or her healing would never begin. It didn’t take me long to figure out what it was I had to do or what was best for her. At first I left her out with Dudley and when that worked out, I introduced Roofus, then Lucy and eventually Dottie. All welcomed her and acted like it was no big deal that she started hanging around. I automatically knew that Spicy would never leave and she would become one of mine.

Spicy is like a cool breeze on a summer day. She blows in like the wind and with her comes a wonderful feeling of ease. Her personality is the perfect example of the Clumber breed and she is a beauty. I often refer to her as our “Swedish beauty” as everyone knows Sweden is full of them. She gets along with everyone and likes the resident cats a little bit too much as I’m afraid given the chance, she would like to have one for her very own.

Like I said earlier, Spicy has always known what she will do or won’t do and when it is time for her to get her “petting’, she lets me know it. She will knock you down with her Clumber wiggle as she has a massive one. If she were to enter a Clumber wiggle contest, she would surely win.

Spicy’s future was put on hold for many years and during those years she lived a life that she never should have been forced to live, but now I am happy to make up for some of the wasted ones. She repays me every day by greeting me at the door, smiling that big smile she shares so often. For a Clumber who came in with a void in her heart, she has proven that anything is possible and that given a chance, trust can be regained.

I love Spicy with all my heart and I made a promise to her breeder that she would never be mistreated again and I intend to keep that promise. She will never know anything but kindness and gentleness for the rest of her days.

Update (10/2008) Spicy has brought nothing but joy to McLendon Land, and when I say that I mean it in every sense of the word. She is the calm before the storm, she is the breeze before the rain, and she is the lightning before the thunder. Spicy is absolutely a wonderful gal that never gets enough attention. She thrives on attention and love and goes out of her way to show her appreciation. Once she gets the clumber wiggle going those in her path better watch out for she has been known to knock a few over. Seeing her dance is better than watching Fred Astaire glide across the floor.

Spicy is without a doubt one of my “heart” clumbers and she greets each day with a gusto that makes all the other clumbers come alive. She leads by example and has an excellent temperament that never faltered during her years in the puppy mill.

She loves the woods and that is where she will be if you can’t find her. She loves to tree squirrels and will spend hours hoping they will come down. I love to watch her enjoy herself tracking through the trails and doing all the things that a Clumber loves to do.

Spicy also has an admirer at McLendon Land and that is Nicky. Nicky came in after Spicy did but Nicky gets so excited when she sees Spicy. I can’t help but wonder if they spent time together in a puppy mill. It takes a lot to get Nicky excited but Spicy can do it. It is so refreshing to see Nicky get a bounce in her step and all because of a big, wonderful Swedish gal.

If I were to name one major task that Spicy has accomplished since becoming a “personal clumber” that would have to be sleeping in the bed. She loves sleeping in the bed with me, Dudley, Cindy the shorthaired pointer, and Maggie my blind gal. She still does not know how to put her paws up to help boost her up but she will at least walk over to the side of the bed and look up with those big beautiful eyes and plead.

My most favorite thing about her is her “walk” – she swishes from side to side and walks with such a grace that I could watch her for hours. This girl’s spirit could have been easily broken but she managed to keep it in tact and she has shown that no one could take away her soul.