Grover
is not an original import but he was one of the first litters of
Clumbers born here in the US from original imports. His
mother is an original import from Slovakia and his father is an
original import from Czech Republic.
Grover
was owned by the same puppy miller who owned Emmie. Emmie
was an original import, but since Grover wasn’t, I was on the
fence about rescuing him as my main focus is rescuing the
original imports. A sad fact about rescue is that you can’t
“save” them all; however, after much soul searching, I
decided that I couldn’t leave him behind. Grover is
the same age as many of the original imports and he has also
spent his entire life living in puppy mills. I felt he had
paid his dues.
The
minute I met Grover I knew I had made the right decision as this
boy is full of life and has so much to offer. Edward told me his
tail never stopped wagging from the minute he picked him up.
His demeanor is that of a big puppy and reminds me of a bull in
a china shop. With Grover comes a wonderful burst of excitement
– it is obvious that he can’t wait to catch up on all that
he missed out on while “making a living” for others.
Grover
has a lot to learn and experience. The first time he saw the
creek, he was scared to death of it and stopped dead in his
tracks. He would go no further. No Clumber should ever be
afraid of water and that alone is a terrible thing. His first
grooming session was also very traumatic for him as apparently
he’d never had a bath. He cried for the first few minutes but
he was very patient with me and let me do what I needed to do.
His paws and pads were a mess and the mats were awful, but once
I got them cut away and combed out I found a very handsome
clumber underneath. He has a coat of “hair” any woman
would envy. His “full” tail completes the package as it is
breathtaking.
Even
though he has never had anyone love and adore him, his spirit
has remained intact and he is a joy to watch. He “gaits”
around the yard and loves to retrieve and carry toys around in
his mouth. To my delight he loves to play ball and is overjoyed
that he has someone who will play with him.
There’s
no way to know how many puppy mills Grover has been in since he
was born, but those days are over and I am grateful I
reconsidered and added him to my agenda. This young man has many
years left and he is going to bring smiles to all who are lucky
enough to meet him.
He
has already brought smiles to McLendon Land.
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