I have always had miniature schnauzers in my life. Since I can remember, those bearded little faces with arching eyebrows have always had a way of creeping into my heart. My first schnauzer was a salt and pepper female named Shelby. What I remember most about her was that she liked to go on car rides and share the lollipops I would get from the bank tellers. She would howl when I would hit certain notes on the piano. But the thing I loved most about Shelby was that she was always there for me when I was sad or lonely.
When my parents got divorced when I was six, my mother took Shelby to live with her. Shortly after, Shelby was hit by a car. I was devastated and did not have another dog of my own until I was an adult. In 1999 my mother purchased a salt and pepper male schnauzer which she named Nicky. When I moved to Colorado, she gave him to me because she was unable to care for him.
Nicky was never a lap dog which was a trait I was looking for in a pet. So in May of 2008, I decided I was going to get another dog. I began my search by looking into local breeders and schnauzer rescues but I could not find any that had puppies. It had to be within driving range so I could meet the puppies, examine the facility and interview the breeder. Months went by and I was starting to lose hope that I would find a puppy when I saw an advertisement for a lone salt and pepper female in Denver. I called and set up an appointment to go look at her the next day.
She was skittish and standoffish and would not come to me. Disappointed, I turned to leave when the breeder told me that she had some 4 week old pups that would be available in a month. She brought them out and set them on the floor. A small black bundle of hair stumbled over to me and crawled into my lap. I leaned down and she sniffed me. I instantly fell in love. She wasn’t the color I wanted but her curious nature was exactly what I was looking for. There was another salt and pepper who fell asleep in my sons lap but I knew in my heart which puppy I was going to choose. I decided I would think on it and come back the following week to make my final decision.
I came back the following week and put a down payment on the little phantom. Phantom is another name for a black and silver schnauzer. I didn’t care, she was perfect. I came back 3 weeks later and picked her up. It was the best purchase I have ever made.
I named my puppy Daphne. Her nickname is Dafferdoodle, Doodle for short. She is the sweetest dog I have ever had. She is a foot sleeper, loves to rest her head on your foot or stick her nose in a shoe and fall asleep. She loves “doodling” around in the backyard, rolling around in the grass or dirt, sleeping in the sun.
In May of 2009, Nicky got sick and I took him to the vet. They couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him and they didn’t know whether he was going to get better. I knew Daphne would not do well on her own so I decided to breed her. On August 6, 2009 Daphne had four puppies; three male and one female. Before I bred Daphne, I made a list of people who wanted schnauzer puppies so that each pup would have a forever home when it was born.
It has been 10 weeks and two of the puppies have been given away to their forever homes. Giving the puppies away has been very upsetting so I try to focus on the fact that they are going to wonderful home where each pup is a gift to a family just as Daphne was a gift to mine. The owners have been great and one has been post videos for me to watch of the Wicked Egon AKA green, interacting with his brother’s boxer and Bleu the sad eyed pup who wants nothing more than to sit on your lap. I am keeping the female who I have named Violet and Red will be going to his forever home in a couple weeks.
Each one of Daphne’s pups was special and I started training them as soon as they were able to walk around. I would recommend this breed to anyone looking for a companion. They make wonderful pets and they don’t shed so they are great for people who have allergies. They come in three sizes but the giants tend to have short life spans. They can be a talkative breed so if you are looking for a quiet dog, this breed may not be for you.
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