KALLEMANN ...   his friends - his enemies

Hi Dad,

Have I already told you who I spend my leisure time with (except my mistress and Chico, of course)? Due to my sports activities I know a lot of great mates, as well as nice girls! When going our walkies we do, of course, meet many people, too.
Do you always like everybody you get to know? Well, I don't. I am very often "called to order", as my mistress calls it. In this way I am hindered to reveal openly what I think about others. She often utters excuses then, such as the "Lhasa" in me to be very apparent again, but I think that's nonsense. I really don't see the point of always being polite towards everyone, even if I can't stand them.

At our dogs' playing field, for example there is a dog called Camillo, it's a "Kromfohrländer". He is about as tall as my mate Chico. He is only two years old and he's a real chat. In the beginning I always tried to be patient, but as he really slammed me every time, I waited for an apt occasion to give him a piece of my mind. It was in the middle of a competition and everyone watched the incident. He bled a little at one of his ears and kept incredibly quiet for the rest of the day. Since then, my mistress has been very careful that we don't come to blows with each other again, because up to now he hasn't given up and I do not see why I should give up first!!

In our district there are two puppies now, with which I like playing very much: an Australian-shepherd-girl named Lea and a shepherd boy imported from Spain called Shadow. Both of them are about 4 months old now and are already taller than me. But as they still have to learn how to use their long legs properly I have the advantage while playing, still. When playing in the fields all of us get covered with dust, as it hasn't been raining for a long time. Recently my mistress really got a shock, as I suddenly was covered with blood on my neck. When examining me to find out what had happened, she pulled one of Shadow's milk teeth out of my fur. How disgusting!! Both of them always sink their sharp baby teeth into my hair, pulling it. It really hurts sometimes. As a punishment I throw them down and pinch them in their stomach. Chico considers this chasing about too tiresome, he prefers being let alone. But I realized that I will have much more stamina and breath in the Agility, if I play and chase so much. It also helps to build up muscles!!
By the way, Shadow lives with Bella and Coco, those two old shepherd - ladies belonging to our neighbor. It's the one who had the argument with the house management like our mistress. I can no longer play with these old ladies, as they have become much too infirm meanwhile. One of them even had to get her spinal column operated, as walking had always caused such a pain to her. Now that her pain is gone she seems to be completely satisfied in going slow walkies.

I used to play with Sita, my Welsh-Terrier friend. But she moved away with her mistress and even before that we hadn't seen each other for a long time. We played together and always had a lot of fun. It didn't matter that she was a little taller than me but we had the same weight. I think that's very important so none has an advantage. I have known Sita for ages and I saw her for the first time when she was 8 weeks old. Chico hated her in the beginning, as he doesn't like babies. Later, though, when realizing that she was a girl he slowly got interested in her. I have already written that this caused a lot of trouble once.

In the neighborhood there is a female spitz named Ronja. She is still quite young and is able to run very fast! We meet each other rather seldom, but when we do, we will always run a race. That reminds me of recently when we were on a field with Lea and met a Manchester terrier. I have never seen someone running so fast, except for Princess, an Afghan friend of my earlier days. Chico, who is always so slow, was terribly astonished about someone being able to run so fast. Even my tongue was finally hanging out horribly. I did not want to admit that the dog was superior to me concerning quickness and so I overdid myself a little bit. When his mistress ordered him to keep on going with her I was very grateful, after all!

For a few years there has also been Frankie (what a silly name), a black toy poodle with beautifully done hair. In the beginning when he was small very little I was not allowed to play with him. His master had always been afraid that something could happen to him and due to this used to keep him away from other dogs. Now, as he is grown up, he is only allowed to walk on a leash, as he likes chasing joggers and bicycles. He also barks at every other male meeting him. His master cannot understand at all why, and he wonders why I no longer intend to play with him. In fact, we fight every time we meet each other instead. My mistress has tried to explain him several times, but he is quite old already and not very reasonable either. Recently Frankie was exceptionally on the way without a leash and when we met him on our way he rushed towards us. Suddenly his master became incredibly physically active and ran after him in order to keep us away from his beloved little dog!

Oh well, and then there is Gesar, a black-and-white Tibet terrier. I'm sure you have already taken a look at a photo of him in the Reporter. He used to do Agility with us as well, but I guess his young mistress does no longer have time for such activities. I have always considered him to be unpleasant, even when I met him for the first time. I am not the only one, though, who doesn't like him, even some of the females can't stand him. After all, I have to admit that he doesn't look that bad. But looks aren't everything......
At first I wanted to persuade Jana, the female Border Collie, to play with me. But she often clearly told me that she didn't like me so I finally gave up. She likes playing with balls or sticks for hours or gazes into mouse holes. How unsociable! It's true we often go our walkies together before or after having gone to the dogs' training place, but I no longer care about her. We go to competitions together, but even in the car she doesn't allow me to cuddle up to her. What a prude!!

In the mornings, during our walks we often meet a brown doberman couple. They are only allowed to walk on their leash, as they attack every dog coming too close. My mistress always takes care that there is a great distance between us.
One can't really play with Bulu, the big Rhodesian Ridgeback, who bit Chico in the ear last year, but I always use him as kind of a keep-fit apparatus. When his master orders him to stand as stiff as a statue I jump over his back. It's 68 centimeters anyhow! Never let it be said that I can only take part in the Agility mini-class! If I want to look Bulu right into his face, I will have to contort myself very hard, because I must look so high up. It's really great, I wish I were as tall as he is!!

I have forgotten Axel, the old Yorkshire terrier. He is already 13 years old, has nice short hair and suffers a little from a heart disease. Besides he is totally in love with me. He throws himself at me every time we see each other. His mistress always wonders why, because normally he doesn't like other males at all. I am looking forward to meeting and playing with him - very carefully, of course, as he is so small. This is the only time I found someone being even smaller than me!!
George, the English Bulldog, is someone not to play with, as he starts groaning very loudly at once at the slightest effort. Sarah, the dog shop owner's totally crazy female Tibet terrier, has nearly the same color of hair as I and she is still as hectic as she was when she was a baby. She is only allowed to walk on the leash, as she doesn't obey allegedly and would run away. Actually her mistress wanted to have a Golden Retriever; but they had just been sold out, Sarah once told me. I would like to know how she feels being such a substitute??? I am glad that my mistress wanted to have exactly me and not any dog!!

When we go our walkies between the garden plots we always walk past a garden where sometimes a poodle half-breed walks around. He always gets very annoyed and both of us run along the fence while yapping. It's real fun. Having finished I gratefully smile at my mistress, as she didn't forbid me to do so. I do, of course know that this is not the fine English manner. In the garden next to us there is sometimes a wire-haired dachshund who I would really like to pinch one time. Actually he has never done anything to me, but maybe that's why...... ???

Please do tell me about your friends in the USA!
(Naturally I am most interested in cool chicks!!)

Yours