It's Dinah Moe Burfitt and She's Dinah-mite!

Dinah (Breaksea November Storm HIC CGC) joined us from across the pond on January 17, 2005. She's the very first grrrrl to have become part of the Starisles crew, after seven boys in a row. She's also the first dog I'm going to try showing in the conformation ring, so wish us luck. (Our blog, Dog Show Newbie, chronicles our adventures in beauty-pageant-land.) Thanks to Gill and Alan Burfitt of Breaksea Bearded Collies for letting us bring home this little Dinah-mo!

It's been a while since we've had a puppy in the house, and I've forgotten how busy, nosy, and completely enchanting little puppies can be. This one is completely fearless. She rides more calmly in the car than even Charlie does.

Seamus is alternately completely smitten with her and looking for a way to hide from her. The two of them have been play buddies since the day she arrived. She'll play with Charlie and loves to race around with him in the backyard, but Seamus is her special chew toy. The two of the romp, wrestle, bounce, wiggle, and dash their way around the house and yard together, and are practically inseparable.

Dinah's latest game is Petty Larceny. She likes to root around in the laundry baskets for Daddy's dirty socks or shorts, and then drags them around the house in order to display them better. This is not the sort of trick you'd want her to perform for company, but it's pretty entertaining.

Another fun game (and this grrrl has plenty) is Shooting Gallery Puppy. This game works best with Seamus, but Charlie has been known to go for it on occasion. When Dinah feels like getting one of the boys involved in a game, she'll run at top speed past the lucky recruit, ricochet off the living room couch, and then turn around and run past him again in the opposite direction. She'll keep this up until the selected boy can't contain himself any longer, and just has to bounce after her.

Dinah's litter sister Buffy lives in Prague, Czech Republic with the Jezkova family of Glen Albyn Bearded Collies. Jana Jr. put up a hysterical warning about Beardie puppies on the Breaksea Web site: This could happen to you -- and it is happening to us! Dinah also has her own page up on the Breaksea site, thanks to Jana.

Among Dinah's other show highlights are winning Best Puppy in Specialty Show at the Bearded Collie Club of Canada's national specialty, a Puppy Group 2 at the Mid-Coast Kennel Club's show, Best of Breed at the Lakes Region Kennel Club show at the age of 7 months in 2006, and back-to-back Best of Breeds at the Vacationland Kennel Club show in 2007.

She made the cut in Sweeps and placed fourth at the Northwest Bearded Collie Club's Regional Specialty in 2006, and placed third in sweeps and made the cut at the National Capital Bearded Collie Club's Regional in 2007. She made the cut at the 2007 BCCA National Specialty. She went Winners Bitch at the Garden State Bearded Collie Clan's Regonal Specialty.

She has fourteen breed points so far, so all she needs now is her majors.

Dinah's handler, Kathy Kalos, has a Web site here. The two of them make a terrific team!!

Dinah has started taking herding lessons with our friend Fran. She's shown she has talent for the game, and now we're starting to refine that talent. She needs to learn her "sides" next so we can learn to work the sheep together. She passed the instinct test at the 2006 BCCA National Specialty, and now has her very first herding title (HIC). Not that we had the slightest doubt that she would. She's doing such a fine job bossing the boys around at home that she seemed to be a natural for the job of bossing sheep around!

Not only does Dinah herd sheep, but she has just discovered that she can herd ducks as well. We don't get many opportunities to trial on ducks in this area, but we really like working them! Dinah also has a page on Gerlinde Krachler's Working Beardies Web site (Austria).

Dinah earned her Canine Good Citizen title at the POC fun match in June 2007. She's just starting Rally class with Judy Kay at Deco Dogs, and trains in agility with Cindy Ratner at Happy Tails.

Birthday: November 3, 2005

Nicknames: Dinah-mo, Dinah-mite, Dinah Moe Burfitt, Puppy Princess, Me Too, Whatcha Doin', Riot Grrrrl, Princess Pigpen, Dinah-Moo, Busy, Miss Busy, Bizzalicious, Miss Perfect, Moe-licious, Herself

Favorite Game: Any that involve Seamus and/or Charlie, especially running and wrestling.

Favorite Toy: Seamus.

Biggest Weakness: Seamus's hair, especially any on his ears, neck, or beard. The tail will do in a pinch when it's the closest yank-able object in range.

Theme Song: "Don'tcha wish your puppies were as pretty as meeeee?"

Here's a link to Dinah's Dogster page.

Dinah and Seamus, in one of the rare moments when they're both sitting still