Ch Ringering’s Dutchman WM, TT, CGC
April 9, 1989 – Dec. 13, 1999
Until Today…
We had never met a breed of dog that we wanted as much as we wanted a Kuvasz. Little did we know how much one dog would change our lives forever!
“DUTCH” taught us perseverance, patience, and entertained us… always being the clown.
If we scolded him, and he felt he deserved it, he would hang his head and suffer his berating. But, if he didn’t think he deserved it, he would “tell” us about it. On many occasions (we found out later) we had scolded the wrong dog.
He approved (and disapproved) of different people coming to pick up their puppies. Two different times we tactfully refunded deposits and showed them the door – because Dutch told us that he didn’t like them!
Always, he put on a good guarding display when rare company found their way to the end of our road – unless they had children with them. He thought children gave people built in credibility. If word had ever gotten out that our house could be robbed just by bringing along a kid, I swear he would have opened the door for them.
Always the ambassador, he taught many people that a guard dog could still be a friendly clown.
He never confused dog toys with kid toys and didn’t mind sharing unless it was his favorite toy! On several occasions, we witnessed his distress because the grandbaby had his favorite toy. He would go to his personal toy box, rummage around, and take a different toy to the baby. He would nuzzle the baby, then grab his favorite toy as soon as the baby looked away. The baby was always delighted with the toy that Dutch had chosen for him.
When we were building our house he would not make up with the General Contractor. He wouldn’t even succumb to bribes. But he loved all of the sub-contractors and never failed to remember them, even weeks later. Eventually, we had major problems with the General Contractor. He was bouncing checks, we couldn’t get the house finished, etc. We didn’t like the General Contractor either at that point, but it was as if Dutch just knew it all along!
He was a “nanny” to many of our youngsters, but climbed all the way to the back of the couch when my grandfather’s Chihuahua went after him.
As he matured, he never let the little things bother him. We can recall a few shows where— just walking through a crowd—he was attacked by a Miniature Pinscher, Cocker, and a Corgi. They would be wearing a mouthful of his hair, but he would always give them a look that said, “You’ve got to be kidding!”
Bigger dogs were a different story. He was never one to start an argument, but would not back down from one either. His best friend for the past couple of years was another male who also would rather play than argue.
He introduced us to so many people we would never have met without him.
Often accused of having round eyes, but a closer inspection would show it to be an illusion of the intense pigment around his eyes.
His many children and grandchildren are left to make him proud.
A rare non-genetic tumor in his heart claimed him at ten years old.
He lived a grand and healthy life – until today – December 13th, 1999. We will miss him forever!
—Chuck and Kathy Ringering
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