Ressy is our first dog. She was very young when we found her on the street one cold autumn evening. We took her home for the night. Next day we tried to find her a master but nobody wanted an outbred dog, and we simply didn’t have the heart to take her to a dog’s refuge. Ressy turned out to be a very active and cheerful puppy. With the arrival of new dogs, she has maintained her superior position in the pack. She teaches newcomers how to behave and brings up the young.
We took Arisha from a dog’s shelter. She was eager to get into a family. When she saw us strolling among the cages, she started jumping, whining and biting the cage. The moment she was released, she hugged me with her front paw and stood so, on her hind legs, until we made a decision to take her, which didn’t take long. She is often deep in thoughts as if meditating. Her colour is wonderfully chocolate of all shades: from milky to bitter. She is cute like a teddy-bear.
Alice was quite small when we found her and Martha sitting in front of the entrance door as if waiting for us. It was a cold winter day. Certainly, we took them home. Alice is big, she looks like a sheep dog. Her coat is light-brown and very thick, that’s why she likes to sleep on the balcony even in winter. Due to her size she’s got one more name, Bear. Normally, she is calm and reserved, even shy. When you come up to pat her, she seems embarrassed as though she doesn’t deserve the kindness.
Martha is Alice’s sister. They were found together. She is a beauty. Her hair is dark-red and long, her ears up, her tail is fluffy. She has furry trousers on the hind legs. Martha is a keen licker. She will lick your face and hands self-indulgently. Unfortunately, her health has been affected by her first severe winter spent outdoors: she suffers from rheumatism, especially in wet weather. On those days she becomes lame and cries in pain. and spends most of the time on a soft sofa or bedding.
Rona is a swift dog. Her second name is Duchess. She has a most tender coat, noble features and wonderful posture. Every time we sit at a meal, she occupies a vacant chair and waits patiently to be served. In a while, a little disappointed, she jumps down and heads for her bowl. Her most favourite activity is running in the field. She is quick and agile and is never tired. When she is running her legs don’t seem to be touching the ground, as if she is flying in the air.
Andrew was driving his car when he saw a dog lying in the middle of the highway. It had been run over. It had a lot of fractures: its legs, spine, pelvic bones and even the tail were broken. It goes without saying that the dog was taken home. During the following weeks she could hardly move. But she turned out to be patient and had good stamina. She has got over it and now runs well with the others, although she is a bit lame and her tail has healed at a right angle.
We decided to call this dog Dasha after the main character of the touching story about a dog by the Check writer Karel Chapek. Andrew brought her from Krasnodar. Aware of his liking to bring home new pets, I asked him apprehensively if he was sure he hadn’t stolen the dog. No, Dasha had been a stray dog. Dasha is not big. She is white with light-brown patches. She always has a sweetly expression on her muzzle, the tail is curled on her back. The fur on the neck bristles like a соllar.
When Dina was brought home as a puppy, she got scared of everything. She used to become terrified and quite stiff when we put a collar on her before a walk. Even now she freezes, panic on her muzzle, when she thinks she is in danger. She is quick like a flash of lightning to attack everybody who tries to steal something from her bowl. She is black with a white shirtfront.
He is the tallest of all, long-legged like an elk. His noble head is getting grey. He’s got too small eyes for his big body, which looks funny. He is black with a white shirtfront. In spite of his scary looks he is very kind and likes hugging. When Gerda and Odin were small, he took care of the puppies comforting them at night.
Gerda and Odin were left in a vet clinic. However, a vet clinic, although is for animals, can’t keep them. So these puppies were destined to be put down. We happened to be there at the time with one of our dogs, so we took the poor creatures home. Odin and Gerda stayed with us. Gerda looks like a small Yeti. Her coat is thick with long hair, which keeps her warm even in severe frost. She isn’t very sociable and prefers to spend time under the house where she buries bones.
Odin was a god of war in the German mythology. Our Odin got his name because, when a puppy, he always frowned and looked gloomy and angry. Later, he turned out to be rather cowardly, lazy and quite calm. In contrast to his sister, he prefers a cozy soft sofa in the house. He has nice languid eyes, like a cow. That’s why we sometimes call him Calf or Odin-the-Donkey for his peculiar roar.
Buddy has a good pedigree – a Jack Russel terrier. His owners became allergic to dog’s fur, and he appeared in our house. Since then he has put on weight, because his short legs don’t allow him to run side by side with our big dogs, which is frustrating. So he often chooses his own spot in the field or forest and trains his hunting skills borrowing the ground, since he is a hunting dog. On coming home, he feels absolutely exhausted. He eats his food and falls asleep until the next outing.
Barsik is "a gentleman from slums". About a year we fed him when he lived with his family near warehouses. But when there was a mass poisoning of dogs in Butovo, all members of his family died and he was left alone. We promised him that we would take him as soon as we had a house of our own in the country. So we took him on that very day we moved to Mochalovo. Barsik is delicate by nature, he is sincere and cheerful. For his eloquent eyes and white mane he got a nickname Khvorostovsky.
Nyura is a former police dog. Not because she was trained or taught any special commands, but because her former owner worked at a police station. Nyura couldn't stay quietly alone at home when everybody was at work. So the owner made up her mind to take the dog to an animal shelter. Fortunately she phoned us. And we were just going to move to our new house in Mochalovo. Nyura is short, with enormous eyes and protruding ears. When she is not barking, she looks like a house-elf.
Polkan is a real gentleman - reserved, calm and generous. He never groans or sighs, never runs from corner to corner, like some of his friends, when they feel that the time of their walk is coming. He waits patiently when the masters say a magic word "Walk!" And then he is one of the first to run up to the gates. Polkan looks like a shepherd, he is well-built and strong. After eating he always comes to thank.
Malyshka is an Intergalactic Princess. Otherwise why does she have such a mysterious view, as if she has come from a far star? Malyshka is as shaggy as Bolognese, she steps softly and quietly, she is very modest and unobtrusive. Her favourite place is on the open veranda, where she can look at the stars for hours. Maybe she is entrusted a special mission and successfully fulfilling it.
Tomek is a small dog that looks like a fox. He always gets underfoot and impressively grumbles with modulations. When he is in good mood he fawns and licks like a cat until you try to get him in your arms - then he starts growling. He is small but proud. Tomek managed to survive, when our dogs were being poisoned. He went into convulsions. Being scared he ran into the forest and lived at the edge of the forest for two weeks. We brought him food there. He came back only when the danger had passed
We do not know when Pirat met Tomek, but they came to our house together. Pirat looks like a shepherd, he likes running and barking, but in his heart he is very gentle. When he is full and walked he is keen on a hug. Having appeared in our house Pirat and Tomek raided the stocks of dry food. They had gnawed small holes in the bags and been sucking the contents until they were caught. It was certainly Tomek's idea, but it was funny how Pirat was embarrassed, poked his head and averted his eyes.
Willie is a little miracle. Andrew found him in autumn, when summer season was over. He had a docked tail and looked like a pure-blood terrier. Apparently he had not been always homeless. Probably his masters left him when they went to town. Willie has long beautiful hair of various shades of grey and shaggy head. He dogs our footsteps or sits gawping from under his bang. It is pleasant to take him in the arms and cuddle him. Swept away by emotions he can put his head on your shoulder.
Bim is from Rostov -on-Don. He was absolutely helpless with his broken legs, but he was sincerely happy to see everybody who came to visit him. When Andrew brought him to Mochalovo he could barely hobble, but he was eager to make friends with all the dogs. He succeeded. He is as agile as his cheerful friends now. Bim has thick long white hair and that is why he got his nickname "angora goat".
She is from a gas station in Rostov region. She was following with her eyes every car in the hope that she would be taken home. She wouldn't have survived the winter on the windswept hill. Kozulia is the size of a large cat. She is very tidy and clean. She has a thick tail. She thrashes it so much that can cause an earthquake in Mochalovo. She is a good mouser. When she goes out into the field you can just see her legs flitting quickly and her strong tail swaying from side to side.
Henry is a bicolour hound. He probably lost his master or was left in the forest on purpose. Hounds have a special manner of crying, we heard plaintive sounds from the forest many times, but we thought it was a bird or a wounded animal, or hound of the Baskervilles. In winter Henry came out of the forest and stayed with us. He is very independent; he likes walking alone, but always comes back. When you stroke him, he starts happily hooting like an owl.
Tora is a pure blood shepherd, but not everything went smoothly in her life. Her master trained her as a working dog and she knew a lot of commands. But she had a weak point - she was attracted to rodents. Once she attacked her master's chinchilla. Tora was abandoned. She still likes driving a little dog under the couch and watching him, but repents immediately if you begin to reprove her.
Andrew brought Nando on New Year's Eve. His head had been cracked, he was cured in Moscow, but we could not find a family for him. He looks impressive with a broad chest and funny pug nose. When he lies with his forepaws crossed proudly raising his head he looks like a noble lion.
Almaz is like an arrow. Slim and sudden he is the first to rush out of the gate to go for a walk and like a scout runs before. At home he becomes pet and gentle; he puts his head on your lap and patiently waits to be petted. He washes his face with his forepaws, sleeps in unimaginable poses and got a nickname "Cat" for his extraordinary flexibility.
Bella wears a tail-coat, white bosom and socks. She has large flaps which she manages to stick up like a shepherd. She is good-natured and always ready to play. She was a puppy when we took her, but eating thick kasha she started growing fast. "What a cow!" Andrew said when he saw how much she had grown within two weeks. That is how this nickname stuck to her. She answers to the name.
Oliver always looks straight into your eyes, keeps pace with you and laughs when being petted. All his life he lived in the street, but all these years, he wanted only one thing to find a master.
After she was caught on the street and taken to the animal shelter Linda feels very suspicious of people. Even now at home she watches every our move, but she comes closer every day. Yet she immediately found common ground with dogs. She gracefully jumps around them and invites to play.
Her real name is Buria (Storm), but there is nothing rebellious in her at all. Burionushka is calm, gentle and very thankful, as she spent seven long years in an animal shelter. Volunteers could barely hold back tears of joy when we were taking her home, they had lost hope that not young, modest dog would find a family.
Take Care! High Voltage! Very active, lively and ready to lick. Together with Valentina they can rush around the garden without cease all day long. Thanks for sleeping at night !
Elsa is a dog with a bullet in her head. It was difficult to imagine who could have shot from a pneumatic gun such a tender and gentle girl. The bullet got right into her forehead and had been there until Andrew took Elsa. She is thin, with pointed nose and very loving. As soon as you sit down, here she is curling up at your side. She grins funnily when she is embarrassed and likes coming secretly to the garden and sleep among our zucchini.
A three-month-old puppy of half-breed beagle was abandoned in our village at the beginning of the summer. One of the neighbours threatened to shot the dog if we didn't take her. Valentina turned out to be a hyperactive puppy of a very attractive appearance. Now Valentina is even taller than our "cow" Bella. Though, perhaps, she is still the silliest of all our dogs.
Kuzia was found on a highway with a broken paw. He might have been run over and left there. He turned out to be a young dog with a nice and cheerful disposition. And he is the only one that appreciated a comfortable and warm kennel we had bought for the dogs. Being not spoilt (unlike the rest of them), Kuzia willingly spends much time on the straw of the dog's house. And one more thing - he always smiles.
Lisa is a half-breed Dachshund. She is thankful for being saved from death (together with her puppies) in damned Pinskaya euthanasia station. She is very affectionate and tender and has easily become an integral part of the dogs' community. She obediently goes for a walk, and is the first to run back home to her little ones, which still suck her milk.
Simochka is an orphan from the animal shelter in Veshnyaky. We took her 4 days before it was liquidated. Poor thing, she shuddered from the slightest noise, but very soon got attached to us. She has made friends with Oliver.
Juliet was a small bald puppy, when we brought her to Mochalovo. Our fellow villagers lifted a cry over the entire village, "They have a fleay dog!", as if they had never seen such things. Despite ill atmosphere Juliet recovered, got stouter and her hair grew. She was very smart, active and fearless. She could approach Tora and pull out a bone from under her nose, pretending that she was not to blame. Juliet was poisoned by the Witch from Mochalovo in July 2016.
A puppy Inka was not bigger than a shoe but had a brave heart like a lion. There were two dogs in Inka. The first one was affectionate and tender, ready to lick you any time, the other was fearless and daring. When we returned from Moscow, she started jumping around and climbing on us as if she were a monkey. But outdoors Inka rushed with the big dogs as if she were equal to them, not noticing that she was still a little bit bigger than a shoe. Inka died of poison thrown into our yard.
Baron, a young and lively dog, lived with us only for several months. In October 2015 he was poisoned. It is supposed that the poison was put on the path leading to the forest. It so happened that Baron was the first to eat it, sacrificing his life. For two weeks he suffered from convulsions and an inexplicable terror. At one moment it seemed he would overcome and recover, but then he felt worse and got blind before his death. He died in our arms.
Juliet was a small bald puppy, when we brought her to Mochalovo. Our fellow villagers lifted a cry over the entire village, "They have a fleay dog!", as if they had never seen such things. Despite ill atmosphere Juliet recovered, got stouter and her hair grew. She was very smart, active and fearless. She could approach Tora and pull out a bone from under her nose, pretending that she was not to blame. Juliet was poisoned by the Witch from Mochalovo in July 2016.