If you have ever visited Chisholm Vineyards, you know that we love dogs. Our dog customers come in all shapes in sizes. We spoil them with water bowls, yummy treats and lots of attention.There is something about having a dog that just makes life better.
My first dog was a beagle named Louise. She was sweet and ornery at the same time. Louise once stole a Virginia ham bone and ended up with swollen lips bigger than her snout. In the days before the airport had a fence around it, Louise took a trip across the runways and ended up hanging out in the lounge until we retrieved her. She was quite happy and had no idea the danger she had been in or the fear that she instilled in us.
In my adult years, we have had labs, a golden retriever, another beagle, a mutt named Rose who wouldn’t stay home when a storm came on and found a new home in Walnut Hills, and many, many dachshunds. The D-hounds have been short-haired, long-haired, brown, black and tan, dapple, blonde and red. Nutmeg was an extraordinary longhaired red gal who loved to hunt. Her brother (from another mother) Atlas, a black and tan long-haired, would try to keep up with Nutmeg but ended up stuck in a hole which took hours of manual labor, to dig him out. Boots is a current short-haired red dachshund, who often gets fat-shamed but really just has a shorter body and legs than most. She is a sunbather, snuggler and obsessive licker.
My current dog is Louis (pronounced Louie except when he needs a stern talking to) who is a Llewellin Setter. Louis just turned 4 years old and I can’t even imagine my life without him. He is intense and active yet silly and loving and tries to be a lap dog as often as possible. Louis owns certain sofa spots and other dogs are not welcome to join him. Louis knows when I need him. The day before my grandmother Gigi passed away, he came up to her house, found me sitting there and proceeded to climb up in my lap and give me the extra love that I needed. He knew.
My grandfather, E. Morris Chisholm, aka “Sweetie”, always had hound dogs and English Setters. He hunted with them but in his later years he admitted that he didn’t even like hunting. He preferred planting apple trees and other plants for the wildlife. Sweetie’s dogs stayed outside in a pen when they weren’t being hunted or running around. They ate homemade dog food made from kitchen scraps and other unknown nutrients added to keep them healthy. The dogs rode in the trunk of his car. Yes, sounds cruel but we are talking about 20th century life here. The dogs were loved and appreciated but they had their place.
I never thought much about the type of dog that my grandfather preferred. I never wanted a setter until I saw a few Llewellins at the Tasting Room. They all came from Elmo Londeree near Scottsville, Virginia. After my great dachshund Atlas passed away in a horrific accident in January 2020, I was heartbroken and could not think about another dog for some time. COVID hit and the craziness of everything we went through all summer. By January 2021 I was ready for another dog and I reached out to Elmo, thinking a Llewellin was the dog for me. On January 16, 2021, Charley and I with Tom and Moseley, ventured down to the Londerees to have a look at some puppies. Going to Scottsville from Earlysville is a journey. When we got closer, we ventured down rough dirt roads, through stands of pine trees, to another side of the world. All the good ole boys were standing around when we arrived. Elmo stepped out of the group and showed us the kennels. There were dogs upon dogs, Llewellins and Brittany Spaniels mostly. They barked and jumped up on their kennels. It was chaos. The four of us wandered down to the site, and met a few puppies. One male kept coming up to us while the others couldn’t care less about new visitors. I had found my dog. I remember Elmo saying how much I would love this dog and how much this dog would love me. He was right.
People say they look like their dogs and I would have to say that I am proud to look like mine. We have the same reddish blonde hair and freckles. We are both active and adventurous but need equal amounts of time resting and lounging. We both also love to be loved.
I just can’t believe it took me 52 years to find my dog soul mate. It’s ironic how much my grandfather loved setters and how much I do too. I never noticed what was right underneath my nose. That’s the way life is sometimes. You can travel to the ends of the earth, go down many dead end roads and still end up back where you belonged all along. You cannot stay away from what is meant to be. I left the farm during my college years but it wasn’t long before I was pulled back. I knew that this was home and where I was meant to be. My family, my dog and me.
