My family is from Belgium--my sister was born and raised as a child in Laeken--so I've always leaned towards the Belgian Shepherds. My first Belgian, a Groenendael named Gamine, was my first serious obedience dog. As Gamine got older, I began looking for another youngster. My sister and I visited Johan Weckhuyzen during a visit to Belgium, and we were quite taken by the Laekenois appearance and talents. I decided on a Laekenois for my next addition, and asked Johan for a girl who could be a working dog and do well in conformation.

Ulu was born on June 5, 1996, and arrived in Chicago in August. Since she was travelling with a sister, I'd asked Johan to do something to let me know which of the girls was mine. He'd laughed kindly, and said I'd have no trouble recognizing her. In the end he relented, and clipped some fur off her left shoulder. He was right in the first place. When KLM brought out the crate, one girl was lying down, alert but calm; Ulu was sitting up, with a distinct "OK, what's the next adventure?" look about her.

After a brief stretch, walk, and cleanup, we wended our way home through Chicago rush-hour traffic. At first she howled, and my sister handed her some food. That made her happy and quiet. Once home, she checked out the garden, and decided it was time to play ... by latching onto my pant leg and hanging on, enjoying every step I took, including up the stairs. Aha, I had gotten what I asked for. I was in for an adventure with her.

Her next sport was an attempt at swimming, first in the large water bowl I had in the kitchen for 10 year old Gamine, and then an accidental dive into the fish pond. She enjoyed both. In her more grown-up state, she stays out of the water bowl (mostly), goes swimming in lake Michigan, and loves to "rescue" her kong out of any body of water, in any weather, including snow.

My previous experience with dogs (3 of them) was limited to obedience training, so we started with puppy socialization classes, and then graduated to obedience classes, where she did very well--in fact, she's the first UD in the breed.

The down stay had been my greatest challenge with other dogs, but not with Ulu. She learned the down-stay very early in life, when she tried ripping the couch. Not destroying the couch mind you, just ripping it. Apparently it was a great game of tug of war, and made a really neat sound when the fabric gave way. That netted her some fierce growling on my part, and a down stay. After 45 minutes, I figured the lesson was learned, released her, and went back into the kitchen. Not five minutes later, there was another alarming sound - this time she was playing tug of war with the carpeting on the stairs. More down stays, and I learned my lesson - this was not the same kind of puppy I'd had before, and I'd need to be more careful, and find better outlets for her creativity and determination.

A friend suggested herding. Oh sure, why not, it's only an hour and a half out of the city, and I like the country. She took to that sport with a lot of enthusiasm. She earned her HTD1 (Herding Trial Dog 1) on sheep and goats, and HRD2 on sheep handled by Sharol Hathaway (the R signifies Ranch). Ulu and I are still working on our herding teamwork. For awhile she was getting quite rowdy, and then I realized she needed to burn off energy before working (I sometimes forget she's still a kid), and we work much better now that I remember to take her for a run or a swim before asking her to concentrate on sheep.

The same friend then suggested agility, and we started doing that, as part of a cross-training class that also included flyball. So far, I haven't found a sport that she doesn't like. Flyball particularly caught her fancy since she gets to run and jump and catch a tennis ball, all at top speed. It did take a while for Ulu to figure out the object of the game. At first, she thought the object was to herd her teammates, or the opposing team. Then one day, everyone on the team saw the light bulb go on. She caught sight of the other team's dog running neck and neck with her, and turned on the afterburners. None of us thought she could run that fast! She's been a flyball maniac ever since, and is right up there with the border collies on speed. She now thinks that all BCs are great, by definition.

It was also funny to see her develop a real team-sense. When we all troop out of a race and head for the cooling wading pool, Ulu waits for her teammates before jumping in and taking a nice languorous soak.

Jumping in agility is a thrill for her, as are the objects to climb, tunnel through, and crawl under. Any challenge will do. The trick with Ulu was to get her to do all these things in the order in which they were supposed to be done! I can't count the number of times the instructor told me it was my fault - Ulu was way ahead of me, and I wasn't telling her fast enough where we were going next. Given a choice, while I was getting the words out, she'd do the A-frame, the tunnel, and then check to see if I'd made up my mind yet.

Once the handler (me) got straightened out, she did well, and finished her AG1 & 2. We hope to see some USDAA or NADAC titles in the future, perhaps with Jona handling.

Tracking is a sport we haven't officially tried yet (competition-wise) but we are training with the intention of titling Ulu in tracking through the Schutzhund USA or DVG America program.

I'm not experienced in protection work, but Ulu has been to a few weekend workshops where the trainers brought out that long-ago "latch on and don't let go" instinct she had when she got here. She is thrilled to bite the sleeve, get dragged around the ring and whirled around in mid-air. She carries off the sleeve with great pride, and I'd swear she has a swagger for the whole next week.

While Ulu has a lot of fun with sports stuff, she has actually done something "useful" for me. While on vacation at a friend's cabin in northern Wisconsin when Ulu was a year old, I'd taken both Ulu and Gamine out for a walk in the woods. During that walk, Gamine became ill, and we headed back to the cabin quickly. After calling the emergency vet, I dashed for the car with Gamine, but she spooked and ran off into the woods and tall ferns where I could barely see her. I started after her, but that just made her run more.

I called on my sister and a friend to try to corral her, but by that time we'd lost sight of her. Our frantic searches were getting us nowhere, and I was getting panicky, since Gamine was definitely in need of medical attention. At wit's end, I went into the cabin, put Ulu's leash on, and said "Find Gamine!" Somehow, she knew what to do, and took me directly to her. I certainly would never have found her on my own. The story has a happy ending - we got Gamine to the vet, and she recovered fully at 13-1/2. Until we do some official tracking Ulu is content to "find (add name)" just for fun.

Did I mention that after all these adventures, Ulu's idea of happiness is a whole lot of petting on the couch? A friend (the same one with all the sports suggestions) has dubbed her the kissing hairball. She is definitely affectionate!

I grew up with hounds and Border Terriers, and have always been attracted to the fuzz-faced breeds. Being of Benelux heritage, and growing up in a household were all dogs worked in breed-appropriate jobs, the Belgian Shepherd was a natural choice...it was simply a matter of finding the right one. Coat is, for me, an afterthought...if the character, health, and work ethic are there.

My first few Belgians were Malinois (and Malinois will always be important to me), but I had my eye on the Laekenois for some time. Finding a Belgian with the temperament and drive I like is hard enough. Finding one in a tousled jacket was a real challenge. It took some research to find one with the attitude and aptitudes that appealed to me--Ulu--and I am privileged to be her cheerleader and sometimes coach.