Baroness: a lady of quality, noblewoman

Banta is definitely a lady of quality. When she first came to us at eight weeks old she had the hardest time going to sleep on a hard surface. She seemed like the princess and the pea, the softer the surface the better.  When you asked her to lay on a hard floor she would just look at you like “you must be kidding, I can’t possible lay-down on that.” As a grown-up puppy Banta learned to appreciate the virtues of hard surfaces, especially in the heat of summer. She now has no problem curling up to wait in a meeting even if the floor is wood or tile.

[photo 1: Banta at a year old – laying alertly on the grass, photo 2: close-up shot of Banta half a sleep on her dog bed, photo 3: close-up of Banta laying in the sun on our back deck]

Bark: The abrupt explosive cry of a dog

As a young puppy Banta barked lots. We thought our previous puppy had barked more than optimal but Banta barked more in the first week than Apex had in the last year. When she didn’t get her way she had the funniest little trill. She would point her chin to the sky and let out this half whine, half bark that was unique. As she matured Banta rarely barked except when she wanted to play with another dog.

[photo 1: Banta’s Litter – two yellow lab puppies just a few weeks old – one facing forward the other with its nose up looking like it is howling – in the whelping kennels at Guide Dogs for the Blind with shredded newspaper in the background; photos 2 & 3: close-ups of Banta in Bill’s arms just after she got off the puppy truck – 8 weeks old]