Beloved: greatly loved; dear to the heart

Banta is one of those dogs that gets into your heart. Her “Aunt Lisa” had never let a dog give her kisses before but Banta won her heart in such a way that every time she came to see Banta she made sure that she got kisses from Banta. There were several people who didn’t really know Banta that well but they always were commenting on how much they loved her. We of course as her puppy raisers love her dearly. She was a challenge as a young puppy but she will always have a special place in our hearts.

[photo 1: Lisa Monson is lifting up 8 week old Banta in her arms. They are face to face and Banta is yawning with her tongue sticking out, photo 2: close-up of Lisa Monson a grown-up Banta with their noses almost touching laying on the floor of our family room. Lisa Monson is puckering her lips to give Banta a kiss, photo 3: same as photo 2 but now Lisa Monson has her hands on each side of Banta’s face and they are looking into each other’s eyes. Lisa is smiling]

Beautiful: wonderful; very pleasing; delightful

Banta is such a strikingly beautiful puppy. With her light creamy fur and her dark eyes she received lots and lots of comments are her looks. As she grew up the accents on her ears and down her back grew darker into a butterscotch or caramel color. One day not long before she went back to Guide Dogs for the Blind we were walking along the Jordan River with the sun on her fur she looked like she was burnished with copper. These photos taken by our puppy club leader in December of 2009 are my favorites showing the beauty of her younger days.

[these photos were taken by photographer Lisa Thompson in a studio setting with a white background taken December 2009 – photo 1: close-up of Banta with a curious and watchful expression on her face, photo 2: close-up of Banta from the side looking upward, photo 3: very close-up of Banta’s face with her head resting on her paws, photo 4: another close-up of Banta from the other side looking off into the distance]

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] 

Balance: a state of bodily equilibrium

Banta is such the little athlete. Many times she reminds me of a gymnast turning in mid air and landing 180 degrees from where she started. Some times she even makes a little pre-jump move that looks just like she is getting ready to do a tumbling run.

One day Banta did a hand stand when she slipped off the stairs and got stuck between some boxes and furniture. I will always remember the day when she was still a young puppy. I told her to sit and instead of sitting she did a little 360 spin maneuver. It was so cute that I had to laugh when I should have been correcting her behavior.

[photo 1: Banta standing at the bottom of our stair in by the open front door with a tug rope at her feet, photo 2: close-up of Banta just starting down the stairs, photo 3: side view of Banta in our family room – she has been playing tug and just lost her grip on the toy]

Banta: GDB Puppy #2
Female Yellow Lab
Born: 26 July 2009 to Jenkins & Sunrise, San Rafael, California
Raised: 23 September 2009 to 3 November 2010 by Bill & Raelyn

[photo: this photo was taken by Lisa Thompson in a studio setting with a white background in December 2009 – Banta’s head and shoulders from the side with her head facing the camera – she has a serious look on her face and wearing her puppy jacket]

When each of my pups finds there career in life I put together a book to remember their puppyhood. Over the next several days I will post a new part of Banta’s book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Banta: a lemon flavored Soda pop popular in India
[photo: close-up of Banta with a happy look on her face, her mouth open and some of her pink tongue showing]