After the death of our Saarloos Wolfhond Dieng we wanted to get another dog as soon as possible. It seemed to be the best solution for our remaining dog Bromo.

We have had two Saarloos Wolfhonden for eleven years are we thought we knew the breed well. That is why the pup had to be a Saarloos Wolfhond.

When you read this you will understand why we where so surprised.

We had to make a choice out of 4 male pups. De biggest seems to be what we wanted. And oh was it funny to watch how the mother could open the gate to escape her all too eager puppies.

When we drove home we fantasised over our new pup. Could he be as smart as his mother could?

Walter and Gonny gave him his Official name Girika and we decided to call him Gentle.

It was a sunny Whit-Monday when we went to Walter and Gonny Reek’s house to pick up Girika Gentle. Sjan our babysitter (dogsitter) came with us. That way everyone could begin to get used to each other from the beginning.

On the way home Sjan sat on the back seat and on her lap was our new pup Gentle.

Suddenly Sjan called out; “stop there is something coming out both ends of the puppy”.

He spewed and pooped the towel full where he moments before laid as snug as a bug. When we arrived home we let him immediately get acquainted with Bromo. Their friendship got of to a shaky start but after a week or two they were the best of friends.

For example when I was cooking dinner and left the beefsteak on the bench top ready to go in the pan. The moment I turned my back to get something out of the cupboard I heard something behind me. When I turned around only one beefsteak was left and Gentle was in the backyard fantasising over a delicious meal. When I tried to take it of him hem swallowed it in one gulp. I had never experienced anything like this with Bromo and Dieng. They never took anything from the table or kitchen workbench.

Cees made a plate for over the sink so I could defrost the meat there. I also bought a preserving lid (the type you use for cakes etc) to keep food away from prying eyes and a mousetrap for the foot peddle on the kitchen disposal. The mousetrap succeeded in scaring him away from the kitchen disposal. To keep him from spreading the contents of the garbage bin over the entire backyard we had to put a heavy paving stone on the lid.

Because I was not thorough in the use of all these antitheft measures he often found something the steal. With the disappearance of a tart and guess what, the tell tale signs of cream on Bromo’s nose gave him away too. He had also discovered the rewards of snooping around the kitchen for something to eat.

Oh guess what else is delicious, herb butter and not just a lick the complete block thank you very much! That was just the other day (It just happened to be left on the table).

The next day we kept an eye on him just in case he succumbed to diarrhoea, but to our surprise he didn’t and we were even more surprised when he finally did do it, sniffed at it a little and then decided to eat it for the second time. It certainly must have been delicious. One thing was certain, there was nothing wrong with his intestines.

The situation is now so bad that anything on the bench top is vulnerable. I spent 5 minutes with him trying to explain why he should give me the kitchen knife back. I didn’t want to just take it from him that could do more damage than good. I finally won him over with a block of cheese. He triumphantly looked a Bromo as if to say, told you I would get what I wanted, while walking to the fridge to get his reward. I could fill a couple of pages with much of the same mischief he gets up to but I don’t want it to seem like I going on and on.

Our Gentle is a THIEF in heart and Soul.