Kate's first birthday

Kate sports her birthday hat especially made by Allison and Marilyn

Kate joined us late in June, 2011, after  Dana, our toy poodle of 18 years passed away. I called the number in the ad and was delighted to learn that one female remained of a litter in Greenwich, Ohio. Ron and I set off with our gps to find both Greenwich and Kate's home in a trailer park- Lot 26, to be exact. Unable to navigate the maze within the park, I suggested that we just roll down the windows of the car and head toward excessive barking, a sure indication of where  Miniature Schnauzer's live. Yep, that was all it took to find her.  We know about that special characteristic from living with our beloved, Alex, a Miniature Schnauzer for 12 years. As Alex would bark at any and everything, driving us to distraction, Ron would say, "Alex, you are the last of the Mohicans!" In fact, of the 156 AKC breeds, Miniature Schnauzers top the list for most barking. Kate's breeders, husband and wife, were both deaf, so they were completely unfazed by the din. Enough said. Kate was thrust into my arms, and we conversed via a whiteboard about her diet, age, inoculations and so forth. She never touched the ground, we just headed out the door and back to Sandusky to introduce her to the boys, Jack and Louie.

As hoped, Kate holds her own with the standard poodles, barks not too much, is smart and loveable-except when asked to don a birthday hat.