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Aloha mai from Lei and Sheltie-Kids!
Sheltie Beginnings The beginning of my love affair with Shelties (Shetland Sheepdogs) is not unique. As a little girl growing up in Hawai`i, I fell heads-over-heels in love with Lassie. Every Sunday evening was awaited with great anticipation; super-glued to the TV, I was completely entranced by Lassie's elegant beauty, keen intelligence, and empathic personality.Lassie's picture, gracing the front of a brown plastic wallet earned by collecting then sending in soup can labels, was my most prized childhood possession. The TV show's sponsor was Campbell's Soup and to this day, their vegetable soup is still a favorite comfort food.Back then, there were neither collies, nor Shelties, in my Hawaiian corner of the world. Dogs from the mainland were quarantined in a state-run kennel for a six-month quarantine period, making pure-bred dogs few and far between, at least in my corner of the island. Hawai`i's quarantine requirement was far more stringent than today's one-month quarantine period. Nevertheless, I knew with certainty that one day I would be sharing my life with a Lassie.Years of schooling away on a neighbor island, O`ahu, and then on the mainland ( Indiana and California) for college intervened. During my last year of school, while channel-surfing, I chanced upon Disney's made-for-TV feature, "The Little Shepherd of Catalina". I determined then that my future Lassie would be the efficiently-sized Sheltie.[If anyone has a copy of "The Little Shepherd of Catalina" and would like to share it by loaning it to me, please contact me at sweetlei@hawaiianlanguage.com. I will be sure to return it to you promptly and will, of course, pay for mailing costs. I have searched for it for many years to no avail, and I've given up scouring the TV guide for it. Mahalo in advance!]After graduation, providing a backyard for a Sheltie became a motivating factor to buying a home. When I spotted a man pausing to cross the street with his Sheltie, I knew the house on the corner with a "For Sale" sign was our future home. That man, Eddie, became our first friend in the neighborhood, and he introduced us to his dog's breeder, Mona of Simmore Shelties.Introductions Please allow me to preface my introduction of our Sheltie-kids to you with a bit of Hawaiian culture. Hawaiians take naming seriously, doing so thoughtfully and with care, as names and their meanings have a profound influence on the bearer's characteristics and future prospects. Click here for pictures of our Sheltie-kids.
Our first hânai (adopted) daughter is a sable. Her pet name is Hau`oli [pronounced: how oh' lee], which means Happiness in Hawaiian; her registered name is Simmore Summertyme Happiness. Born on the 4th of July, 1985, she is feisty and independent; definitely, not a lap dog. She lives up to her name, as she has brought us much happiness. In spite of her diminutive size, 9 pounds, and being in her "senior" years, she has maintained her alpha dog status, yet, with her cute-as-a-button face, she still looks like a puppy!
A year later, Laki [pronounced: lah' kee, transliterated into Hawaiian from Lucky] became our second hânai daughter, another sable. Born on Memorial Day, 1986, she will always occupy a memory-filled corner of my heart. I cherish the remembrances of her loving-kindness, sensitivity, and faithfulness. Laki was the Lassie of my dreams...and more. She is referred to here in the past tense, as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge on July 28, 1998. She was and is pure unadulterated Aloha, remaining strongly with us in spirit.I just noticed at this very moment, as I am writing this, that Laki is the Hawaiian transliteration of the "veddy" British pronunciation of Lassie [lah' see]! Some things are just meant to be. Laki lived up to her name, as with her guidance, we were led back to Mona who had moved 200+ miles away to fulfill her Sheltie-dreams (and fulfill them she has, as her breeding progeny include ~25 conformation champions). By sheer luck and incredible timing , Mona their breeder, had just decided to let go a high spirited, sable beauty, whose extrapolated height at five months was not meeting the breed's standard.
That is how `Oli [pronounced: oh' lee] came into our lives and hearts. `Oli means Joy, short for Kapu`uwaihau`oli, meaning Happy Heart, a name that Mona had in mind for her AKC registration. Born about Valentine's Day, 1998, she is truly an affectionate darling with an exuberantly happy heart. She is trés femme. `Oli lives up to her name, as she has been an unmitigated joy to us, filling a gigantic void left by Laki that I did not believe would or could ever be filled again.
"Freddy" came into our lives, when we realized the hugeness of the age gap between Hau`oli and `Oli. `Oli needed a buddy her age. Losing a favorite uncle, our beloved Laki, and my dear Dad this past year, we commemorated the freedom achieved by their transitions into spirit by naming our newest addition, a sweet sable male, Noa [noh' (w)ah, meaning Freedom, short for Kanoaonâ`uhane, meaning The Freeing of the Spirits]. We soon learned, however, the name "Noa" is too confusingly and detrimentally close to the reprimand, "No!" Thus, Noa is now known as Freddy Freedom, "Freddy" for short. Looking back, we now see that this was meant to be his name. As we said goodbye to Mona, I asked her if she had selected a name for him as she had for `Oli. "No," she replied, "I knew he would be placed in a companion home, and so in the meantime, his temporary name was the generic "Fred"." With this name change, Freddy became the namesake of a much-loved hânai nephew on Maui. Not surprisingly, puppy Freddy is taking on human Fred's thoughtful ways. Perhaps, one day, Freddy will become the Muse that Fred is to those who love him.
On weekdays, my husband and I live and work in the suburbs of Los Angeles, close to Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm. Most weekends, we escape the heavily concreted metropolis and retreat to our "home for all seasons in a mountain greenery" named Heaven (Ka Lani), an hour and a half away. There, we decompress and play as a family, enjoying the spring flowers, the summer alpine freshness, the autumn leaves, and the winter snows. Our Sheltie-kids love the open spaces, clean air, lakes, rocks, and trees. They are kua`âina (country) at heart like their "Puppy Mommy." We return to Hawai`i often, where our entire families still live; Hawai`i is and ever shall be our real home. Located on a secluded beach on a quiet island, our home there is named, Ka Hale o Mâlie (House of Serenity). Our "bigger-than-ourselves" passion is contributing to the perpetuation of the Hawaiian language, once dispossessed and suppressed but today healthily thriving. Our other avocations include: sushi; classical and Hawaiian music; hiking and communing with nature; dabbling in ballroom dancing, hula, and martial arts; gardening; cooking and "serious-get-down" eating; and most pleasurable of all, experiencing Sheltie-Aloha on a daily basis. * * * * * * * *
* Ma~lama Pono! (Take care!) * *
* * Literally: In Perfect Light. *
. .
* /^\_/,\ . Mai hopohopo.E hau`oli.
/`- \/` ,--./^\ Don't worry. Be happy.
* * /// ` @ @ / `-'\/ ,--.E Keleki!
///// \ ` @ @ ,--. `-'Be Sheltie!
* ////// `. _() \ / `-'\/\ ,--. ,--.
* ,"' {//\\\ ///`._() // ` @ @ / `-'\/`-'
,"' {////\\\ {//\\\ /// \ ` @ @
,' __ ,- {/////\\\ ,'~'~'~'~'' //// `._() \
/ ,' \| {///\\\,' __ {//\\\ /// `._()
/ ( | /' \ \/,' \ {///\\\\ {//\`Aoa!
( lei\ ,-. \ ` /-. ( | {////\\\\{////Woof!
`---'`-/ ))) `-._))) \ ,-. {/// `.))"'{//\\\)))
`-/ )))`'"~'"~'" `.))) `.)))
Me ke aloha, Lei & Sheltie-Kids:
Laki, Hau`oli, `Oli, Noa ("Freddy")
http://hawaiianlanguage.com sweetlei@hawaiianlanguage.com
Hawai`i / Southern California
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