Psyche is my keeper from our spring 2019 litter out of my Vesta and Joyce Osborn's Bandit (Kaviak's Gone West).
From the beginning, Psyche caught my eye. Her coloring and markings were so striking! I figured she would not turn out, because isn't that what happens when one puppy attracts you right out of the gate? Each week, as I stacked and gaited and trained the puppies, she gave me no reason to write her off as "just pretty." She showed tremendous promise, and I started getting excited. She was a lively puppy with the world's most intense eye contact. Her confidence was easily one of her most attractive qualities. My heart would NOT let me part with her.
During her first weekend showing with the big dogs, 6-month-old Psyche won Winner's Bitch for two points. By the end of the year, she had picked up two more points with another Best of Winners win over several nice dogs.
In October 2019, we drove to Topeka, KS for the Alaskan Malamute National Specialty. It was going to be a fun week with lots of experiences for the puppies! The first day was Regionals Sweepstakes. Psyche stunned me silly by winning the 6-month-old class. What a huge accomplishment! Then she turned around and won Best of Opposite Sex, beating around 75 other entries! I might have cried. And hugged that darn puppy until she squirmed and thought me crazy.
As she matures, Psyche continues to be an absolute joy. If you merely look at her with affection, she rolls onto her back for a belly rubs, wiggling and grunting with such unadulterated glee. Her confidence is still one of my favorite qualities. Last summer, a huge gust of wind knocked over our patio table and took the oversized umbrella on a flight through the yard. Nero and Vesta scattered; Psyche went charging out to inspect the ruckus. That is 100% Psyche.
