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Full Name: | Nyssa |
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Origin:
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Derived from Nissa (Scandinavian) Meaning: Friendly Elf Also in Greek, meaning:The beginning |
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| Date of Birth: | 27th September 2002 | |
| Place of Birth: | Limburg, The Netherlands | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Brothers: | 0 | |
| Sisters: | 0 | |
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Hobbies:
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* going for long walks * doing tricks (for a treat, that is) * sleeping * running after kites * being dried off after a bath * hiding things (especially when someone else wants that thing) * digging up things someone else hid (i.e. flower bulbs...) * going for a ride in the car * picking fresh berries to eat |
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But Nyssa hates:
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* having her nails cut * being left alone * bossy or large dogs * being in places with lots of people * thunder storms or F16s * eating the same food 2 days in a row |
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It all began while making plans to move from an apartment to a larger house with a garden. Not only would this be a great change for our three cats, but now there was also room for a dog, as no yard is complete without one. After having entered all our wishes into a dog 'search engine' we found the perfect dog. Enthusiastically we started searching for a breeder near us. But this turned out to be a bit of a problem… |
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There were none. At least, not outside Scandinavia or the U.S.A. Even worse, according to some sites there were no more than perhaps 2 or 3 Lundehunds in the Netherlands. It was so typical. You find the perfect dog, turns out he doesn’t exist. Great… But one day we came across a Dutch site on Lundehunds. We sent them an e-mail straight away and found out that not only had these people two Lundehunds themselves, they were actually planning on having a litter with them. After paying them a visit to experience two Lundehunds, Bjørn and Gudrun, in real life we knew for sure that we wanted a Lundehund. In August 2002 Gudrun became pregnant. But instead of feeling the relief I expected, things got rather tense. So much could go wrong. We weren’t the first people on the waiting list and Lundehunds are known to have small litters. According to an echo there were going to be three, but more likely two pups. What if they were both males? We wanted a female. Even though we didn’t have anything in the first place, it did feel as if we had something to lose. Finally, after a long wait, early in the morning on September 27th 2002 I received a phone call that made me feel very lucky. That night one pup was born. A female. |
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It felt as if I had won the first prize in a lottery. I hadn’t counted on in at all. But it was actually really true: there was now a dog on this planet that was going to share her life with me. All day at work I had a hard time to stop thinking of what life would be like in a few months time, what I would have to buy (if it depended on me I would be spending all my money in the pet store straight away) and… |
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was I going to name her? Thinking of a name for a would-be-dog who may never come is very different to naming a real pup.
One name which appeared both on my list as on the list of the owners of Bjørn and Gudrun was Nissa – Scandinavian for ‘Friendly Elf’. I changed the i to a y. Later I found out that her name now also meant ‘The Beginning’ in Greek. How appropriate! :) |
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Nyssa didn’t have any brothers or sisters. A sad thing to the (potential) owners. It made Nyssa not only the first Lundehund born in the Netherlands, but also the only one for over a year. Two more long months I had to wait until Nyssa was old enough to leave her mother. The long distance (relatively speaking, most Lundehund owners would probably consider the 2.5 hour drive to their Lundehund pup as very close) prevented me from visiting her every day. But the two times we saw Nyssa (once after a week, the second time when she was five weeks old) were great. |
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Because there are so few Lundehunds in the world, it’s difficult to say whether Nyssa’s traits and habits belong to her or are typical for her breed. Some descriptions of Lundehunds are very similar to her, but others I don’t recognize at all. Here are some quotes found on several Lundehund sites: Don’t be mislead, while some of us expect to see a medium-sized dog when first meeting a Lundehund, they are in fact big dogs in small bodies. This is very much true. When meeting Bjorn and Gudrun the first time, this was the very thing we noticed. There is a special connection between a Lundehund and it's owner. You can let your Lundehund loose without fear that it will run away. Lundehunds are naturally "programmed" always to stay by your side. They always keep you in sight or within earshot. This applies to Nyssa partly. She will indeed stay close, but if she can still see and hear me on the other side of a road, she won’t hesitate to cross it. Because of her young age everything is still very interesting and she wants to investigate the whole place. She can only walk without a leash in places where there is enough room for running around. Also, stubborn as she is, if it depended on her she will be the one to decide when it’s time to go home or back on the leash. If you don’t have any cheese or something else that’s interesting enough with you, it could be very hard trying to get a hold of her. The Lundehund does not require very much grooming. You only need to brush them when their coat sheds, otherwise hardly at all. They do not need much bathing. Their coats seem to be resistant to dirt. Once or twice a year is enough. Hmmm… Either Nyssa’s coat isn’t resistant, or she has an above average interest in dirty places. |
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Owning a Lundehund is like having a mixture of cat, just as lithe, fox, just as clever, and wolf, just as wild. They learn quickly and easily. Very much true. But Nyssa doesn’t like doing tricks just for the fun of it. If she doesn’t see a reason to do something, she often refuses. When she does (and a good reason is a piece of cheese) she can be taught something new within a few minutes. Lundehunds love to be with their owners, they do not care much about other people or other dogs. They are extremely loyal and will pay you all of their attention and because of their small size they can easily accompany you wherever you go. One hundred percent applicable. Nyssa is very hesitant to new people and dogs. She hates obtrusive behaviour and really doesn’t like dogs (or people for that matter) who are pushy and want her to behave in a certain way. Nyssa tends to prefer large dogs over small ones. Whether this is because small dogs tend to be too active and demanding for her, or because she thinks she is a big dog herself (just like her surrogate mother, Kimbar), I’m not sure. These adorable dogs really love people of all ages with a joyful abandon, and they truly revel in human company. A lap is a most favoured place, and after their initial excitement wanes, their eyes close with sheer joy from the love and attention you give them. Nope… Not only does Nyssa not really like strangers, she also likes to be left alone completely at times. At night she likes to go to bed hours before us, but also during the day it is not strange for her to find a quiet place where she can be by herself. She will, however, know where in the house I am every moment of the day. It would be impossible for me to leave quietly and come back unnoticed. Even though she likes being on her own, she hates being alone. Lundehunds make a special sound every once in a while when they are alert or have something to say. You can best notice it at morning walks. It sounds like cooling, it is like walking in a dovecote. Yes! Heard it a few times! Their playing may be games such as, king of the mountain, hide and seek, find me if you can, or a session of running leaps and bounds on and over and in and out of the bales. Whew! What Gymnasts! Also true. When she is really happy Nyssa runs around and jumps on or over everything nearby. A great thing to see. They are like children in that they lose interest in the toy if you leave, or want what they are not supposed to have. And, I dare you to try to get it back without a good chase. Also, if they should outsmart you once, they remember. You will have to be inventive the next time. Definitely. Nyssa loves to steal things and, if possible, hide them under the ground to make sure it’s hers to keep. She goes to great lengths to find the right place to stash her toys or food. She doesn’t forget where she put it either, sometimes she comes inside with a rotten piece of chew stick all covered in dirt to eat it on the couch. She also finds things other people hid, flower bulbs or small plants for instance. Lundehund do not require much exercise as they are small and can get a lot of exercise in a small space. It’s true that Nyssa doesn’t need a lot of exercise, but this doesn’t mean she doesn’t like it! Going for a walk is a treat every time. They are difficult to housetrain. You must start as early as you can and be diligent. |
| Oh yes, unfortunately this applies to Nyssa also. Having a cat door helped out a lot, because she would rather find another place to do her business inside than to disturb me to warn me she has to go. Nowadays Nyssa almost always goes outside, even early in the morning while we are still asleep. But accidents do still happen once in a while. Sometimes it’s hard to believe it was an accident though, it seems more likely she was just too lazy to walk all the way downstairs to go outside. |
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Lundehunds are very loyal and protective. Once they have an established territory they like to patrol and protect it. They have a keen sense of hearing and sometimes appear to be barking at nothing! Another, but this time daily reoccurring, bad habit. Nyssa barks a lot! Sometimes it can’t be called a bark, but starts with an incredibly loud scream. At quiet moments this can be very startling! Clever as she is, she does know barking may result into being sprayed wet, so when she sees us appear when barking at the neighbours, she shuts up straight away. The need for barking she feels stays present though, so she might stay grumbling for minutes, even if the reason to bark is long gone. |
