My
Kennel name, Loriben, is actually a derivative of my name and the first little
Yorkie I ever owned by the name of Ben. Ben
was born December 21, 1986. I was
looking for a Yorkie, having first gotten to know the breed from neighbours in
I will take a moment here to warn you that the newspaper was not a good place to find a puppy. Twenty years ago when this story started, I didn't know how to find a puppy, didn't know about interviewing, what to expect from a breeder and certainly had no idea it would be a good idea to attend dog shows, talk to reputable show breeders, let them give me information about the breed I was interested in. A show breeder will have pet puppies for pet homes at one time or another. Go that route rather than the one I did at the time. Ben had a lot of health problems throughout his life.
Not
everyone who shows their dogs are reputable, the more information you have about
what a reputable breeder might look like, what exactly makes them reputable, the
better off you are in choosing your breeder to buy from. Nowadays we have
the Internet and websites. Many websites can give the impression of
reputable when in fact, they are not. Buyer beware. Read my page on
Ethical Breeding for information. Off my soapbox, on with the story.
Ben
became my best buddy, I was more answerable to him than I ever was to my parents
as a child or teenage or bosses as I entered the work world.
When I started my mobile dog grooming business in 1991, he was my partner
in business. I suspect he was the
biggest reason I quit my Government job with real wages and benefits which was
fine for me, but I had to leave him at home.
If I had my own business, he could come too.
I had the opportunity to leave employment with pay out and I launched
into dog grooming. I began training
and working in a shop then I began my mobile business working for myself.
Ben
rode with me on my rounds except very hot days.
My clients didn’t mind when I brought him into their homes in his
little crate and he just curled up and went to sleep waiting for me to get done
and go to our next call. He was very
protective of me, animated, delightful and being a Yorkie, headstrong.
He didn’t ever want to be left with anyone while I was away whether he
knew them or not, so I didn’t go anywhere without him.
He
hated walking with a leash and I had no choice but go in the direction he wanted
to go. If I didn’t I would feel
the drag on the leash when I got one on him, I would turn around and he had
thrown himself down on his back with all four feet in the air.
I often thought a skateboard would be handy, I could just put him on it,
feet I the air and all and just pull the skateboard along!
It was real embarrassing when we were out in public and lots of people
were around to see his shenigans.
He
weighed about 4 lbs full grown but got a bit portly in older age.
He was about five months old when I came to
One
day in February, 1999, he had been out in the yard with the girls I had by then,
ate his breakfast, then went to lie in his bed waiting for me to go to work as
he would go with me. It was time for
me to leave and I called in my usual manner, “Come on Ben, time to go to
work.” He didn’t come. I went to
him and he never even lifted his head. He
was battling cancer for the last five months and I knew this was the end.
My wonderful Veterinarian at the time and I helped him to the
Ben
lives in my memories, I am still answerable to him, and I know we will meet
again at the
That
is the story of my kennel name, Loriben. Ben
was never shown, never used for breeding but a little part of him will always be
in my Yorkies through our kennel name.
Loriben
Yorkies
June 2003
copyright©All pages on this website are the sole property of Lorraine Effa and Loriben Yorkies. Do not remove or copy any pages, pictures, or writings.