Monday, July 19, 2010

Debba Sniderman & Stella

Who is in the photo at right?

I’m Debba Sniderman and I’m a marketing assistant with Esri. It's the largest privately held software company in North America and produces geographical imaging systems. Very cool place to work! Dog’s name is Rosewood Starry Night, aka Stella. She’s a female Pembroke Welsh corgi, and will be three years old on 10/01/10.

What's the occasion for Coffee with a Canine?

Not a coffee drinker, but I do enjoy a nicely brewed cup of tea, and have been in the habit of drinking said bevvy for about 20 years, ever since traveling in the British Isles for about a month. A good friend who lives in Springfield, OR turned me on to Stash teas. I like the English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast, but it’s their special seasonal blend called Christmas Morning Black Tea that’s my all time favorite. Ah, I can see it now, Christmas morning, a steaming cuppa with my Mom’s homemade fritters. Stella is glued to the floor near my chair, hoping for (and getting) little fritter nibbles as well as a fine dusting of powdered sugar in her black fur, LOL! Dang, too long till December.

How were you and Stella united?

For many long years I had two corgis in my life, Em and Trav.

They were such a big part of my life, even a part of my identity. My original Yahoo ID and email address still have their names in it. Emma passed away from a sudden pulmonary embolism the day after Thanksgiving in 2005. Trav developed the dreaded degenerative myleopathy (DM), and was gone about 1.5 yrs. later. A couple of months after Trav passed, a good friend recommended a corgi breeder in Temecula. When I called her, she mentioned knowing of yet another breeder near San Diego who had a female corgi pup that needed a good home. I called Liisa and found out the puppy was a “fluff.” Fluffs are just like any other corgi, but with longer, finer fur. Also found out this little puppy was born the day after Trav passed away, so it seemed we were fated to be together. On December 8, 2007, I drove down to Spring Valley, CA and picked up the most beautiful puppy I’d ever seen in my life. Turns out, she’s as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside.

How did Stella get her name? Does she answer to any other names?

The first picture I ever saw of Stella showed a splash of white on her neck, which made me think of a star (she's the one drinking, photo right).

The breeder’s kennel name is “Rosewood,” and I immediately came up with Rosewood Starry Night for her official AKC registered name. I wanted a daily name related to that, but didn’t want to call her Star. I checked some name sites online and found out that the name Estelle means star in Hebrew, plus it listed the variant, Stella. That was a name I’d known all my life because it was my paternal grandmother’s first name. Again, fate! As for answering to other names, if there’s food involved she’ll answer to anything, LOL! But in addition to Stella, she also gets called Stella Bella, Stella Vanilla Wafer Butt, Fluff, Fluffy, Fluffer Nutter Butterbar, Stella Fluffella, and Stinky.

Cat, squirrel, postman...?

She loves them all. She’s the Will Rogers of dogdom. With cats though, she’s truly silly. She’ll do her little fluffy dance, which is actually an invitation to play, but always makes the kitties run away. Poor Stella, so misunderstood.

Frisbee, squeaky-toy, stick...?

She loves squeaky toys and will cheerfully squeak said toy until I want to ring her pretty neck. Just kidding. Unlike my corgi Trav, Stella hasn’t really shown a flair for surgery, and as such, most of her squeaky toys remain intact. But, she’d put a border collie to shame when it comes to tennis balls. Absolutely maniacal about them!

Where is Stella's favorite place for an outing?

Oh that’s easy…GRAMMIE’S!! She loves going to my Mom’s house. She gets a much bigger house and yard to run around in, another human to love on her, and once a year for a couple of weeks, she gets her own boy! I’m talking about my nephew, Jack, when he and my sister come to visit every summer.

Who are Stella's best pet-pals?

Me, natch. She’s very good pals with my Mom, but her bestest pal in all the world is her boy, Jack.

What is Stella's best quality?

Her innate cheerfulness.

If Stella could change one thing about you, what would it be?

My innate laziness.

What is Stella's proudest moment?

Every time a small child can walk up to her and pet her without fear, in my opinion.

Her most embarrassing?

Wearing the lobster costume for the Petco contest... and not winning.

Learn more about Stella--and see many photos in which her cheerfulness is on display--at Stella the Fluff's blog.


--Marshal Zeringue