Oska, our first Bernese, love of our lives.  It took us nearly 12 months to find our first Bernese. He was  born on the 2nd December 1994 and we really wanted to go and see him at 6 weeks old, but the weather was very bad and we had to travel to Basingstoke.  I remember Ian speaking to his breeder and she said "I guarantee you will fall in love with him the minute you see him and if you don't like him don't worry, you don't have to take him".  There were 2 in the litter, Oska and 1 female.  We travelled down the night before and stayed in a travel lodge.  We were up very early the next morning as we were so excited.  I will never forget seeing him for the first time.  The breeder said to us when we arrived that she had  just given him a bath and dried him with the hair dryer.  She went to fetch and carried him into the room, it was indeed love at first sight.  He was this great big bundle of fluff with the most adorable expression.  Needless to say we said that we would have him.  We travelled home and he made himself comfortable on the rear parcel shelf of the car.  We hadn't told Ians Mam and Dad that we were getting another dog.  They called round the next evening and when they came in I was sat in the middle of the floor with Oska between my legs.  They didn't even notice him.  We couldn't believe it, when they asked what was wrong and we said "haven't you noticed our new puppy?" - they thought that I was sat with a cuddly toy between my legs!!   We didn't show Oska as at the time we both had other interests that took up a lot of time.  Oska was a wonderful example of the breed.  When we used to take him out for a walk, he would be that close to you that he would often trip you up as you were walking.  I'm sure he did it on purpose.  He lived to be 11 years old, although we did have a major scare when he was 7.  Tascha, our female, was due to whelp her second litter.  She was in the first stages of labour and Oska was outside.  I heard him trying to be sick and went outside to see what was happening.  He was just wretching and nothing was happening.  We thought that he must have something stuck in his throat, although we couldn't see anything.  I rang the Vets and they said to take him straight there, which Ian did.  He had a gastric torsion, the vet said that another 10 minutes and we would have lost him, it is one of the real emergencies for a Bernese. Anyway as he was recovering in one treatment room, Tascha was having problems delivering her second litter and we had to take her for a "cesar" so she ended up in the treatment room next door!  Life is never dull here!

Oska