Faya is one of those females whose true value became clearer and clearer with time.

When Faya was about 11 months old, I remember honestly wondering if she might be deaf. I would call her and sometimes get absolutely no response. She could hear perfectly well — she just seemed to hear when she wanted to hear. I started joking that Faya had selective hearing.

At that age, I wasn’t even completely sure she was the right female for me.

But as Faya matured, something funny happened — that selective hearing slowly disappeared. The older she became, the more attentive and connected she was, and the young female I wasn’t completely sure about grew into one of the most dependable and wonderful dogs I could have asked for.

Time proved me completely wrong about her.

Faya became a loving, sweet and incredibly special female who has now been part of our family for more than a decade.

She also proved herself in the show ring, earning SG1, along with numerous strong placements including VP4 at the 2016 USCA Sieger Show and SG3 at the 2017 USCA Sieger Show. She earned her BH and AD, and her health testing includes normal hips and elbows, DM clear and full dentition.

Her pedigree brings together proven working and show bloodlines. Faya is a daughter of V Buddy vom Kuckucksland, IPO3, KKL1 and V Bella von Vierhundert Hertz, IPO1, KKL1.

But for us, one of Faya’s greatest accomplishments has always been motherhood.

She was an excellent mother, naturally attentive and completely devoted to her puppies. Over the years, she became an important female in the Haus Neufus breeding program and helped shape generations that followed her.

And even now, her job isn’t completely finished.

Faya is still with us at 11 years old, and she still enjoys being around the puppies and helping with the younger generation. Watching her continue to take an interest in raising puppies after all these years says so much about the kind of female she is.

Looking back now, it makes me smile that I once wondered whether this stubborn little girl with her “selective hearing” was really the right female for me.

She absolutely was.

Faya taught me that sometimes you have to give a young dog time to show you who they are going to become. The little girl I once questioned became an amazing mother, a loving companion, a trusted part of our family and one of the females I am most grateful to have had beside me all these years.