June 2009 will be the third annual family reunion at the Magnetawan home of Les and Donna Graves. The reunion, known as the Sea of Black Reunion, is not a typical one.
The reunited family members, known for their great temperament, muscle tone and intelligence also have thick black hair and a shiny coat.
Biscuit, a hunting strain, working breed black Labrador, had a lovely litter of 11 pups with not one runt. It is the 11 and their new family members that return home every year for the rather unconventional reunion.
Placards that read Sea of Black Reunion mark the site on Hwy. 520, balloons are strung, and a cake surrounded by dog treats is tantalizing for both people and pets. The people dine on big batches of chili, hamburgers and hotdogs, and whatever people bring as part of the potluck. Everyone pitches in for the potluck and it is a friend of the Graves’ family that makes the cake every year.
“They are a wonderful group of people. They have become extended family,” said Donna of the people who were carefully screened and allowed to adopt their pups into their homes.
“Every one of the owners is just exceptional,” she said.
Biscuit is a formal trial dog involved in picnic trials. Her father was a national field trial champion. The father of the 11 was national championship qualified. But most of all Biscuit is a loyal housedog and companion for the Graves.
Some of Biscuit’s brood has followed in the family footsteps by doing field trial work including Hammer, who still lives at home with mom, and Angus, who now lives in Brantford. Both are top achievers in their sport. Cookie, of Magnetawan, has been learning the craft and Magic has been class fieldwork trained.
One pup, with a little handling help from Les, was a ring bearer at the wedding of his adoptive parents’ wedding.
It took the Graves three years to find a suitable candidate to be the father of Biscuit’s pups and there was incredible excitement in the house the night she gave birth.
As each pup was born, Les would run outside and tie a balloon near the road – pink or blue – depending on the gender. In the end there were seven blue and four pink balloons proudly displayed.
At the age of eight weeks the pups were old enough to leave the nest. All the pups, except Hammer and Magic, were adopted out.
Donna says she had a special affinity for Magic and she cried when at six months, the dog was adopted out to a family from Huntsville.
Hammer is now the only dog to still live at home with mom and he is a great source of pride for Les, who works daily training the dogs, and Donna, who just loves them to bits.
Les and Donna wondered what the dogs had grown into and sent a note out with their Christmas cards wondering what the families thought of the idea of a reunion for the dogs. The response was great and the Sea of Black Reunion went ahead in May of 2007.
Because some of the pups have adopted siblings of their own, the reunion can include as many as 15 to 18 dogs, 30 people, including the veterinarian who tended to the dogs as pups, and half a dozen kids.
The dogs and their families travelled from all over the province from destinations such as London, Huntsville, Burk’s Falls, Magnetawan, Parry Sound, Dunchurch, Sundridge, Brantford, Toronto and Mississauga to spend the day with family.
Each dog wore a little bandana bearing its name dangling from its neck and looked fancy as they took a lovely afternoon walk in a procession along the highway.
Les says the dogs get along wonderfully.
Both Donna and Les are thrilled to see the dogs returning to their home every year. It gives them an opportunity to mingle with the people they have grown so fond of, see any changes in the dogs as each year passes and relish in their accomplishments. And unite, as family, for one day of each year.
Littered in a sea of black
Date: Feb 05, 2010
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