www.straight-and-gentle.eu 2006, March After we took the decision to acquire a chessie puppy as second dog, we started to search the web for correspondent websites. Among others we explored Linda Meppen’s website* and we were amazed about what she reported about Tessa, her Chesapeake Bay Retriever bitch (Harle Globetrotter Cinnamon), as well as about the studdog Penrose Great Western. Both were described to like to work and to be friendly and compatible to everybody. 2006, Mid-June After a while we were invited to have a look at the puppies. The Meppen family lives in a rural district in Northern Germany. The puppies could move around in a big garden with a fountain in the center. When I saw Betty Samtess with her thick paws, big belly and huge soft ears, I loved her at the first glance. She did not have yet a deadgrass colour but looked like a grey mouse with tiny almost magenta spots. 2006, July It was really not easy for Linda to give away the puppy to us; meanwhile Samtess even exhibited a nice light deadgrass colour. Bosco made a special experience: keep away from puppies!  As he approached the puppies, Tessa and Shila attacked him really furiously so that he asked for mercy. DIARY 2006: The Beginning *Breeder: Linda and Friedrich Meppen, Etzel-Hunter