Labrador Retriever

FD, FDX, FDCh, FDCh-S, FDCh-G, FM, FMX, FMCh, ONYX, FDGCh

Mim sings Elvis!
video, 4.42 MB

Born in August of 1998, Number 7 (as she was originally called), was already so stubborn she had to be removed by cesarean section from her mother’s womb. Even at a young age, she displayed her assertive tendencies towards her siblings--she always was the first to eat--a habit retained even today according to her humans.

Captain, her brother, on Madame Mim‘s early days: “She was always causing the most trouble. She would convince the litter to try and escape into the kitchen. We all knew she was destined for some sort of greatness. Even then, she showed the fierce determination when it came to getting the squeakies first.”

Leaving the modest purple whelping box she called home was not to hard a decision for the budding young star. Though she was only 6 weeks, she knew there was so much more out in the world for her to conquer. She just had to find the right human for the job. That is how she met her Mom.

“It was a choice between Mim and Number 1. The number 7 is my lucky number so I was leaning towards picking her. It wasn’t until I turned her over on her back and she started fighting that I knew she was the one. I knew I wanted a confident young bitch, but at the time, didn’t know how confident she actually was and how true to her namesake (she was named after the witch in Disney’s sword and the stone) she would be. Madame Mim is truly a witch with a B.” --(Lauren, “the Mom”)

Quickly Mim was able to prove her fiery competitive nature by scoffing all warnings of older dogs. She was determined to be the queen dog and sometimes her naive behaviors got the better of her. Once, when visiting her grandmother, Chick, she opted to ignore all warnings from humans and dogs alike, and climbed on top of Chick. Young Mim was quickly rebuffed with the so-called, “Black Death,” a technique she readily uses today. The corrective snap separated her cheek from her gums and required surgery to suture the laceration. One good thing did come out of the incident--Mim regularly employs the “gremlin face” and if that doesn‘t work, the “Black Death” to warn potential challengers away.

After her humiliating defeat, the teenage Mim was unsure of herself and threw all her energies into retrieving. She vowed to be the first one to catch the ball, even if it meant jumping off cliffs and running through obstacles such as humans, bushes and other dogs. Nothing could stand in her way. She was on her way to the top.

In 2000, Mim got her big break. One of her mom’s friend’s was into a doggie sport called “flyball.” Her mom knew immediately this was the sport for the Mad Madame Mim. After waiting several months for a beginner’s class, finally Mim was able to prove herself. It was only her 3rd class, and the team already wanted Mim to attend a practice to “watch.” Her mom on the topic:

“When they asked us to watch the practice, I knew we had a chance. Mim had only been to flyball three times and already she was running the course. I knew she could do it. She’s always been like that. We went to a working dog seminar once and the trainer was trying to teach the dogs to climb the 4’ wall. They were supposed to be called from the other side of the wall and be allowed to go around for the first 2 times. On the 3rd try, the trainer would keep them from going around until they attempted to go over and then she would help them. When it was Mim’s turn, I told the trainer that she would try to go over on the 1st try. The trainer didn’t believe me until I called Mim the 1st time and she tried to jump over the wall. Mim knows what’s expected of her and she’ll do it.”

The first practice, Mim did not just want to watch on the sidelines. The aspiring diva knew she could prove herself only given the chance. During the team’s break time, the Mad Madame Mim knew it was now or never. She proceeded to wow them with her energy and finesse. After only one more “observation” she was invited to join the team. Not more than 4 weeks later, Mim ran in her first tournament and really learned the true meaning of flyball.

“I was so scared she would mess up but she surprised even me. She rocked! It was the most impressive thing--she would see the other dog beating her and actually speed up so she could win! This dog knew what the goal of flyball was--to kick the other dog’s butt and kick their butts she did!” --Momma Lauren

Years later, Mad Madame Mim is still wowing spectators and competitors with her no-nonsense attitude and maniacal spirit. Some believe she tries to psych the other teams out with her high-pitched bark and foaming of the mouth. Others believe she is just plain crazy. But, no one can deny that this little bitch loves what she does and is good at it. She’s dabbled in other activities, agility, movies and hunting, but keeps coming back to flyball, her true calling.

“Sometimes people ask me why I love flyball so much. I just tell them, ‘don’t know, there is a tennis ball in the box and I have to get it.’ My mom tells me to beat the other dog, so I do. Dogs don’t have arms to throw balls, so I don’t care too much for them anyway. I just like to be faster than them.”
--Mad Madame Mim

Mim's Dogster page