Well, first of all, "they" are Helen and Stuart Kramlich, who live in Tacoma with this month's featured dog and her two Swissy subjects, Ben and Kruzer. Helen and Stuart wanted really a feminine, pretty name befitting their pretty puppy, and since her litter's theme was The Jungle Book, she's named after Mowgli's love interest, Shanti. But Paramita? Well, not quite satisfied with simply "Shanti," Helen did a little more digging, and found that the word Shanti was typically paired with "Paramita" and after reading the definition they felt the lovely name was a perfect fit.

As pretty as all that sounds, Shanti's no delicate flower! Behind those sweet looks lies one tough cookie who makes sure that Ben and Kruzer are second and third in line for any cookies being handed out! Befitting of a Queen of the Jungle, she also likes to go after any moving creature (a future in herding, perhaps?), and makes short work of "indestructible" dog toys. Her photo shows the remains of one of those very toys, after about three minutes!

What's in store for 2-year old Shanti? She's just beginning to hit the conformation ring, and Helen thinks with her quickness and "springyness" she'll be a natural in agility trials; herding and carting may just be in her future too. Meanwhile, she'll practice her heeling (which she prefers to do while bouncing along on two legs), and will keep putting those toys to the test!