Please meet Rudy, a Steiff Cocker Spaniel

Please meet Rudy, Steiff's adorable Cocker Spaniel!!   He is only four inches tall and is a petite dog, weighing only 2 ounces.   He doesn't have a Steiff button, flag or chest tag, but he is very proud to have his U.S. Zone label, and as he likes to remind us, he's been around since the late 1940s.   His little velvet muzzle feels very soft on your cheek when he gives out kisses.

I bought Rudy at an estate sale.   I  liked the way his little mouth is open and he seems like he's always smiling.   I don't usually buy non-Teddy bear toys, but he was one of the exceptions and was too cute to pass up.   He's in excellent shape.   He does have a small loss of mohair on his left shoulder blade.  It's hardly noticeable, and I thought he'd be  too self-conscious to talk about it, but as it turns out, he was the one that brought it up and was rather excited to explain the circumstances.

Ruby was born in the toy-making area of Nuremberg, Germany.   It was just a few months after the war ended, and the Reichsmark didn't have much value.   There was even a time when cigarettes were used as currency!!  There were many Allied Servicemen occupying the country.   Many toy manufacturers sold goods to these soldiers, especially since foreign currencies were worth more than the mark.   Rudy is glad he was just a young pup at that time and wasn't aware of the politics of the day.

Rudy does remember the day he was adopted.   He was sitting very quietly in the warmest spot on the second highest shelf in a toy store watching the shopkeeper install a new bell over the door.  It was a very cold day in December, and from where he was, he could see there was a light dusting of snow on the grass.   A young man dressed in uniform came to the door and peeked in the window.   As he opened the door, the new bell startled Rudy, and he gave a little yelp and tucked his tail underneath him and shuffled forward.   The serviceman, Raymond, explained he was looking for a Christmas gift for his youngest sister in America, and he would like to pick out a Teddy bear for her.   He was shown the Teddy bear section, and he spent the next half hour contemplating the vast array of teds.  When he finally made his decision, he took a nearby ladder to reach the bear, but as the Teddy was lifted off the top shelf, Rudy was knocked off his spot and tumbled down, down, down onto the floor with a loud thud!   Raymond hurried down the ladder, picked Rudy up and saw a little scratch to the mohair.  He apologized to the shopkeeper and offered to buy the little Cocker Spaniel as well.   And the rest is history.

Needless to say, Rudy became a loyal companion to his Teddy bear friend and their new owner, Dolores.   He lived with Dolores for nearly 70 years before I found him.   He has many Teddy bears to be loyal to today.   He thinks he lives in heaven.