Everything I Can Remember About Our Sweet Dog Duchess

I went to an online “Loss of Pet” support group the morning after Duchess died and it was suggested to write out our memories of the pet we lost, so this post below does just that.  My whole family and many of our friends miss her so much.

Duchess-Sarah Farris - October 31, 2011 to March 10, 2025

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How We Got Duchess

In early February of 2012, I came home from a wonderful trip to San Jose where I attended the US National Figure Skating Championships and couldn’t wait to see our cute little family dog, a Pomeranian named Porcher.  But…Porcher didn’t look right, so I made an appointment with our vet.  Sadly, the day we took Porcher to the veterinarian, we were told Porcher would pass away in 24 hours!  Wow..it was heartbreaking…Porcher died in my daughter Rebekah’s arms and we buried her in our backyard.

Joel with our dog Porcher

As the weekend approached we mourned and did a lot of crying and we were just so sad.  We knew we just had to get another dog.

• We Say Good-Bye To Our Dear Dog Porcher 2-2-2012

We visited our local humane society, but didn’t see a dog we wanted, so I did some searching on the internet for a Pomeranian.  I located a Pomeranian foster home in McCook, Nebraska run by a lady named Charlotte Hall.   There had been a huge snowstorm on Friday when I talked to the Pomeranian foster home owner, so on Saturday morning, once it was safe to drive we headed towards McCook, Nebraska.  

My daughter Annabelle was a little girl then, so she was at a weekend long slumber birthday party in Vail, but the rest of the family (me, my husband Dan, and Joel, and Rebekah) piled in our car and off we went.

I remember spending Saturday night in a motel somewhere in Nebraska that was only about an hour from the Pomeranian foster home and thinking how odd it felt to not have a dog with us.  We were so excited, but still grieving. 

The morning at the foster home was so interesting.  All of the poms must have been puppy mill dogs, since none of the grown dogs would let us hold them.  There was a Pomeranian that was a bit larger than the others which we called “Big Red.”  He was so playful and we wanted to adopt him, but he would not let us put a collar on him.

There was a puppy following us around and my son Joel said, “Mom…please…can we adopt the puppy?”  The thing was that the puppy was NOT a Pomeranian and I wanted a Pomeranian.  But…the kids talked me into it.  The foster home owner said all she knew was that the puppy’s mother was a Pomeranian and that “Bertha” was three months old and had been born on Halloween, October 31, 2011.

All seemed quick. We filled out papers, wrote a check for something like $65 and we were owners of the puppy!

Rebekah really wanted a dog named Duchess, so that became the puppy’s name.  I decided I wanted Duchess to have a middle name since I loved the name Sarah, so on that day Duchess Sarah Farris came into our lives!

We drove home to Colorado and Joel and Rebekah played with Duchess in the back seat of the car and when we got back to Colorado Springs on Sunday evening Annabelle returned from her slumber party to meet our new puppy!

Duchess’s Early Days With Us and Scootering/Biking/Skiing/Hiking with Duchess!

At first I admit I was not so sure that we should have adopted Duchess.  I really wanted a Pomeranian.  But…soon…I began to love her so much.

What really clicked was I discovered dog scootering!  With Porcher I’d ride up and  down our street just holding her leash and scootering with her, but Duchess was too strong and powerful for that.  She’d pull.  So I began dong research on how to scooter with a dog.  I learned I needed a harness and a bungee leash and a waist belt to not only scooter with her, but to walk with her.

Once I began scootering with Duchess, we became buddies!  I taught her also to run next to me while bike riding and I also taught her to cross country ski and run with me while I did that.  She loved the snow and hiking so she went everywhere we could take her.  I even took her up the mountain with skins on my telemark skis and skied down with her!

Corgiranian!

This is NOT a photo of Duchess but from an article about Corgiranians!

We wondered for a while what mix Duchess could be.  We knew her mother was a Pomeranian, but we wondered what her other half was.  We thought maybe Dachshund, but as we looked around, we saw dogs online that looked just like Duchess and found out her other half had to be Corgi.  Her sweetness did prove that she had to have some Corgi in her. 

Shared Loved Dog

Everyone in our family loved Duchess.  We all took the time to make sure we could love her and take her places.  Also, when my son in law Ben came into our lives, even before Annabelle and Ben were together and engaged, Duchess adored Ben.  

She was not just our dog, she was a member of our family.  We gave her birthday parties every year and took her wherever we went.  

When someone was out of town, another family member would come forward and take Duchess on.  

My late father took her on walks.  We all loved her so so much.

Duchess was our spoiled baby

We allowed Duchess on furniture.  It was common to see her sprawled out on our large chairs or bed.  She moved pillows around to make herself as comfortable as possible.  She took part in our trips to the lake. We never had to sweep the floor since she ate every single crumb that was dropped from our table!

Annabelle’s 18th Birthday Cake Mishap

When Annabelle turned 18 on July 23, 2017, we bought a small chocolate cake to celebrate.  Our relatives came to only be polite and visit while we all were in Sun Valley, and very little of the cake was eaten.  We walked outside to say good bye and take a family photo but when we returned to the kitchen, Rebekah noticed something was wrong!  Duchess had jumped on to the table in the few minutes we’d been outside and consumed the entire cake!

We called the Sun Valley Animal Hospital immediately and Rebekah and Annabelle rushed Duchess there to get the cake (chocolate is very dangerous for dogs) out of Duchess’s stomach!  What a close call that was.

Our Bagel and Bread Eating Dog

Our entire family loves bagels and challah.  Duchess was no exception.  In fact she would jump up towards a counter and try to reach any bagels that were in plastic and eat the entire bag of bagels.  As the years passed, we knew never to leave bread where Duchess could get it.

Joel’s Tomato Soup Bowl From Panera and Duchess

One time Joel left a bread bowl full of tomato soup on the table for just a second.  When he returned, Duchess had consumed it. Duchess’s stomach is about the size of a bread bowl!

Passover and Thanksgiving were Duchess’s favorite meals

I remember preparing for holidays and Duchess would really get excited.  It almost seemed like she was saying, “Let’s get on with the wonderful food holiday.  Once I remember in Sun Valley her literally running to get my dad so the food festivities could begin!  She had such a happy and excited smile on her face!

Duchess Was in Annabelle and Ben’s Wedding - and a camp dog!

It is so wonderful that Duchess was part of Annabelle and Ben’s wedding and that she even signed the marriage certificate.  Not only that, she spent the summer of 2023 at Ramah in the Rockies and so everyone the camp which was where the wedding took place loved Duchess!

Duchess gets older

I don’t think I really accepted the fact that Duchess was getting older  My girls noticed and suggested I not take her on long hikes or scooter walks as much.  Duchess just seemed to still like to play and roll in the snow and acted like a baby.

Arthritis seemed to set in and we saw she limped a bit, but her appetite did not change until the last couple months of her life.  Dan and I had her with us in Sun Valley and when we noticed she wasn’t gobbling up her food, we took her to see Dr. Amber at Sun Valley Animal Hospital.  There we were told that Duchess’s kidney disease had worsened.  A month later Duchess became really sick and the entire family came to together in early February 2025.  It was decided that the kids would take her back to Colorado.  The love Duchess received from Ben, Annabelle, Rebekah, and Joel kept her alive for another month.  

We Will Forever Love Duchess

Duchess died at 5:25 pm on March 10, 2025.   We gave her a Jewish funeral.  She is forever in our hearts.  She had the best life and we miss her so, so much.

This Octopus was Duchess’s favorite toy

March 10, 2025 - Annablle, Ben, Rebekah, and Joel take Duchess to the park for the last time on the day she died

January 2025 - Duchess with Ben and Annabelle and Dan and I in Sun Valley

Spoiled cute Duchess

Tuesday, February 11, 2025 - The Last time all of us were together with Duchess

More Photo Memories of Duchess Below:

• Duchess Sarah Farris - October 31, 2011 to March 10, 2025

Scam Alert! “Corgis puppies for adoption group” on Facebook! - March 16, 2025

Notice that the group moderators suspended me from the group until April 9, 2025!

The day I knew my family’s sweet dog Duchess was going to die (3/10/25) I started looking at a Facebook group which I had been a member of called “Corgis puppies for adoption.”

Our sweet Corgi-Pomeranian Mix Duchess just before she died 3/9/25

That particular day one of that group’s moderators recommended someone name Marianne Hobson as a breeder who I could purchase a puppy from…so…

I texted Marianne Hobson via Facebook Messenger that morning and asked about the adoption process.

I was sent three photos of very cute looking Corgi puppies.  Marianne Hobson asked which of the puppies I liked, and I chose this one:

I was told that this cutie cost $800 and that there was a $300 deposit.  I was also asked some questions to screen me as a possible good Corgi owner.  I received a response that said I’d been approved.

At 5:25 pm, on 3/10/25, our sweet dog Duchess passed away.  In my sadness, I wrote Marianne Hobson via Facebook Messenger and told her I wished to proceed.  She sent me a Venmo account to send the deposit to.

I was all set to send the $300 deposit until I looked closely at the Venmo profile’s photo which did not have the name Marianne Hobson.  The Venmo profile was for a man, who was scary looking and holding up two hands with an obscene “the finger’ gesture!

There was NO WAY I was going to send any funds to this Venmo profile!

When I asked Marianne Hobson about why I was sent a Venmo profile and photo of a man, I was told the photo was of her husband.

Below is some of the Facebook Messenger conversation I had with “Marianne Hobson” :

I did speak to Devon Glenn that afternoon.  The phone call came from a VOIP burner phone that had the number +1 (720) 514-9320.  It was obvious Devon Glenn’s first language was not English.  He told me that for $800 plus $100 delivery fee the puppy could be mine.  Even when I asked how in the world the delivery fee was so low for a puppy to be sent to Idaho, he said something like “We want our puppy to go to good home and he and his wife would want to meet us.”  He said something like “Don’t worry..we are not going to cheat you.”  He mentioned the reason his wife could not call me was because she was at work.  That doesn’t make sense…wouldn’t she be home with her six and nine year old kids and the puppies?  He said he also had to get back to work.

I still was not convinced so I asked the administrators and also someone who said he’d successfully purchased a Corgi puppy from Marianne Hobson what their experience with her was.  

Below are some of those responses:

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Below are the Facebook profiles of the people who are the group administrators below:

What is also “fishy” is that Admin Marianne Hobson thanks the group for being a group for a year but according to her profile she just joined the group less than a month ago!

Today, 3/16/25, I wrote a group member who had won a corgi puppy from this group and the way he was scammed was worse than what I went through since he and his wife drove for over ten hours to an address in Charleston, West Virginia to pick up the puppy he won, but when they arrived the people at the address they were given knew nothing about Corgi puppies!

Now that I’ve written all of this down, I will report this puppy scam to Facebook and also I will figure out how to report to the police.  

Below are some of the cute photos that the group uses to get group members to fall for “their” scam:

One last thing to note:  My husband and I and the person who “won” a Corgi puppy all agree that the scammers all may be one person since the written correspondence is all in the same broken English and bad grammar style.

In addition, I’ve looked up Devon Glenn on Venmo.  He was paid two days ago, March 14, 2025 something for “Toby” from someone named Emily Tribley.  I hope she was not scammed.

Such cute photos - wish they were real