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2007 Rainbow Bridge |
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2007 Rainbow Bridge |
 In this section:  On Agilitynet:                 
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Over the Rainbow Bridge
JANUARY 2007BARNABUS BLAZE
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| When I was looking for a second Beardie to join my Bobby,
I thought it would be nice to have a working beardie, as the three dogs I had owned up to
this time were from show stock. I believe it was Jo Sermon who told me about a litter of
working pups on a small-holding in Worcestershire. I drove up to look at them, but came away undecided as they all looked a bit scrawny. I had liked the puppy she called 'Doorstep' because he was always sitting on the steps which lead into the house. A couple of weeks later, I suddenly thought how stupid I had been not to buy a puppy as working Beardies were so hard to come by. I duly rang her to see if any were left, only to be told they had all gone bar Doorstep, but that someone might be coming to see him later in the day. I raced up to Worcester as fast as possible, knowing I had to have this puppy. Please let me get there first. I did... and the rest, as they say, is history. I loved Wurzel to bits. He was everything I could have wanted in a dog. He excelled at agility, winning the Spillers Prime Starters Dog of the Year title in June 1994. By the time he was three years old, he was a Senior. Even at Senior level, he continued to do well, and was only one win away from becoming Advanced when I had to retire him in 1999 as he had developed PRA, and was starting to loose his sight. |
Ode to Wurzel You can't buy loyalty, or so they say He made a deal, and on the spot Colin bought a single trusting heart, |
He was so full of life and, even with his failing eyesight, he continued to be a fantastic companion. It was only in his last couple of years of life that he became totally blind, but maintained a quiet dignity, right to the end.
He really was a one person dog. He had little interest in other dogs or people, and would only ever do agility for me. I remember Roger Brown trying to get him to run for him at Newlands in '1 Senior dog, 2 handlers' competition. Whilst I hid behind the tunnel, he ran straight to me, refusing to work for Roger even though he knew him well, and liked him.
Margot’s wonderful poem to Wurzel, posted on the Agility Forum just after his death epitomized everything I loved about him.
Now that he has gone, part of me has gone with him.
Rest in peace dearest Wurzel, I will never ever forget you.
Colin Skeaping
ROBBINIA BONNIE GIRL'Bonnie'
25 July 1993 - 14 February
2007
It is with great sadness we have had to say goodbye to Bonnie.
My
first agility dog, she was well known in her day for her noisy style of agility and her view of
no contacts were fast contacts.
Bonnie won me out of starters - obviously on a Jumping course - and had a great time in Novice
doing what she did best.
At home, she was my spoilt baby and my best friend. She is sadly missed.
She has gone to find Buddy, our Golden Retriever at Rainbow Bridge to play and sleep together again.
God bless and your always be in my thoughts.
Sue Alway
ROMELLVA DASHING
WATER
'Robb'
11 February 1993 - 20
February 2007
When I first got
you Robb, you changed my life forever.
You introduced me to new friends.
First to Agility people, then to my wife Roman who, with Poppy, came to live with me.
They brought along Willow with them who became your companion for the next 11 years.
She showed you
what running was all about.
You never made it to a Senior dog. You just couldn't get the jumping one.
it didn't bother me, Robbie. You were my pet dog and walking companion first... agility
dog second.
Mind you, you came home with stacks of rosettes and trophies!
Karl Pitwon
BARNEY RUBBLE OF VALGRAY
'Barney'
We had to say a very sad goodbye to Barney (Barney Rubble of Valgray) on Saturday, 10 February at the age of 16. He was our first foray into the world of Border Collies after having our two Goldies - Ben and Charlie, and Welsh Springer - Max, and he was Janine's one and only Agility Dog! He came to us on 'two-weeks approval' and obviously never left!
Miss you Barney xx
Janine, Barrie, Catherine & Chris Harvey
Yesterday
I took the hardest decision I have ever had to make when I had to say my last goodbye to Fozzie,
the best dog in the world ever (in my completely unbiased opinion.) He was my 'once in a
lifetime' dog and my soul mate. Until recently he was incredibly fit for an old boy and still
competing last year, but recent problems with his spine were causing him pain and partial
paralysis.
Fozzie came to me from the RSPCA having been a stray, aged about two. Despite being labelled a troublemaker, we bonded immediately and his only aim in life was to make me happy and be friends with everybody.
It was through Fozzie that I first became involved with agility and my life changed forever. He was never an agility superstar to anybody but me, only ever managing occasional placings, but he was a Clear Round Hound without rival (see Brags and Anti-brags 2003). Most people will probably remember him as the dirty old man who would hump my leg before, after, and frequently during every run, and he gave a complete new meaning to the rules of Box Pairs! He would always entertain any spectators and above all, we always had fun.
We never mastered his crate training, and I lost count of how many times he ate my lunch and all his titbits whilst in the car at shows; he was perfectly capable of unzipping the sports bag and opening the Tupperware without damaging either. This was finally resolved when I had the brilliant idea of keeping the food in the crate rather than the dog!
As he was the first dog I owned, Fozzie is the first dog I’ve lost and I never realised it would hurt so much. Thanks for all the messages from my friends who understand.
Sleep well, my man. You can never be replaced; I will always miss you, and never forget you. Now you can run, jump and play again without any pain and without falling over.
Lola
came to Linda Moore as an unwanted pup, from a rescue centre. Soon Linda started training Lola,
who was very willing, eager to please and quick learning, for agility. Together they gained a
lot of success, including winning the Burgess Supadog Finals in 2000. At Crufts 2002, at their
first outing there, they won the Eukanuba Mini Circular Knock-out and at Crufts 2003 Lola won
the coveted title of ‘Agility Champion’. She was one of the first few small dogs to gain this
title.
Due to personal reasons, Linda decided in 2003 that she would travel the world during the British winters and my wife and I had Lola for a few weeks during this first wintertime. Lola got on so well with our two JR X dogs Sky and Monty, that this became a permanent arrangement for the next few years.
Over the last four years we have had Lola with us for most of the time and she has been an absolute delight to look after, thanks mainly to Linda’s thorough training. Together Lola and I have had many small agility successes and we were ready to go to Crufts 2007 for the Eukanuba Mini Circular Knock-Out Finals in March. We also had many long walks, where Lola ran together with Sky and Monty, chasing deer and squirrels, and had loads of cuddles - only on her terms of course - just watching telly from the sofa.
Unfortunately Lola became unwell very recently and was found to suffer from an intra-abdominal tumour. After some further tests, she was operated on the very next day, when the cancer was found to be so widespread that euthanasia was the only reasonable option for her. We had to let her go. It was so hard to let go of such a sweet, loving little dog, one who was much too young to die and had so much still to look forward to, not in the least many long walks with her ‘real’ mum Linda, who is coming back to the UK in May.
We will always remember Lola as a very individual, sometimes a bit aloof, but very well trained, sweet, cute, pretty and simply lovely little dog! Sleep tight, Lola!
Peter van Dongen
 |
It is with a very sad heart that we have to tell you that our Bailey (Moonlight's Mr Midnight) will be given rest at the age of 14 years. Though he has been sick for only a short time, he has gone down hill very quickly. The vets can't do any more for him and, before he losses his dignity, we have decided to take him to the vets for the last time in the morning. He still wants to chase the ball but doesn't want to leave Jeff's side for longer than he has to. We are writing this to day as I don't think that we will be able to do it tomorrow. We will all miss him so much. |
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Till we meet again, old son.
Jeff & Chris Bolton
LUNARLITE PALE MOONLIGHT
‘Kevin’
4 February 1997 - 19
March, 2007
It
is with great sadness that my beloved Kevin was given sleep today.
In January a lump was felt in his stomach. He was immediately operated on and a large tumour removed. I did think all was well, however tests showed that Kevin had a very aggressive form of cancer and I was told he only had a matter of weeks.
Kevin was an exceptional dog and my best friend. I knew from the moment I saw him he was special. He was loyal, gentle, loving, and simply had the ‘X Factor’ that we regularly speak of. His work drive was second to none and always gave it his all, but more importantly he thrived on Agility.it was his passion and he was directly responsible for passing on that passion for agility to me.
As a young dog, he qualified for most of the major finals around at that time, and was an absolute joy to work. Unfortunately for Kevin, he developed blind spots in one of his eyes, this affected his ability to judge take off points for hurdles, and so his agility career was cut short. He retired from standard competition at four years old. Shortly after, Agility Aid introduced ‘Allsorts’ classes. This allowed Kevin to continue to enjoy agility safely. I will always be grateful for this opportunity, and my thanks go to Agility Aid for such a wonderful idea).
During his far too short life, Kevin sired a litter of fantastic puppies including Babs (Dagmar Edwards), Skylar (Alan Bray), Thomas (Helen Murphy), Willow (Margaret Kyriakou), Cassie (Mike Wyatt) and my Mikey (Elaine Auty). I have always been proud of all of them, and they will keep Kevin's spirit alive.
I cannot write this without mentioning Chris and Jeff Bolton who gave me such a wonderful puppy ten years ago. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I feel robbed that he has gone so young, but am sincerely grateful for the fantastic time we did have, and the fabulous memories he has left me. I know a day will not go by that I won't think of him.
God bless, my darling.
Elaine, Brian, Cookie, Tizzy, Mikey, Davey & little sis Tira
From
Chris, Jeff & Cathy Bolton
We have very sad
hearts tonight as we have just learned that our Kevin, who was loved and owned by Elaine and
Brian Auty, has just been given sleep after a huge fight to save him from cancer has failed. He
was that special dog and companion that we all hope for. He was Elaine's dog in a million -
a super agility dog, winning loads. He also won the Guinness Book of Records 60 pole
weave.
He was so much more to those who loved him. I will always remember how he would scream when every he saw us. We will never forget him. He is with his mum and dad now.
We would like to thank Elaine and Brian for all they did for him. He loved you guys so very much. Love hugs to you both.
WHITE SOKS
AND KNEE HIGHS
'Kez'
11 February 2005 (approx) – 14 February 2007
Kez came into our lives at Empingham show, Kesteven Rugby Club – hence her name - in July 2005. Rotherham, via Plymouth and Grantham – not a usual start in life.
She always loved her playmate Teal, a Fox Red Lab who was just a few days older than her. In fact, it soon got to the stage if you were not part of the 'in crowd' - and if you were a dog - you were going nowhere near Teal.
She happily tried anything Mum asked of her and even managed to win a Gundog Scurry last August. Funnily enough we always said she was an honorary gundog. She was the first 'non-proper' dog Mum took on.
As for a lot of other collies, Agility was Kez's passion. She could often be found in the field amongst the equipment, waiting for mum to come and play. I (Michelle) used to be able to have a laugh at her through the windows at work, too.
Sadly, just a few days after we celebrated her birthday she took fright and we lost her so we will never see her realise her true potential.
Sleep well little girl. You will live in our hearts (along with Princess T T) forever. Bye for now.
Eileen & Michelle
LEYANDERS TRUFFLE LASS
'Lass'
31 October 1994 -
23 April 2007
Although retired a few years ago due to hip problems, Lass has always loved coming to show and walking round the rings in the morning as I walk courses. Unfortunately after doing this at Wallingford this week end, enjoying the spring sun on her back, her body decided it had had enough. So with a very heavy heart we let her go this morning.
She is now with her old chums, Meg, Ace, Gel, Fly and Moss and the original Collie Crew are together again. Like the others she leaves a big hole and lots of happy memories.
Hilary, Peter & the Collie Crew
MEADOW RUE
'Aura'
18 November 1994 -
19 June 2007
In
her early years, Aura, a German Wirehaired Pointer, was a demo dog for hearing Dogs for
Deaf People, and assisted in various demos at Crufts, in front of Royalty and TV . During her
life she had peritonitis twice and shock. Because of this from the age of 18 months, she had to
be fed on a liquidised diet. She was never allowed to have chews, biscuits etc.
Aura was also an outstanding agility dog. She qualified for a number of finals, and she always got compliments from anyone who watched her run as she was a truly amazing girl.
All I hope now is that Aura, my baby girl, is sleeping well and in comfort as over the past two months she was incontinent due to a tumour which was growing in her stomach and was putting pressure on her bladder. Over the past week, it had got so large she could not eat or keep her food down as the tumour had filled up her tiny stomach. The time had come for me to make the decision as she was getting weak, and with all that she had done for me I owed it to her to let her go with dignity.
She drifted of in the sun chewing a chew she was never allowed. Her family were with her telling her how much we love her as she went to sleep.
Sleep well baby girl. You will always be in my thoughts.
Chris Allen & the gundog family
LUNARLITES JUST TRI
'Tri'
21 December 2006 - July 2007
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I don't know how begin to
tell you of the sadness we feel for our friends Cheryle and John Davis from the USA
who had Tri, one of our Lunarlite babies, home with them in March. Lunarlites Just Tri was just seven months old when, unbeknown to anyone, he swallowed a large stone. Cheryle acted very quickly at the first sign he was sick, but the vets did not detect the problem on two of the three x-rays they gave him. When they eventually operated, they found that his intestine were already damaged beyond repair and advised that he could not be saved. Cheryle had to make the sad decision to have him put to sleep. We can't begin to know how that feels. Our prayers, thoughts and love go out to her and John. We want to thank them for giving Tri such a wonderful home, full of love and funI It is just not fair to have your baby taken from you at such a young age and in such a awful way. Our love and thoughts are with you Cheryle and John. I have told your story in detail as I don't want any one else to go through the same distress. Please let this be a warning to all of you out there. Watch out for tones. And if the vets only suspects that there is something stuck, make them operate quickly. Chris, Jeff & all the Bolton family |
ALCO'S BRAW LASS
'Beauty'
25 August 1995 - 12 July 2007
You were one in a million. We are lost without you.
Goodnight sweetheart. Our hearts are with you.
Give Shep a big hug from us all.
Colette, Alan, Glen, Connie, Jaffa & Caoilte
YOGI LYTTON
'Fletcher'
19 November 2001 - 4 June 2007
It
is with utter sadness that I let you all know that my beloved, brilliant Fletcher passed away
on 4 June 2007. It was a sudden and very unexpected death, but the vet assures me he did not
suffer, for which I am thankful.
He was just 5 years old, full of energy, very loyal and absolutely loved agility. He was my first agility dog and we had a cracking time together. Who knew that taking my pet along to a few lessons would develop into a passion for us both, sometimes obsession! We burst onto the agility scene three years ago and have never looked back. He won out of Elementary in his first season, then out of Starters last year. He finished up in Grade 4 with his sights set firmly on Grade 5 this season. Came close sometimes too, if only the odd pole hadn't come down in all the excitement!
Fletcher gave me so much pleasure, on and off the course. He was my protector, my boy and I miss him everyday. I'd like to thank everyone at my club, UpAndOver Agility Dogs for all the support they have given me and my husband over the last few weeks. The cards, calls, visits and emails have all helped, and I thank each and every one of you. I'd also like to thank all the people who took the time to stop me at a show and compliment Fletcher's runs. He certainly caught people's eye, being such a big boy, but still so agile.
I won't be around for the rest of the season, but I wish you all the best of luck. Enjoy every run you do. We did. I have such great memories of all our achievements, the good, the bad and the if onlys. If only we could have one more run...
Michelle Spencer
SHELTYSHAM SWAGA
'Rob Poingdestre'
15 May 1995 - 5 May 2007
It is with great sadness that we had to say goodbye to Rob, after a short illness. He was Chris’s second agility dog, and although not a quick dog, he managed 26 placings and another 40 clear round rosettes, on our twice-yearly trips to the UK.
They got to the DIN Starters Final, three years running, the first in 1998, where they came 28th In 1999, they came 5th and then in 2000 they came 3rd, pushed down from second, because Chris had won the final, with his other dog Meg.
Unfortunately, the following years were spent in Novice and he was never quick enough to qualify. In 2004, we retired him from full height jumping, and he had a couple of years, enjoying the Any Size Jumping and Veteran classes at home. He even got a 15th placing in the Any Size Jumping at the Easter Celebration in April 2006.
This year he was diagnosed with cancer. After a wonderful holiday for him at the Easter Celebration Show - it was during the Jersey Agility Festival - that we had to say goodbye to him. We would like to thank everyone there, for helping us get through the pain of losing him that weekend.
He has gone to join Bodie at Rainbow Bridge to await out arrival and not a day goes by that we don’t think of him. Sleep Well Rob
Di & Chris Poingdestre
CANONBALL CLYDE
'Clyde'
24 March 1995 - 31 April
2007
Clyde lost his battle with cancer on Monday, 30 April 2007. He had been off colour shall we say for a few months. The vet performed the test that she did when she first diagnosed his bladder cancer and found it to be back in his bladder and elsewhere so he was sadly put to sleep to avoid any suffering.
I never thought we could bond and have an even closer relationships but taking up agility through tragic circumstances strengthen that bond even more. I think it gave him a reason to live after his sister died. Call my soppy, but I also think it gave him, amongst others, a reason to fight his cancer. I am a firm believer in if dogs aren't ready to go they won't. If they are willing to fight, then you should give them every chance.
He still loved his weekends at the shows right up until the end. When the time came and he had had enough, he told me. I could see it in his eyes. That last night we spent together was very special to us both. When I took him in for his test to be done we both knew it was the last time we would see each other. I could tell by the way he walked calmly into the vets, normally a bag of nerves and looked for his favourite vet who had seen him through his illness from start to finish.
i would just like to thank you for placing his story on your site originally the idea was to give the owners of older dogs a bit of morel support and to show that they are still capable evan with age or illness to have a bit of fun the lovely thing is in his last ever show at the end of last season he gained a 2nd place in a veterans class i was so proud of him and always will be.
Dawn Davies
CAROLROSE STEDEY EDDIE
'Fly'
1994-2007.
After
15 months fighting the cancer which started in his mouth, and the vets success in removing it
then, we had to make that awful decision to let Fly go when the cancer returned with vigour and
left him tired and weakened.
In his 13 years, he had a roller-coaster of a life, with Perthes taking a hand at the age of ten months. After the operation which involved removing the ball at the top of his back right leg, it left him with reduced mobility. Although Dorothy ran him at first, we had a swap around of dogs, and within a year of running him, he was Advanced! It was an uphill struggle with a laid-back Poodle, who wasn't the brightest star on the planet!
He has been to Crufts five times, and won Mini/Maxi pairs with Heather Noddle and Dexter, Olympia twice, and was part of the Midi team to go to Germany in 2002, at the age of 8 1/2. He won the Agility Eye Mini Dog of the North for five years, advanced and overall twice, Agility Voice Mini Dog twice and Veteran Handler, Jersey Dog of the Year, and Supa-Dog runner-up. The last time he went to Crufts he was almost 11, but unfortunately a year later measured Medium< At 12 1/2 retired at the end of last year.
We were sad to say goodbye to our brave and faithful little dog who always gave of his best. Sleep peacefully.
Clive & Dorothy Foden
BROOKSBID CALL ME MADAM
'Gracie'
26 March 1991 - 25 August 2007
Litter sister to Comic Capers and Country Classic.
Well named, Number 1 dog from the start, now busy arranging all the Angels in heaven.
Run free, beautiful girl
Love you always.
Jacky & Julian Lloyd, Moss & all at Brooksbid
IDADOUN BLACK 'N BASHFUL
'Penny'
May 1996 - August 2007
Thank you Pen for all those wonderful years we had together.
You gave me one of the proudest moments in my life when we got to Crufts in 2004.
You taught me so much and gave me so much and you fought until the end. When you no longer
wanted to eat, I knew you had had enough.
Sleep well - you deserve to be at peace now.
Hilary, Bru, Jude & Ace +
NOARENGER ELOISE
'Zeta'
22 November 1992 - 3
September 2007
After Zeta was born the
mould was broken.
It was a privilege to work her at Agility Shows.
She was so full of life and will be sorely missed.
Kath & Arnold Moore
REAGA
1989-2007
My poor, sweet boy lost his fight with cancer today, aged 18
years and 10 months.
He was amazing for his age, still able to run, hear and see.
Everybody always asked me if I was sure when they asked me his age.
I rescued him when he was two years old. He lay scared, beaten
and starved in a Welsh council pound.
It was 2 days before Christmas, and he was due to be destroyed Christmas eve as he was a
dangerous dog (so my mum and I were told!)
Many people told me to give up on him, that he was
unpredictable and would never come right.
All I can say to this is that for the last 17 years I have had the most wonderful, loyal,
loving dog that anybody could ever find!
Today I feel lost and empty as it feels like he has always been with me.
Run free and be happy, my loyal companion.
Love forever
Leah, Jay & the rest of your pack x
ZELLIK INDIANNA BEAR
'Indi'
27 May 1993 - 19
October 2007
I hold him dearly in my heart,
And there he will remain,
To walk with me,
Though out of my life,
Until we meet again.
Hugs to our Moss.
Love Mum Dad Blitz, Chase & Shadow.
THEO DESTRUCTO
'Theo'
November
1999 - 6 October 2007
With regret we mourn the passing of a dog with a great character, a one-off who at eight years old had never, ever grown up and wasn't going to!
A spleen removal five months ago led unfortunately to a secondary liver cancer. We had worked at the Lincoln Show the weekend before and thanks to the organisation of the show, Theo had a great time. But liver cancer works fast - too fast - and on Saturday morning he was bad. He'd even slowed down, so we knew he was very ill and a blood test confirmed it. The decision was made!
Our special one went to
sleep.
Rest in peace my man. You've earned it.
Dennis & Jean Croydon
MEEANDERING TOO JALUS
'Paige'
13 June 1994 - 5 October 2007
Gone so suddenly but never forgotten.
Bev Manners
LIENHEATH SO SMART
'Tina'
16 March 1992 - 6 October
2007
On
Saturday we had to make the decision to let Tina go to sleep. She was just over 15˝ years of
age.
In 1993 Dave and Chris Hurst approached us to see if we would consider giving a home to a Border Collie who had been in training with Guide Dogs. She was 16 months old and soon to graduate but failed her final test by chasing a cat when in harness! This confirmed that she would not meet the standard. Doubts had already been raised when she insisted on weaving in and out of slow moving traffic with her handler in blindfold instead of waiting kerbside for a proper gap. This was typical of Tina. She was a very determined girl and a very loyal one.
Andy had a lot of fun with her over the years and she won into Senior shortly before having to retire early due to arthritis in her front legs. She was never a good traveller and, as she got older, this got worse so we used to leave her with my Mum for weekends. When Mum lost her own dog, Tina decided (then aged 12) to move in permanently with Mum and my step-father Ed, much to their delight and her satisfaction. She had a wonderful retirement with them and came to us for holidays.
Mum and Ed rescued another dog soon after Tina moved in and they became inseparable. When Mum was taken ill this year, it soon became apparent that Ed couldn’t cope with the dogs by himself so the plan was that Tina would come home to us and Ellie would go to my brother Dan and his partner Michaela. This didn’t work out as Tina immediately pined for Ellie, and we collectively decided that they should stay together. Dan and Mac took both dogs on as we already had six of our own. We will always be grateful to them for looking after Tina in her last months, ensuring that she could spend this time with her best friend Ellie.
Tina had a wonderful, long life and has left a huge hole for all of us now that she is gone. She was such a character you couldn’t ignore her. It's so difficult to let them go, but we know the time was right for her.
Sleep peacefully old friend. You will always be in all our memories.
Andy, Nancy, Dan, Mac, Grandma & Grandad
OUSEVALE JOHNSTON
'Fergus – The White Tornado'
11 November 1994 - 4 October
2007
|
Fergus was unique,
not only as a one off Goldie on the agility circuit noted for his power and speed, |
Mike Stonehouse
MOONLIGHT IT'S A BOLTON
'CJ'
November 1992- November 2007
I have to tell you all of the loss of one of my favourite babies from our old line. He was Malcolm Read's C J -one of the most over the top , in your face, fast 'n crazy for agility boy, but most of all one of the most loving and loveable dogs I have bred to date.
I will never forget the screams of delight he made whenever he saw us. He'd never have all four feet on the floor at the same time. I am going to miss he so much. He had just had his 16th birthday.
I can not thank Malcolm and Netty enough for loving my baby boy the way they did. You are just perfect owners and I thank God that he gave us such good friends as you two. I know the pain that they are going through at the moment, but I hope that Taylor and the other dogs will ease it a little and, if we are lucky enough to have pups from Disney this time, that the one you pick will have a little of CJ in him.
Thinking of Malcolm and Netty at this sad time.
Chris, Jeff, Cathy & Ashleigh Bolton
DRIFTWAY SAM
23 October 1993 – 24
November 2007
Missing you Sam, even though you were a little b*****r!
You started both Catherine and Christopher in Agility.
Yyou tried your best but always managed to miss that last jump when it really mattered!
Janine, Barrie, Catherine & Chris Harvey xx
TILA CEBULA
aka 'The Chicken!'
Sadly we had to say goodbye to our spotty girl Tila on the 10 December. She filled our lives with chaos, despair, sometimes frustration but always with so much love and laughter!
She was my first Agility dog and we started training at our local club with Chris running Demi purely as a bit of fun, but soon enough she was surprising our instructors by proving there was more to a Dalmatian than pure good looks. Thanks to Tila we were introduced to the world of Agility and have never looked back!
She never got a sniff of Crufts or Olympia but gave a few collies a run for their money back in her Starter days. She loved Helter Skelters, mainly because she could simply run and enjoy! I still have a board full of rosettes which mean as much to me as an Olympia win because she was my girl and I loved her. Her retirement came when Pagan, my young dog won her out of Starters and she enjoyed her retirement to the full!
I am so grateful that, although sudden, the end came peacefully and she didn't suffer. At 15 1/2 she had an amazing life and gave me so many happy memories. Most fond were our holidays in Scotland. She made it for one last visit in October were she had a new lease of life still walking up to five miles a day with the others.
Goodbye, baby. See you at Rainbow Bridge. My god, I hope they know what's coming!
Mum, Dad, your best mate Demi, Jazz, Pagan, Inca, Druid & Pilgrim
TRAGUS COPPERMILL
'Chester'
November 1993-December 2007
I have just had
to make the hardest decision in my life.
Although Chester was still mentally very alert, due to degeneration of the spine, his back legs
were getting weaker by the day.
He was definitely my once in a lifetime dog and we had a lot
of fun together.
Apart from being placed 1st in the breed ring his other moments of fame at Crufts were his
participation in scent hurdling and ABC agility demonstrations at Crufts.
Liz Stedman
ECHO BEECH FARAWAY OUTA SITE
'Echo'
1992-2007
Echo had her last run on 30 November 2007 - just a few weeks before her 15th
birthday.
You can chase after anything now.
An end of an era.
Les Wills
| When an animal dies that has been especially close to
someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our
special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and
sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable
All the animals who have been ill and old are restored to health and vigour; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; his eager body begins to quiver. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet. You cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together... Author Unknown |
Petloss.com, Grief is the normal response to any important loss in life. Psychologists have long recognized that the grief suffered by pet owners after their pet dies is the same as that experienced after the death of a person. The death of a pet means the loss of a non-judgmental love source. Given time, healing will occur, but in the meantime give yourself permission to grieve - only you know what your pet meant to you - and surround yourself with people who understand your loss. If you've recently lost your 'best friend.' you can express your feelings with a tribute on Agilitynet. You are not alone.
More
about the The Pet Bereavement Support Service
PBSS is available from The Blue Cross website
and via the Society of Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) website
where they have a memorial site. You can download leaflets for adults and children. The
children's leaflet is very good and practical and I have handed it out to teachers and parents
of children at the school I work in (Special Needs). The help line no. is tel. 0800 096 6606.
The service is also supported by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, so
it is a 'professional' setup. There is a course that one can do to become a bereavement
counsellor too. Fiona Thompson
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Barney
came into my life 16 years ago. He was a tiny black terrier about five months old. I called him
Barnabas which means 'encourager.' He had been given to the RSPCA because his owners had found
him too disobedient. They felt their Christmas would be more peaceful without him. I soon found
out what they meant! He was very lively .
My
poor old Tweed, he's gone to join all his mates, half brothers and uncles. I hope now he can
rest peacefully. I miss him dreadfully - still stepping over him in the kitchen and asking him
to move, 'cos he always had a knack of laying in front of the cupboard you wanted to get into!
I don't know whether its the fact of now being down to just two dogs but Izzy and Shady seem to
miss him as well. They still wait for him to get out the car to go for a walk. 
To
contact Agilitynet 
