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If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then I want to go where they went...
Will Rogers
 Agility
is the ultimate partnership between dog and handler. It's a pastime that can
become an addiction. It takes time and devotion and the bond between dog and
handler is great.
For many of us, our lives revolve around
our dogs and their loss can be devastating, and
saddens us all. Take a minute to reflect and
celebrate the lives of the dogs and people who have left us.
Until we meet again...
For anyone having to cope with loss, agility competitor and pet
bereavement counsellor Emma-Jane LaRoche writes about this sad and
difficult time and how to deal with it. See her
article on Bereavement
If you would like your friends
to know about your loss your beloved friend and agility dog - whether it be a
Crufts winner or family pet - send your tribute along with a picture of your
friend to Agilitynet
2023
Riko
Astra Riko
24th February 2011 - 2nd April 2023
Today I can write without
tears blurring my eye.
Riko (aka ReRe or Ginger Nuts) was my first Collie. He was a very special boy to
me.
I was very spoilt with
him. He very gently introduced me to 'the maddness of collie owners.' In the
beginning, thought well this is a piece of P*ss. Its easy. What are these
folks going on about. Little did I know he was Mr Chilled. Not much bothered him
except puppies. He hated puppies. He loved people. That is probably an
understatement. Anyone who came to my house ended up wearing him
especially Pauline and Lisa. He would do anything to get to you, although he
couldn't quite work out the swing chair.
He was brilliant at sheep
work and he was really good at Agility for the short time he did it. His weaves
were even quicker than my other dogs.
Then he had that horrible
back injury when he popped a disc. He was only four years old at the time, and
that was the end of his agility career. He had major surgery which back then
cost more than 5000 quid. A this point, money didn't come into it. He was my boy
and was having that surgery even if I had to do a bank job.
This is when his laid back
approach to life really kicked in.
He was crated in a puppy pen for 22 hours of the day and only let out to wee and
five minutes exercise to start with. I followed the surgeons rules up to the
full stops! He was such a good boy. He recovered but was never the same. While
he had a few struggles but overall he was so happy.
Whenever he met someone, he
pulled out all the charm. You couldn't help but love him.
I loved him with every bone
in my body. He was a huge presence in the house, and I miss him so very much. I
wish he was here now, with his head on my leg whilst I show you all how gawgeous
he was.
Sweet dreams my Ginger Nut.
I loved you on this earth, and I will love you just as much over that there
Rainbow Bridge.
We will meet again soon...
that I am sure.
Shellie Smith
Karva-A
Karva-A, my beautiful Golden Retriever, went to
sleep for the last time just a few days before his 15th birthday.
He was the happiest of dogs and sired some lovely
puppies including Kookie who is here with me now.
Thanks to everyone who trained him, ran him in
competitions. judged him and awarded his all his many rosettes and trophies. And
to everyone who patted, stroked and admired him, thank you.
Karva-A wagged his tail all his life and he was
still wagging it at the very end.
Forever loved, never forgotten.
Ann Smith
2022
Myndoc Minstrel for Craygill AW/G RL6 P-Beg Ex (aka Scott)
18th March 2005 1st August 2022
Scott was my constant shadow
for 17 years. He has gone to join his particular, tiny, companion Glen (Ag.Ch.
Japaro Cool Jazz at Craygill AWD RL6 P-Beg Ex).
He was my first G7 dog and he
gained two Reserve Agility Tickets. He was regularly successful at Crufts with
his much loved agility team and placed in his Crufts Singles final. He
also, reached the top of Rally and enjoyed obedience.
Most of all,
Scott was a family dog, never happier than when he had everyone around.
He
leaves a big hole
in our lives, but so many wonderful memories.
Jean Tuck
Oakley
2009 - 2022
Our gorgeous,
handsome Oakley passed away on 30th July, aged 13 years 3 months.
He lived for agility.
We miss Oakley so
much, but we were so pleased to have him for our 60th wedding anniversary
on 7th July 2022.
We are absolutely
heart-broken.
Diana & Tony Daniels
Mystic Music Box
aka Mad Bag
2009 - 2022
On 10th
February, we said our last goodbye to my beautiful, crazy Holly dog. My house
and walks will never be the same again.
We
all miss you so much. You are free to run and meet up with Fudge and Tilly now.
You
will always be with me.
Bee Palmer
Poppet the Rocket
2004 -2022
RIP my wonderful, happy, funny and comical
little girl, loved by hundreds.
Poppet and I were members of the Senior
Agility League for many years, and she became one of the first little dogs to be
inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Agility was great fun for both of us. On many
occasions, Poppet entertained the audience with her slow, slow, slow first half
and then quick, quick, quick to the end with all clapping her. Her last agility
one in June 2021 which was a clear round at age 17 and the second of her five
trick award at Dig It Dogs.
2021
Hula
27th March 2007 to
27th July 2021
It's with mixed emotions that I'm saying
farewell to my best buddy for the past 14 years. Hula achieved so much in her
agility career, qualifying for many finals. Her last was winning the Adams
Veterans Final.
 She was an amazing girl, full of drive and
enthusiasm. She always gave her very best for me.
Hula
was a loving pet with a huge personality that will be missed.
She's now at peace and I'm sure sharing many
funny stories with my other amazing GWPs.
Rest in peace Huhu. You'll be missed by all,
especially Josh.
Always thinking of you.
Chris Allen
Bryning Vanquish
'Tico'
9th November 2009
- 8th July 2019
Five months ago, Tico's physiotherapist
noticed his lymph nodes were enlarged. Tests confirmed Lymphoma. It's not
something you can cure - only treat and Lymphoma is terminal.
Saying goodbye is never easy. In my life,
I've had many dogs and I've always wanted them to live forever.
I was going to be living with a time bomb.
Would it be weeks, months or perhaps a year? How much time would I have to
prepare for the inevitable?
As far as Tico was concerned, there was
nothing amiss. When I looked at him, I saw a dog that was immensely powerful and
approached life at 100 miles an hour... a canine rocket. Combining this with his
single-mindedness and collie craziness and you had one hell of an amazing dog.
He looked fit and healthy. The diagnosis was so unfair.
So I chose to make Tico's remaining time on
Earth as much fun as possible. Every day would count. I would make sure he had
no regrets, that we shared as much as we possibly could and that we said to each
other everything we wanted to say.
 The
bucket list was born
He has had an ice cream cone. He has had his portrait taken and he has swum in
the sea. He has revisited his favourite walks. He has competed in an Agility
class and he has qualified for the Freestyle Crufts Semi-Finals 2020. He has
caught, killed and eaten a rat, a black bird, a pigeon and a squirrel. He has
had a go at rally training, tried his luck at some obedience exercises and
learned a few new freestyle moves. He has stayed in his favourite hotel, made
himself at home in a sea side holiday cottage and had a caravan escape to
Cornwall. We have had fun!
During our time together, Tico and I have
done many things that I never thought possible, but we hadn't done it all. I
have learned that no matter how much time you have to prepare to loose your pet,
it is never enough. Your heart shatters and the pain is simply unbearable. Your
inside is knotted and the tears just keep rolling down your cheeks. My blue boy
with the big ears and huge tongue put up a brave fight but he was never going to
win.
Tico, I will never stop loving you.
Mary Ann Nester
Atompol Griff Sevi
19th July
2012 16th June 2019
My life and my home
are so quiet without you in it.
You were one in a
million.
My Little Sevi
Sausagemeat, with a big heart and a big personality to go with it.
Run free little man
with Jaeger and Ski.
Cathy
Benfield
Photo
by Simon Peachey at Wise Camp 2018
Izzy Gone But Not Forgotten
Whizzy Izzy at Willowmoon AW/G
12/7/07 22/5/18
It still feels like
yesterday, the pain hasn't gone away.
I still miss you like crazy, I wanted you to stay.
The hurt is still
there. It just won't go away,
I think about you constantly, every single day.
It was always you
and Daisy, no matter where I went,
You were always there, right by my side, at agility events
It's been a year
already, I haven't counted days.
You left us so suddenly that sunny day in May.
Our walks are now so
different without you taking charge,
But the memory of life with you will be forever in my heart.
Shirley Elkins
Today we said goodbye to Didi, one of our
beloved poodle family.
Run free Didibop x
Ru, Nikki and Megan Baker
Whizzy Izzy at Willowmoon AW/G
'Izzy'
12/7/07 22/5/18
Taken
suddenly and very unexpectedly while playing in the garden on 22nd May 2018.
My love for blue merle collies began when I
purchased Izzy from a farmer for £80.
The only blue merle in the litter, fluffy
with semi blue eyes - just wanting to be taken home.
She was a little darling from day one and was definitely a mummy's girl. She
came everywhere with me.
As an agility dog she was quite consistent and won up to Grade 5.
She qualified for Crufts YKC with my daughter Naomi, and they did really well on
the day coming 5th.
She had an obsession with watching flies, even when there weren't any. She knew
it. I knew it. It's called OCD.
Rest in peace Izzy. watch and chase them
flies all day long.
Forever in my heart.
Shirley Elkins
Learn To Fly
'Bella'
1/5/2004 - 29/7/2018
For
those who saw Bella in her prime, she was something very, very special.
Trained
and handled expertly by my sister Amanda Ellerton - also occasionally by her
husband Ray Ellerton - she scaled the heights by winning at Crufts and Olympia
and gaining many, many Grade 7 wins against the Collies. In the twilight of her
career, I ran her successfully in AnySize regularly winning despite the
tremendous drag factor of me running her!
She
remains the fastest dog we'll ever own.
Bella
was a real matriarch but tolerated the young and foolish, too.
She went
over the rainbow bridge at Derbyshire Agility show late Saturday night / early
Sunday morning (July 28th) which is rather fitting for the supreme competitor
she was.
Love
you, Bella. You were a total one off.
Dom Cotton
Andsal Young Rascal
Woody
Woody went to Rainbow
Bridge on Easter Monday after a short illness.
He was eight years
old and had only being doing agility for a couple of years. He loved it although
he wasn't very good, one 9th place rosette.
We spent Easter at
Norfolk Easter Show, where he spent the weekend in the caravan which he loved
and he got to chase his tennis ball.
Louise Furniss
Witchdancer Magic Moonbeam
Sapphire
Gay Tunnicliffe would
like her friends at Agilitynet to know that following a short and unexpected
illness she has lost Sapphire, her tricoloured Rough Collie. It was so quick
that it has been a great upset for Gay and all who knew her.
Sapphire loved her
agility and won out of Grade 1, ending in Grade 3. She would often sing/talk to
us especially when queuing to enter the ring or whilst doing her weaves at
agility. She absolutely loved cheese and would go mad for it, especially in the
caravan when we were camping at agility shows.
Gay bred Sapphire so
is very special.
Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge where our
much loved pets go when they die. At the Rainbow Bridge, there are beautiful
meadows and grassy hills where they can run and play together. There's always
plenty of their favourite food to eat, fresh spring water for them to drink, and
every day is filled with sunshine. All the pets that had been ill or old are now
restored to health and youth. Those that had been hurt or maimed are now whole
and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone
by.
The pets we loved are
happy and content except for one small thing. Each one misses someone very
special who was left behind.
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