From Karen Sykes:
Kes
Kes
was the first dog that I ever had from a pup; all my other dogs had been
rescues. I was pleased to be able to
start from scratch to teach my new puppy all I knew. Little did I know how little I knew! Kes taught me more than any other dog I have
ever known, before or since! Thanks to
Kes we moved through Obedience into Agility, Working Trials, Herding and
Heelwork to Music. We also learnt
different methods of training, met lots of new people and forged some really
strong friendships. Kes has taken me to
places that I could only previously dream of.
If
truth be told, Kes was never an easy dog.
She could be moody, unpredictable and obstinate. She inspired me to look beyond my boundaries
for new things to do and different ways to train. She was my crossover dog from compulsive
training (which makes me shudder when I look back) to clicker training. We transformed together from a disjointed
couple to a real team working with mutual respect and a healthy dollop of
humour.
Kes
made many Crufts appearances and remained in the British Top Ten Freestyle dogs
throughout her competitive life. Allan
and I have received some wonderful tributes to her since her death from people
who knew her and from those who only ever saw her on video. We have now come to realise how much joy she
brought to so many people and also just how many people were inspired to take
up Freestyle having watched Kes perform.
She was a true ambassador for the sport.
But
more important than the competitions were the fun and games she brought to our
home life; she leaves us with so many happy memories. Whenever we had chance to go to the seaside
our trip was always enhanced by Kes’ absolute joy from the sand between her
pads and the waves up to her knees (never higher than her knees except by accident!) Kes loved to paddle in streams, rivers and
lakes but her absolute favourite was the sea.
Her trips to Anglesey were a real joy
for her.
On
Saturday 11th January we trained as usual in the morning; yes, Kes
at almost 16 years of age she still insisted on coming to the training hall for
a 10 or 15 minute session, sometimes running through her favourite routine ‘Me
Ole Bamboo’ and performing her repertoire of tricks. On the way home it appears that she had a
stroke and in spite of our best efforts it became time to say goodbye 48 hours
later.
I
am so grateful that we had such a long and happy life together; that she was so
fit right up until the very last part of her life and that we were able to show
her our last act of love by giving her sleep before she lost her dignity.
Kes
A big personality who has left a big hole
Those who knew her personally will
agree…
She was a hell of a bitch, in more ways
than one!
Puppy Kes
A Handsome OAP
A Fine Public Performance Aged 14
A Dip In The Sea
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment