| Cilla
came to live with us at the age of ten when her owners could
no longer look after her in the wake of their divorce. She
quickly became the undisputed queen of the pack, ruling all
with her iron will and a glance of her blue eyes. She was
beautiful, intelligent, calm and convinced of her utter
superiority over the rest of creation.
She was the most accomplished lead dog
I have ever had the pleasure to work with, and she led my
team in competition until she was 14, when I had to retire
her from the faster team - much to her annoyance. From then
Cilla led the older pack members on regular outings and
enjoyed herself enormously.
Cilla kept the younger pack members
in order and retained their utter respect right up to the
end of her life - even the ones who had never known her when
she was very active ran squealing when she chased them up
the hallway.
Although Cilla had never lived in a
house before she came to live with us, she gradually became
used to the idea, and eventually claimed a sofa as her
personal relaxing area. She never really took to strangers,
but she was very attached to me and was good company around
the house as well as an inspiration on the trail.
Cilla passed away suddenly in June
2007. A dear, special, wonderful girl who taught me so much
and asked for so little in return. My deepest regret is that
I wasn't able to share those early years of her life before
she came into my life.
Dear elegant lady, I hope that I
came up to your expectations as a friend - you amply
fulfilled all of mine. Wear your silver harness with pride,
my sweet girl. |
