Showing posts with label Ceilidh. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

Wordless Wednesday - Fur Angels

Duffy

Gryffon

Ceilidh

Tucker

Beckett

Keltic

Sunday, August 1, 2021

Silent Sunday

Remembering those dogs I have loved and lost. I could have missed the pain but I'd of had to miss the dance.

Keltic

Beckett

Ceilidh

Tucker

Duffy

Gryffon

Candle Lighting 2021 Video

Monday, March 2, 2020

Dr Seuss Day

“Remember me and smile, for it's better to forget than to remember me and cry.”

Starpath's Glenmohr Duffy, call name Duffy

Dierenfriend's Nicky's Shadow, call name Gryffon

Dierenfriend's Maddie's Tucker, call name Tucker

Kelbren's Ceilidh Everlasting, call name Ceilidh

Triadic's Glenciaran Beckett, call name Beckett

So many memories and smiles because it happened.

Happy Dr Seuss Day!

Thursday, March 8, 2018

Thoughtful Thursday - Tributes

I have tributes to my furkids that have passed over to the Bridge on a web site called In Memory of Pets and links to their tributes are on my blog page. About a month ago, I tried the links and they did not work. I was upset at the loss as those words, written in a time of grief, were a powerful memory for me and I hadn't thought to save what I had written anywhere else. Well, today I tried one of the links again and it still didn't work but it brought me to a newly designed web site and I was able to find my tributes to Duffy, Gryffon, Ceilidh and Tucker.

So in order not to lose them once again, I'll copy them here.

Duffy

May 25 1988 ----- February 10 2000

I miss you Duffy.

From the first time I saw you

you were mine.

We had so many good times.

You were the most friendly beautiful soul I've ever met.

Trusting and loving

you were the most faithful of friends and my best friend.

I wanted to be with you at the end

but you picked your own time to go.

Gryffon misses you too.

love,

Momma

Gryffon

November 22 1994 ----- August 23 2002

My buddy, my friend.
So shy, most people didn’t know the real you.
Boundless energy,
you were always ready to play!
Boundless love,
you were always ready for a cuddle or to
give me a big hug!

Gone from my life,
you’ll never be gone from my heart!
I miss you and Tucker misses you too.

Love forever,

Momma

Kelbren Ceilidh Everlasting

January 21 2003 ----- 26 May 2010

My little princess

Spin, dance, prance,

Your joy for life was ever present.

Quiet with your affection,

I always knew you were my girl.

Loud in your opinion,

It always seemed I let you have your way.

I miss your beautiful tail, sparkling eyes, and happy smile,

You were such a beautiful girl.

I miss your exuberant greetings,

Our home is so quiet without you.

Although it hurt deeply to let you go,

I knew it was the right thing for you.

My wonderful, crazy Ceilidh,

You’ll be Everlasting in my Heart.

Love,

Momma, Tucker and Beckett

Tucker

October 31 2000 ----- August 23 2012

My Steadfast little man,

so loyal and true,

these are just a few words that describe you,

Thoughtful and wise,

I’ll never forget your soulful eyes.

Cool and brave,

It was your best effort that you always gave.

Trusting and smart,

even though we’re now apart,

You’ll be forever in my heart.

Miss you so much Boo!!

Momma, Beckett and Keltic

Monday, May 26, 2014

Mish Mash Monday

Been thinking about my baby girl this past week; it's been four years since I lost her, I don't feel the pain of her loss any more but sometimes just a little like something is missing.

Kelbren Ceilidh Everlasting - 21 Jan 2003 to 26 May 2010

Ceilidh - Apr 2003

Ceilidh - AAC Nationals 2009

Ceilidh in the snow

My beautiful girl!

Gone from my sight but forever in my heart!

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

My Fur Kids!

For my 300th blog post, I'm remembering all my fur kids with their baby pictures. It's my first attempt at a collage. I really have to learn to work with the photo editor software that I have but it didn't turn out too bad.

Clockwise starting top left:

Ceilidh, my second bi-black and, to date, my only little girl, wonderful crazy Ceilidh gone too soon.
Duffy, my first Sheltie, the one who started this addiction.
Keltic, my youngest, my wild child, but he'll grow up one day.
Beckett, my cuddly handsome boy and my second Agility Champion.
Gryffon, my first bi-black, couldn't live without a bi-black now, so handsome, he also was gone too soon.
Tucker, my second sable, my first agility dog and first Agility Champion.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

Monday, January 21, 2013

Ceilidh Remembered

Today, marks what would have been Ceilidh's 10th birthday. She's been gone over two years now and I still find that I miss her, some days just terribly. Maybe it's because her life was cut short or maybe because I just miss her quiet presence.

As quiet as she was (most of the time anyway), she was a little firecracker in the agility ring. She gave me some of my most memorable runs and not necessarily for the Q's but for the energy she brought to the game. My most memorable run was her first Masters Jumpers run which was her first Masters Q. I felt throughout the run that I was seeing it a split second before it happened, it was like watching a movie, but at the same time I felt we were connected by a band from my chest to hers, every little move I made was reflected in her movement. The last three jumps of the run were straight down one side of the ring and there this connection ended and I watched her fly away from me to clear those last three jumps. I never told anyone for months about how the run had felt to me, I thought that they would think me crazy or something. It was the most exhilarating feeling; every run since then has been to see if I could once again be so in sync with my canine partner and feel that way again. Ceilidh's last Q, a fantastic Snooker run gave me very nearly the same feeling; maybe she wanted to leave me with that wonderful feeling once again.

Ceilidh - 2007 AAC Ontario Regionals

Ceilidh - 2009 AAC Nationals

Ceilidh - 2009 AAC Ontario Regionals

Ceilidh and I were lucky enough to qualify for Nationals before she passed away. She even managed a 7th place finish in one event at Nationals, surprisingly in Gamblers the one event in which she never got a Masters Q. There's a lot to be said for no refusals in the Main Gamble.

This year Beckett surpassed her on the AAC Top Dogs list and that made me a little sad, not because he had passed her but because SHE wasn't still running the agility game. I'm sure she would have been an awesome little veteran dog, who may have even finally achieved her ATChC (darn those stupid Gamblers); but in any case she still is the Champion of my Heart.

Ceilidh Dreams

Ceilidh was not one who liked to be picked up and hugged, her idea of a cuddle was to rest her muzzle on my thigh and let me scratch her gently behind the ears, besides running in the agility ring with her, I think I miss that the most. I dreamt of Ceilidh last week but in my dream her name was Joy; that's pretty fitting though as she was a joy to me.

I'm sure she'll be waiting for me at the Bridge but today I hope she's having a wonderful party to celebrate her 10th birthday.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Deja Vu

In the summer of 2004, I took Ceilidh and Tucker to Presqu'ile Provincial Park. We stopped and camped in Presqu'ile on the way home to Angus, Ontario, following a trip down east to visit my folks. I took pictures of them on the old Marsh Board Walk, just as this year I took pictures of Beckett and Keltic on the new Marsh Board Walk. The old Marsh Board walk was condemned the summer after these photos were taken and the new one was opened in 2007.

Tucker and Ceilidh - July 2004

Presqu'ile old Marsh Board Walk

Beckett and Keltic - Aug 2012

Presqu'ile - new Marsh Board Walk

I guess this does show the more things change, the more they stay the same and that life does go on.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

True Colours - Aqua

Alright, I said I was going to post earlier so here it is my True Colours - Aqua blog post. Aqua wasn't too hard to find, at last, one colour that I didn't have to struggle to find.

Caithness Glass paperweight

Caithness Glass

My first selection is one of my Caithness Glass paperweights. I think they are so cool. While I was in the military I was posted to England and when I was there I had the opportunity to vacation in Scotland. On my vacation, one of the places I visited was the Caithness Glass factory. I bought a glass bowl at the factory with two dogs, that look like Shelties to me, playing ball etched into it. I also bought a number of limited edition paperweights mostly at the American PX as their prices were so good.

Cheerios Thomas the Tank Engine

My second choice is a Cherrios Thomas the Tank Engine that my Dad got by sending in box tops from Cheerios cereal boxes. He got me one as well but a little black dog, named Beckett, chewed mine badly; so I gave away the engine which was still in pretty good shape. When my Dad passed away last year, it was one of his things that I decided to keep.

Ceilidh Starter Games and Advanced Games Dog Title ribbons

And my third choice, but it's not the least important to me, are Ceilidh's Starter and Advanced Games ribbons. Funny that they were both earned at the same agility club. Ceilidh loved agility and started off getting her Starter Agility Dog title in just 5 months, but these two titles took another 2 and half years to acheive. She was so exuberant that she often missed the yellow on her contacts and popped out of her weaves usually incurring either course faults or time faults. But we had fun. At the time of her passing, we only needed 6 more qualifying scores for her Agility Trial Championship. She managed to whittle that down from 10 after returning to agility following surgery to remove a Mast Cell tumour.

And some of my also rans.

Blue Jay from my Ty Teeny Beanie Baby collection

Liqueur glasses

Another starving artist painting

And my twist on the twist is water in one of it's solid forms; an ice sculpture taken downtown at Confederation Park. It's Winterlude here in Ottawa right now. The ice carving and judging take place the first weekend of Winterlude. I stopped on my way home last Friday to see the sculptures and take pictures. It's been rather warm (around freezing) here so unfortunately some of the more delicate sculptures had melted or broken.

About Winterlude

Ice sculpture bear

Inuit and an Elk

Wolf

Norse Warrior and horse

And how could I show pictures of water in its solid form without showing you the World's Longest Skating Rink, the Rideau Canal Skate-way. The rink is seven kilometers long going from the Ottawa river locks to Dows Lake. The actual canal is much longer that that.

Rideau Canal Skate-way

Skaters on the Canal

Next time you're in Ottawa, I'll take you to have a beavertail on the canal. If you don't know what a beavertail is; you don't know what you're missing.

Agility Blessing

May the tunnels not have too much suction,
May the course be fun and fast.
May your dog not stop to say "hello" to the photographers they pass!
May the table not be too slippery,
May the chute house no scary beasts,
May all the yellow parts be touched with one little toe, at least
May the wind be always at your back,
May no bars fall on the ground,
May the A-frame have no stop sign on the top,
May the judge's whistle never sound.
May your dog obey all correct commands,
And ignore the ones that are wrong.
May your heart be light, your feet be sure, and the bond with your dog grow strong.
At the finish line, may great joy abound, regardless of your score,
You have your dog, your dog has you, and who could ask for more?

Written by: PJ Hughes

What is a Title!

Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores. A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor that dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard, and though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.

A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the end your faith was justified.

A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few, that in the world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name.

A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received, permanently recorded.

Written by Sandy Mowery, Wisconsin

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.

You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end

And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.

Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;

We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

Author Unknown

Beyond the Rainbow

As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,

I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.

I saw a wondrous image then of a place that’s trouble-free,

Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side

Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!

My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new

I wanted to run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, and tell you I’m alright

That this place is truly wonderful,

Then a bright Glow pierced the night.

Twas the Glow of many candles shining bright, strong and bold

I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.

For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,

We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.

So, whenever you need to find me, we’re never far apart,

If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.

Do you think the time is right?

May I say goodbye to pain filled days and endless lonely nights?
I've lived my life and done my best, an example tried to be.
So can I take that step beyond, and set my spirit free?
I didn't want to go at first, I fought with all my might.
But something seems to draw me now to a warm and living light.
I want to go, I really do; it's difficult to stay.
But I will try as best I can to live just one more day.
To give you time to care for me and share your love and fears.
I know you're sad and afraid, because I see your tears.
I'll not be far, I promise that, and hope you'll always know,
That my spirit will be close to you wherever you may go.
Thank you so for loving me. You know I love you too,
And that's why it's so hard to say goodbye and end this life with you.
So hold me now just one more time and let me hear you say,
Because you care so much for me, you'll let me go today.

I Loved You Best

So this is where we part, My Friend,

And you'll run on, around the bend.

Gone from sight, but not from mind,

new pleasures there you'll surely find.

I will go on; I'll find the strength,

Life measures quality, not its length.

One long embrace before you leave,

Share one last look, before I grieve.

There are others, that much is true,

But they be they, and they aren't you.

And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought,

Will remember well all you've taught.

Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,

The fur I stroked, the nose I kissed.

And as you journey to your final rest,

Take with you this...I loved you best.

-Jim Willis

The Price We Pay

There is a cycle of love and death that shapes the lives of those who choose to travel in the company of animals.

It is a cycle unlike any other.

To those who have never lived through it's turnings and walked it's rocky path, our willingness to give our hearts with the full knowledge it will be broken seems incomprehensible.

Only we know how small price we pay for what we receive; our grief, no matter how powerful it may be, is an insufficient measure of the joy we have been given.

Suzanne Clother