We had over a decade together and it was the best. Thank you, Karla, for my special girls. Deeda and Dindle, your family loves and misses you and we think of you everyday. I hope there are lots of fetch games and pats at the rainbow bridge.
Love,
Claire, Roger and Kestrel
GCH He’s the Man in BLK du Chateau Rocher CGC
“Cash” aka Mr. Perfect
November 15, 2012 to December 3, 2020
Cash was a once in a lifetime dog. No words can do justice for what this dog was…those that met him know.
He loved the show ring, but his favorite thing in the world was being a devoted and loving family dog. Sidney and Cash had the most amazing bond I have ever seen. I wish I could put it into words. He was her true and loyal best friend.
I am forever thankful to have been a part of your life and thank you for the amazing memories.
We will miss you every single day, Cash-man. Until we meet again.
Love,
Gabby Murdock
BVISS UKC CH CH CIAR MES YEUX VIGILANTS DE ERANDI TT CGC TDI
January 28,2007 – October 16,2020
Known and loved by those who knew him as Bubba. On October 16, 2020 I rushed Bubba up the mountain to our vet as he had suddenly started to bloat for a third time. We stopped the bloat, but after running blood tests, it was determined that he had leukemia of the liver. Due to the painful progression of the disease, the vet recommended that I let him go. So I held him close as the most amazing dog I’ve ever known, peacefully slipped away.
Bubba had fans everywhere we went. When I got Bubba from Susan Bass at eight weeks old, the plan was to train him in protection. God, however, had other plans for us. When Bubba was about four months old, I was severely injured in a car accident. I began to have problems with dizzy spells, falls, and my back randomly locking on me. It was determined that a Service Dog would be very beneficial for me. I was unable to get funding for the training of a Service Dog, so I set about training my own with Bubba. He proved to be an excellent learner. We became such a intuitive team that Bubba would realize I was going to move before I had even made a conscious choice to move. He would get out of my way and stand ready to assist me if needed. He also was intuitive to those around me as well. At the VA, he would go up to Vets that needed his loves, and a lot of times they would thank me with tears in their eyes and tell me that was just what they needed. Bubba earned me the nickname of the Beauceron Lady.
He was in all respects a perfect gentleman. Always gentle with the other dogs in the house and patient with their antics. He was a brother to my daughter Eran and an uncle to the grandbabies. For more than 12 years, he was by my side everywhere I went, ready to help or protect me wherever our travels took us.
He had a couple moments of fame. One was the day I saw a picture on the AKC website representing the breed, and wondered why does that dog looked like my dog. Only to realize on closer inspection, that it was in fact, my dog in a lovely photo taken by our friend Kent behind the livestock barn at Greeley. I had forgotten he took that photo. His other moment came in the form of the Beauceron Blend coffee label from Black Dog Coffee Traders.
Bubba was also a dual champion show dog. He taught me patience. He took eight years to finish in AKC due to lack of competition in our area. I’m so very proud of the things we accomplished together and that he was an amazing breed ambassador!!! I’m proud to say that even with limited showing, we managed to place in the Top 3 for NOHS all four years we competed and we finished at #1 the last two years. Our crowning achievements though, were our first National Specialty, which was also his first time out as a special. He was awarded Best of Opposite to Best Veteran in Sweeps, and then went on to earn an Award of Merit in an incredible lineup of dogs. As if that wasn’t exciting and amazing enough, we then somehow managed to be awarded Best Veteran in Specialty Show at our Journee!!!
I’m so very proud of all that we accomplished together and will forever miss my “bestest boyfriend” who took a chunk of my heart with him as he flew away. I look forward to the day we’re both reunited in heaven along with my other best boy Cam.
Attempting to write about Tank is an impossible task. It’s kind of like describing the Genie in the bottle, before anyone has ever seen what he will do once released. No matter how hard I may try, there is no way I can truly do him justice.
Tank wasn’t just bigger than life; he was the “essence” of life itself. I nick-named Tank “Buddy the Elf” because he reminded me of Will Ferrell’s character in the famous movie. Buddy loooooved Christmas and Santa and Tank was just like him. Tank often left a field of destruction around him; nothing was safe from getting swept up by the force of life named “Tank”!
Then there was also the incredibly sweet and respectful Tank! My senior, bossy Border Collie bitch had no patience for a giant black/tan whirling dervish, so Tank toned it down and gave her all the personal space she wanted, even averting his eyes promising not to catch a glance at her supreme being unless permitted.
I fell head over heels for Tank when he was about five months old and assisted me with an assignment, called the “Premack recall,” I had to accomplish for the Academy for Dog Trainers. The gist is that the dog learns something not natural; to turn away from the thing he wants in order to get the thing he wants. Tank nailed this faster than we could keep up!
A couple of months later Tank assisted me with another assignment, loose-leash walking towards a clear directional goal. Here the dog is shown a goal (in this case a bowl of food) and we then walk away to a certain distance/point. The handler holds a leash tight to the body and begins to walk toward the “prize”, but as soon as the dog puts pressure on the collar, the handler verbally marks this (in our case “Too Bad!!”) and returns to the starting point. This video was the FIRST TIME Tank did this exercise and I was a rookie trainer!!!
For more than two years I wished this dog could be mine, but not long after he finally was…I lost him. While it breaks my heart that we didn’t get to do all the things I had planned for us, I am a better person for having had him in my life and I am certainly a better trainer because of Tank! Boy, did he ever teach me to speed up my mechanics!! I thought my BC was fast, but Tank operated at lightning speed!
I’ll meet you at the rainbow bridge my sweet boy! After you knock me off my feet, we can do that thing where I say “middle!!” and you come and stand between my legs and I say “Good boy!!” and hug you…. and then you nibble on my ear too hard! I really miss that part!
