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Patrick was a lifetime dog - one which, if you are very lucky, you get to know once in a lifetime. He was whelped on St. Patrick's Day 1993. He arrived out of the sac, yelling his tiny head off. I held that head while the rest of his body was delivered, and our bond formed at that moment.
He proved to be severely epileptic, and we almost lost him several times to seizures. I always knew our time together could end suddenly, which made every minute that much more precious. We achieved good control of his seizures, but I never dreamed his gallant heart would fail.
Patrick could light up a room with his presence, or an entire show site with his ridiculously high pitched bark. He always wanted everyone to know he had arrived. Always the wild child as a puppy, he cruised to his championship once he grew up, in spite of my inexpert handling and grooming. Expression, structure, coat - he had it all.
He had his faults, as does every dog, but his virtues outweighed them. Even more memorable than his physical beauty, though, was the beauty of his spirit.
He was life
... he was love
... he was joy
... he was exuberance
... he was Patrick
It was an honor to be loved by such a magnificent Collie.
I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go.
Our lives
Are better left to chance.
I would have missed the pain
But I'd have had to miss
The Dance
Goodbye, my son...
© 1999 Loch Vale Collies
