Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Mals-About N' Hootwire's Valentia - A tribute.


On January 4, 2014 our sweet Italian Spinone, Tia, lost her struggle with renal failure just  2 1/2 months shy of her 8th birthday.  We will always be thankful to Pat and Debbie for letting this little girl come to WV.  She was a Spinone through and through.  She was an awesome hunter, a counter surfer, a lap dog, our greeter, and she also caused more mischief than all our other dogs put together.  She would howl in sorrow every time I left the farm.  She was needy when not actively engaged but very independent when she was doing her thing. She firmly believed that white dogs were meant to be brown, hoses of all kinds were meant to be in segments, and that it was her duty to enable all the animals on the farm to roam free. We progressed through increasingly complicated gate latches, both inside and outside. She burned her candle at both ends and lived a great life on our farm.  Here is her life in pictures:

 
Working on stacking for the conformation ring.
Co-owner Debbie showing Tia at her last show in NC.
Co-owner Pat took us under her wing and helped us finish our AKC Junior Hunter title.

Tia very proud with her orange Jr. Hunter ribbons.
She was never without a toy.
She liked to play dress-up.

Did I mention she liked to hunt?
She like mud.
And snow.
And burrs LOVED her!
Run free my wild child and do all those things you loved and did so well.  You were loved and can never be replaced.

6 comments:

  1. What a wonderful, moving tribute. Sounds like she knew how to live life.

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    1. We called her our energizer bunny because she never stopped.

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  2. Isn't it so sad to lose such a wonderful pet, friend, companion? I'm so sorry for your loss Shelley, I'm sure you and Don will really miss Tia.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words. It is very quiet here without her.

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  3. Shelley, I'm so very sorry for the loss of Tia. Such a sweet looking girl. I especially love the mud and burr pic. I had one just like her:-) We all have lost so many over the past few years that it's heartbreaking. They are such loving dogs and bring such joy to our lives that we never want to say goodbye. RIP Tia. Hugs to you all...BTW we still have the wonderful walking stick Don made and I still love them. Please tell him hello.

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    1. Kay, thank you for your kind words. Yes, it seems as though many have had painful losses recently. Don and I are glad you enjoy your walking sticks. We are still making and selling rustic items. We think of our Spinone friends often and have fond memories of all our get-togethers and shows - well maybe not ALL shows :-) Hugs to all your fur-kids and tell Mike "hello" from us.

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