In a message dated 3/2/02 2:33:23 PM, venhambeardedcollies@rogers.com writes:
<< The weather has turned cold again here in Southern
Ontario. At the Grew household, the dog toys lies frozen in the
snow and the dogs are very quiet. It's not that the puppies have
just left, it's that Hal is gone. Visiting Kevin and Jody will
be different for me from now on.
Hal did all the usual things that great Beardies do. He earned
some Championships, received a Best Puppy in Show, earned a CD,
fathered some kids and looked very stunning. He even had a foray
into sheep herding and earned 1 AKC agility leg. But he had one
very endearing quality. Hal knew patience.
I always received the warmest greeting from Hal when arriving
at their home on the Broken Front Road. He would stand back and
let the others rush the gate, make the noise and push their way
to be the first. It didn't matter to Hal that he was first. He
would look over and we would both smile and he would wait until
I could get to him. He was the best and as long as both he and
I knew it, the rest didn't matter.
While Kevin is the hockey mom who wants the best for her kids
and traveled everywhere with Hal, I think that Jody was the one
most smitten by Hal. If Hal needed Agility equipment, Jody built
it. Obedience lessons, Hal was there. But most of all, when either
Jody or Hal needed a hug, they were there for each other. Right
to the end.
He will be sadly missed by all of us here and in Cookstown.
Hal was the kind of Beardie that would make you want another one.
Not right away and with the knowledge that the next one wouldn't
be quite the same. But we can always hope that Jr. would be close
to the standards set by
Hal.
Kevin and Jody, thanks for letting him share our lives as well
as yours. Thanks for trusting him to us on his trips away with
Hope. He was always the perfect gentleman. We will miss him.
For Hal, the glass was always half full. Let's tip that glass
to a cool guy!
Rock on Rock Steady!
Glenn Hamilton & Emily Venator
on behalf of Kevin and Jody Grew
colledge.beardies@sympatico.ca >