Basil
He
came to us from a broken home, needing love & lots of play time ... that was
back in the summer of 1995 and since then he has given much more in return.
Basil is the reason we "got involved" with dogs outside of our family. He was also in need of obedience training, so we joined the then local dog obedience club (Chiltern Canine Obedience Training in Aylesbury, UK) and worked our way through intermediate levels and achieve his certificate for Good Citizen Dog. He was invited to join the advanced level, however we were due to move to the USA so elected to remain with our known classmates to finish out our UK training.
Once
we became established in Eugene, Oregon (joining the dog club, etc) we learned
about all kinds of activities that our dogs can do for fun. Basil seemed
to be the perfect choice to try out the sport of agility. During the
spring & summer of 2000 he completed beginners and level 2 agility - the
picture to the left is during beginners, by the 2nd level, that plank is much
higher off the ground. That suited Basil just fine as he preferred to run
across the plank ... no walking for this guy!
The A-Frame was a little more of a challenge, but once he figured out I wanted him to go up, he had no problem with it. Again this picture is beginners and at a lower pitch. Basil learned how to use all the equipment in agility and was really good at most of it ... especially the tunnel.
Even for an older
guy, you can see how the 
influence
of a puppy has on him. The Lab in him truly shines through when it's time
for a play session in the back garden ... or anywhere a play session is deemed
necessary! Cuddle times with the pack are also a regular favorite
regardless if the pack is the other boys or us.
In
Memorandum
It was with much sadness that we shared the news of the loss of our dear friend Basil. He was a part of our family for about 7 1/2 years - he died 22 Nov '02.
A very good, happy & much loved Basil, he carried a genetic disease (unknown to him, us & his vets) called Desseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) -- in short, a blood clotting disease. Following a difficult surgery removing several damaged teeth, he was unable to recover from the clotting problems internally. If interested, you can read more about the disease, and get more info at: www.vspn.org/vspnsearch/aow/dic.htm
We are all missing him very much. Duke & Monty are also going through big changes adjusting to his absence, and life around here has quieted down significantly. It is our decision to get another dog when the time is right ... most likely after we move to new property next year. We have received a blessing in having Basil in our lives for such a long time, he was extremely special (he could also catch a Frisbee).
We
have also realized the special effect he had on those who care for & about
him. The medical & emotional care he received from both his regular vets and the Emergency Veterinary Hospital cannot be put into simple words --
incredible would be a good start though. We want to thank again all the
veterinary crews at both hospitals for everything. A very special thank you to
our families for your understanding, to Kelly & Robert, Kathi. But most of
all, thank you to Duke & Monty.