I have always said that the hardest thing about owning Labradors is that they do not live as long as we do. For that short space of time that they enter our lives and our hearts, Labrador retrievers are a blessing. The versatility of Labs fills our lives with Love and Joy. Labs can find joy in the simplest of things and a home without a Lab is merely a house. When I lose one of my dearest friends, I lose a part of my heart. Only another Lab can help to heal a broken heart. Owning a Lab can bring you the best Karma in the world.

  So when my beloved friends cross the Rainbow Bridge, I say goodbye with the same Love and Joy that they brought to me.

  My Robbie (Ch Interlochen’s Robin Hood) was one of those dogs that was so special from start to finish.

  When I traveled to Tacoma, Washington to pick out a bitch puppy from Walli and Terry Roarke of Interlochen Labradors, little did I know that I would be encountering such a special little soul in a fluffy yellow package. While I was evaluating and playing with the bitch puppies, this yellow male climbed into my lap and wouldn’t leave. Each time I went to see the puppies over the next two days; he would continue to worm his way into my heart. I finally asked Walli if I could have him in addition to a lovely little puppy bitch (Maddie/Ch Interlochen’s Maid Marion). Walli was gracious enough to allow me the privilege of owning both of them.

  From the moment that they arrived at my home, I knew that he was “special”. He had chosen me!

  The next three years were joyful. Robbie was bred to Dusty (CH Rochar’s Blossom in the Dust) and presented me with 8 beautiful puppies, two of which I kept (Jaimie/Ch Geminii’s James Bond and Cassie/CH Geminii’s Cast Your Fate). Three years earlier Dusty had 11 lovely puppies, two of which I retained (Danny/Ch Geminii’s First Edition and Teddy/Ch Ptd. Geminii’s Desert Storm).

  Robbie continued to progress and finished his AKC championship very quickly after his 4th birthday. I decide to “special” him for the rest of that year and the following year. While Jaimie and Cassie were growing, Robbie and I managed to be placed in the National Top Twenty Labs in 1999. He was the only Owner Handled dog in the top twenty Labrador Retrievers for that year. He was also the #1 Labrador in the Rocky Mountain Region that same year.

  When I retired him in 2000, he seemed to be disappointed at being left behind for the first couple of shows, but after that he seemed to say “see ya” when I left. The next seven years passed joyfully with my best friend. He ran and played with the other dogs on the two acres of fields at my home.

  One day he started to limp and I took him to the Vet. She took several x-rays and painfully announced that he had bone cancer and had three months to live. I was devastated! We tried to make him as comfortable as possible for the next few months. One day he looked at me and would not eat. I knew that it was time. It has always been a hard decision to euthanize a dog but this was the most painful in my life. Robbie left me peacefully and after I had said my tearful goodbye I went home to his children and grandchildren. Robbie was born a dog, but died a Gentleman.

  Even today, it is hard for me to think about it without a great deal of pain and sorrow, but then I remember his legacy and the gift of Love and Joy that he gave to me. There will always be those special dogs that come into our lives and touch us with their dear little hearts that beat just to please.