Rosie was desperate to get out of the kennels where she was awaiting re-homing when I turned up, and from that day on she never put a paw wrong. An affectionate nature, and just wanting to please, she was still a tough independent character.

She was a fantastic Agility and Flyball dog, and won many prizes. Not because she was wizz-bang fast, (though she was quite nifty,) but because she always tried one-hundred-and-one per cent. (Her contacts were good as well.... she used to scamper over them without jumping off.)

I reproduce here her obituary, as it appeared on the Agilitynet website....

 

 

"Today was such a sad day, as I said goodbye to my dear friend Rosie after so many years. But the advancement of old age had taken away the dignity and quality of her life to an unacceptable degree. How is it that the loss of such a little collie can leave such a huge gap?

Little Rosie was probably the best agility dog I ever had, not because she was particularly athletic... indeed, she wasn't, ...but because she always gave one hundred per cent. She was one of those characters who was always desperate to please. She always did her best. As a result, she managed to acquire a continual stream of rosettes and trophies throughout her career.

Her greatest achievement was winning the final of the last ever Pro Dogs Agility in 1993. I was so proud of my little sweetheart, as everyone crowded round telling me how we would now be invited to the Pro Dogs Dinner at the Hilton, and she would be in their magazine. (Not that we would have actually gone to the dinner, Rosie was not the bold type who would enjoy such an event.) But it didn't happen. We didn't hear anything at all from Pro Dogs. No letter, no phone call, no magazine mention. Nothing in any of the agility press either, and Pro Dogs was a major final at the time. No one even wanted to take Rosie's photograph.

Eventually, the Agility Voice Yearbook was issued, which contained listings of all the major finals as an official record of agility's history. Yes, the competition was there, I was there, but the listing was THE WRONG DOG! I did ask several times for the record to be amended, but no one at the Agility Club could be bothered it seems, as the entry was never corrected in subsequent issues of the Yearbook. So poor little Rosie was never credited with the rightful place in agility's history that she had earned.

Which is why I have mentioned this story here. It's for you Rosie, you were a little sweetheart always, in all our years together you never put a paw wrong. You were a tough little character, wrapped up in anxiety, desperate to please, and I hope you know you always did please me, I was so lucky to have you in my life.

I hope you are happy at Rainbow Bridge, and are with Sophie, Cally and Herci. Thank you Rosie, for everything you have given me. I miss you."