Our Past Dogs
Bronte will always be my special little treasure; she was my reintroduction to the world of dogs after the loss of my Doberman and a six-year break from owning dogs. She is the reason I love Smooths and herding. She taught me so much and gave me everything.
In life Bronte was sensitive soul, she knew what she wanted, how things should be and how to get them. She was highly intelligent and many times I watched her nut out a problem to get to her desired outcome, mostly through manipulation of a situation and a certain amount of endearing cunningness. She was born with an adult attitude to life, loved to work and have a job. Unfortunately, her performance career was interrupted by a fractured growth plate at six months, but luckily she recovered well. To keep her brain active at this time I taught her to fetch, all while she was unable to really move too much.
Just after Bronte's first birthday, she had her first taste of herding and loved it, and so did I. While she was tricky dog to work with in the paddock, being an opinionated madam, she had the honour of being the first Smooth Collie in Australia to attain a Herding Started A Course - Sheep title in October 2011 and in September 2015 was also the first Smooth in Australia to gain a Herding Started A Course - Duck title. At the time of her death she had attained two good passes on Novice Ducks, just one pass shy of that title.
Bronte gained her CCD title in December 2010 and gained her final pass in CD (Novice) at the 11th National Collie Show and Restricted Obedience Trial in September 2012.
Boo, as she was known to her closest friends, gained her Rally Advanced Excellent title in April 2015 and was the first Smooth Collie in Australia to achieve this title. She had also gained one pass towards her Rally Masters title.
Next to herding, her greatest love was agility. I simply couldn't keep her off the equipment when we are at training. She also proved she had a bit of talent for Tracking, although we never got to fully explore it.
Mid December 2016, Bronte started so show signs she wasn’t herself and after consultation with her vet she was referred to a specialist, with a booking just after Christmas. She deteriorated over the Christmas period spending Christmas Eve night to Boxing Day morning in emergency. Seeming to pick up a little she came home for a couple of days, prior to the specialist appointment. The tragic outcome of that appointment was the diagnosis of late-stage gastrointestinal carcinoma. Breaking my heart, I decided the kindest thing to do for her was put her to sleep and allow her a calm and peaceful passing. I will miss her forever.
Bronte was named after the Bronte sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte, who have written some of my favourite books.
Sable & White Collie (Smooth)
28/02/2009 - 28/12/2016
Sire: Nauglamir Coppa N Gold
Dam: Nauglamir Ny Trixie
Bronte - Nauglamir Bronte N Gold CD RAE HSAsd
Tonya, a blue merle bitch, joined the household in late 2013 as a young adult. She was a little pocket rocket with a very loving and sweet nature. She loved being a show dog, attaining both her Champion and Neuter Champion awards. She also gave many sports a go, competing in the lower levels.
However, Tonya sometimes struggled with trials as she was a super sensitive dog and didn’t particularly like change or unusual surroundings. Her swansong from the performance world was getting her Tracking Dog title in 2019. She spent her later years as the primary alert dog at home. No one could walk past the property without her letting me know ALL about it.
After Bronte died in 2016, Tonya grieved badly and within six months various health issues began to rear their ugly heads. She was diagnosed with several dietary intolerances, all manageable; started to suffer from Alopecia X, which ruined her previously beautiful coat; and in her last couple of years arthritis also began to plague her front legs and feet.
In late 2022, Tonya was diagnosed with significant changes to her spleen, the strong suspicion being cancer. Due to her other compounding health issues, it was simply not fair to operate as her quality of life would have been too severely compromised. I chose to let her go as peacefully as possible before any further advancement of the disease.
Blue Merle Collie (Smooth)
28/09/2012 - 12/12/2022
Sire: Kirrielock Doctor Love
Dam: Ch. Foxbell Fashion Plate
Tonya - Neuter Champion & Champion Foxbell Fashion Temptress CCD RN TD HSAs
