Pictured above at over eight years old, Penny was the first dog I ever showed in the Conformation Ring. She taught me to love the sport. She seemed to "just know" exactly what to do in the ring. As my first attempt at a "show dog" she was an excellent dog to learn on. As a complete novice it took me some time before I realized we would only go so far with this sweet dog in the Conformation Ring. Showing her gave me the desire for a dog we could get a bit more serious with. It was because of this that I went in search of my first serious conformation dog. I was lucky enough to see a close relative of Simba's at a show and began my plea with his breeder. So, even though Penny wasn't a winning conformation dog, she was a very vital part of our beginning. After deciding that Penny was not for the Conformation Ring, I could not just let her stay home. So, we tried our hand at obedience, again, first time for me. She was so smart and quick to please me, finishing with a Specialty First Place for her Final leg and a Third Place for her second leg at an Obedience Trial (with around 50 entries in our class). If Penny ever made a mistake - it surely was because of me! On October 17, 2003 Penny had her spleen and an attached mass removed at Cornell Vet Hospital. Two weeks later I received the worst news possible. The mass was a very aggressive cancer and she was only given three months to live. She fought a hard fight and for the first four months after her surgery she showed little signs of having any problems. She almost made it to five months when I had to help her to the bridge. I am eternally grateful for those last few months to spoil and love this special dog. She is greatly missed and will never be forgotten... |
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