Int'l BIS BISS Multiple-Group Placing Am./Int. CH RJ's The Divine Comedy RN CGC
4/20/2002 - 7/25/2016
After a short illness, Dante was given rest this morning with my parents by his side. Although I was unable to be there, I’m told that it was very peaceful, and I’m thankful for that.
God, how can I even find the words to talk about him?
I looked through this album ten times, trying to pick one photo that represents just how great Dante was, and what he has meant to me over the last fourteen years. For close to half my life, he has been there. Through all the ups and downs that come along with growing up and becoming an adult, he's been a constant. Now that he's gone, frankly, I feel a little bit lost. My heart physically hurts in my chest and I haven't been able to quite catch my breath all day.
Many of you that haven't known me a long time probably haven't heard much about this very special dog... so let me tell you a little bit about him:
Dante was my partner in crime for so many crazy adventures… including Westminster in NYC and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Tampa. As a junior handler, his career took me all over the country to dog shows, and we had as much success as we had fun. He never let me down.
With Dante, I achieved a lot of "firsts" in my life with dogs:
-- First owner/handled AKC Champion
--First group placements
--First Best in Specialty Show (BISS)
--First time campaigning a dog into the Top 20 Breed and All-Breed rankings
--First time being the #1 Brittany Junior Handler (with many BJH wins)
--First International (IABCA) Champion
--First IABCA Group win(s)
--First IABCA Best in Show!
--First time in the rally ring
--First time in the obedience ring
--First time training a dog for the field and competing in hunt tests
Dante was also twice elected Show Dog of the Year by the Idaho Brittany Club.
All of those achievements are great, but they don’t tell you what an intelligent, hilarious, independent, goofy, and willing dog that he was. He was so much fun to train…. About 75% of the time. The other 25%.... well, let’s just chalk that up to bird brain ;). He was a fantastic obedience dog… aside from the long sits and downs. We earned our first two CD legs with a 195.5 and a 197.5…. then proceeded to fail fifteen more times… only on the sits and downs, before I finally gave up our dreams of obedience stardom. He was a great, naturally-talented bird dog… his only challenge in realizing that my dad and I were supposed to be part of the equation, too. ;) For the first half of his life, if the boy saw an open door, he jumped at the opportunity to explore the neighborhood and play keep away with being caught. He was an independent spirit, that’s for sure. He drove me crazy and made me laugh with whiplash speed from one moment to the next.
But Dante was also a good dog. Every time my crazy emotional teenage self needed a shoulder to cry on, he was always right next to me without me having to ask. He was always game to try anything I wanted him to do, from agility to trick training to backpacking in the mountains. He loved chasing birds on the beach, and pointing quail in the desert. He adored my parents, my mother in particular. He lived for making friends, dog and human alike. He sired some amazing puppies that have gone on to do awesome things in the field and the show ring. He had the softest ears of any dog I’ve ever met. It’s the end of an era.
I guess, in the end, we had a pretty good run, buddy. I can't believe that you're gone... and I will miss you terribly.
Good boy, I'll love you forever.
God, how can I even find the words to talk about him?
I looked through this album ten times, trying to pick one photo that represents just how great Dante was, and what he has meant to me over the last fourteen years. For close to half my life, he has been there. Through all the ups and downs that come along with growing up and becoming an adult, he's been a constant. Now that he's gone, frankly, I feel a little bit lost. My heart physically hurts in my chest and I haven't been able to quite catch my breath all day.
Many of you that haven't known me a long time probably haven't heard much about this very special dog... so let me tell you a little bit about him:
Dante was my partner in crime for so many crazy adventures… including Westminster in NYC and the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Tampa. As a junior handler, his career took me all over the country to dog shows, and we had as much success as we had fun. He never let me down.
With Dante, I achieved a lot of "firsts" in my life with dogs:
-- First owner/handled AKC Champion
--First group placements
--First Best in Specialty Show (BISS)
--First time campaigning a dog into the Top 20 Breed and All-Breed rankings
--First time being the #1 Brittany Junior Handler (with many BJH wins)
--First International (IABCA) Champion
--First IABCA Group win(s)
--First IABCA Best in Show!
--First time in the rally ring
--First time in the obedience ring
--First time training a dog for the field and competing in hunt tests
Dante was also twice elected Show Dog of the Year by the Idaho Brittany Club.
All of those achievements are great, but they don’t tell you what an intelligent, hilarious, independent, goofy, and willing dog that he was. He was so much fun to train…. About 75% of the time. The other 25%.... well, let’s just chalk that up to bird brain ;). He was a fantastic obedience dog… aside from the long sits and downs. We earned our first two CD legs with a 195.5 and a 197.5…. then proceeded to fail fifteen more times… only on the sits and downs, before I finally gave up our dreams of obedience stardom. He was a great, naturally-talented bird dog… his only challenge in realizing that my dad and I were supposed to be part of the equation, too. ;) For the first half of his life, if the boy saw an open door, he jumped at the opportunity to explore the neighborhood and play keep away with being caught. He was an independent spirit, that’s for sure. He drove me crazy and made me laugh with whiplash speed from one moment to the next.
But Dante was also a good dog. Every time my crazy emotional teenage self needed a shoulder to cry on, he was always right next to me without me having to ask. He was always game to try anything I wanted him to do, from agility to trick training to backpacking in the mountains. He loved chasing birds on the beach, and pointing quail in the desert. He adored my parents, my mother in particular. He lived for making friends, dog and human alike. He sired some amazing puppies that have gone on to do awesome things in the field and the show ring. He had the softest ears of any dog I’ve ever met. It’s the end of an era.
I guess, in the end, we had a pretty good run, buddy. I can't believe that you're gone... and I will miss you terribly.
Good boy, I'll love you forever.
Below, you will find a sampling of show photos taken throughout Dante's show career from 2002-2006. Dante was in the Top 20 Brittanys in 2004.
