Dunnslayne Come By At Blairmore - Fen

13.7.1993 - 28.3.2008

By Marie

Fen was my first Collie, and for a long while was going to be my last.  A more energetic, busy puppy I have yet to own.  I really didn't know what I had, or what to do with her.  I had been used to very laid back Rottweilers and all of a sudden we were living with a whirlwind.  We had feeding problems, as she was far too busy to settle down to eat her meals, it took quite a few months before we could get her to eat a whole meal in one sitting.  We tried various, different foods, but in all honesty I don't think even feeding her prime steak would have solved anything.

The other difficulty was house training.  As far as Fen was concerned, going out was to play, and only when she had finished that, would she come in and go to the toilet!!  We had already raised 5 puppies before Fen, so we thought we knew all about house training, but no matter what we did, and we tried all manner of things, is was not until she reached 10 months old did we crack that one.

When Fen was 11 months old we started agility training, and she took to this like a duck to water.  This was what she had been waiting for.  However, Fen was still very much her own person and liked to do things her way, she was strong willed and far quicker and better than me.  I hadn't developed the right handling skills to work this dog and that was my major failing.  Fen was far too good for me, at that time and at that level of competing.

When we started competing, which was the show season of 1995, we would come away from the shows having been eliminated in all classes, and some times that was four classes in those days.  But I never gave up hope, and even today I use Fen as an example when people bemoan their dogs performance.  It will happen, give it time and patience.

It did happen for us, on 22.7.1995, right course, right day, right time.  We won out of Elementary (Grade 1) at Chippenham, a jumping course judged by Shirley Robinson.  Now that was a moment to saviour, at long last we had made it.  I also think that was the first time Fen had actually got a clear round and to top that she won the class, and me out of Elementary forever.

We won out of Starters (Grade 2) the following year on 11.5.1996 at Tunbridge Wells show, a jumping course judged by Alison Grimes.  The following year, we won our first Novice (Grade 3) on 27.7.1997, another jumping class, judged by Pepe Angliss.  When I colleted my trophy and rosette off Pepe, I said that my heart was in my mouth during that round, and she replied that her's was too!  Do you see a pattern forming here?  Yes, all these wins were in jumping, Fen did not do contacts!!

The one and only time she went clear on all her contacts, we messed up the entry to the weaves.  Not that I had realised we were going clear, I had assumed that we would have had faults on one piece of contact equipment of another.  If I had been aware of the clear up until that point, I'm sure the entry to the weaves would have been handled better.  After all, the weaves were Fen's favourite obstacle and at one time she was the fastest weaving dog at the club.

I always stood on the start line of a jumping course with Fen by my side and hope in my heart.  We either went clear with a place or were eliminated, but what ever it was I still went to the next show with the same enthusiasm and hope, you just never know!!

Fen was retired from agility when she was about 8, as she started to take poles down, which was very unlike her.  On medical examination we discovered she had arthritis in both hips and front feet.  I couldn't believe that we would no longer be competing, something I had never imagined, nor imagined Fen would be happy with.  Of course we humanise our dogs thoughts, to assume how they feel about things, but dogs live for the moment and Fen didn't know she wouldn't be competing again.  We started doing some of the Any Size/All Sorts classes, and that was still great fun.  Fen was always up for it when I put the lead on her and took her to the rings, having a little skip about and a woof or two.

Eventually Paul Isaac started to compete with Fen in these classes.  Their first run was at Thames, they hadn't even practiced together, but Paul was so disheartened with his own dog at that time, that I handed Fen's lead to him and said he could run her in the class if he wanted to. Off they went together and came out with a clear round, Paul was beaming from ear to ear. He then ran Fen at any show where I had entered her and he was there.  I'm not sure that I ever did run her myself again!  Even in her advancing years you had to concentrate on your run with her, or she would TYOL, but Paul enjoyed running her, and I loved watching her enjoy herself again, even if it was with someone else.

That was the thing about Fen, she loved agility so much that she would go with anyone.  A lot of people at the club have run Fen and really enjoyed running her.  One evening at training I think she was handled by 5-6 different people, but she didn't care, as long as she was out there, doing it and not on the sidelines watching.

As she grew older, and wiser, she became a lovely companion with a fantastic temperament and character (once it had finally calmed down), and of course eventually I did have more then one collie, I even went back to the same breeder and came away with Fen's half sister (Chayss), glutton for punishment that I am.

Although her agility career was relatively short, she won at KC shows, Southern matches and non KC shows:

10 x 1st places

5  x 2nd places

4 x 3rd places

5 x 4th places

3 x 5th places

2 x 6th places

4 x 9th places

8 x other places

+ numerous Clear Rounds with Paul

Fen developed Vestibular Syndrome in December 2007.  Although it is said dogs do not have strokes, this is very like a stroke.  Her first 'stroke' left her very wobbly for a few weeks, but eventually she was able to go for a walk with the other dogs a couple of times a week.  Her second 'stroke' came in February and she was now unable to go out for a walk, but could potter around the garden.  If she fell over, she would struggle up on to her feet again, and was still very determined to get on with life.  Last Thursday (27th March) she had her 3rd 'stroke' and this took even more of her away from us, and left her unable to stand.  We felt the time had come to save her from any further suffering, and we let her go peacefully on Friday.

After all these years there is of course a very big void in the house.  No matter how many dogs you have, if one is no longer with you, and specially one with such a big heart like Fen, it is a very noticeable.

Good bye old friend, it was a hell of a ride.