somewhere over the rainbow

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

Someday I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.

Somewhere over the rainbow ...

Yesterday the world lost one of the good ones. I honestly can't stop crying. I'm so sad for Tag's family, I'm sad for his mama, and I'm sad that he was taken at 6.5 years old. I loved him like one of my own, and he passed so fast that it just doesn't seem real. Tag has been sick and slowly getting worse, but suddenly he got really bad, and then, he was gone. We were fortunate to spend part of the day with him, I was going over for supper, but Jo called me to come over early as some of his blood work results came back, and it wasn't good, I called Amanda to let her know and she was there in 10 minutes. We comforted Jo, we comforted Tag and we reminisced about the great times, and talked about his last days. Today we met for a walk and kept the memories going, great friends sure are amazing in times like these, and these situations can make those friendships even stronger, and keep those memories even closer to the heart.

He was a shining star in the Agility world, but most of all a LOVED family member who did everything with his family. He was a part of our close-knit agility family, as well as our extended family in real-life. Tag was our first student in our Puppy Teambuilding classes, he was a star at 4 months old. We used to call him Tag-alunatic ...that was soon relplaced with Tag-alicious. He was a dog who was all heart, and the bond he and Jolayne shared was the kind of bond most people only wish of having - and that bond came through in their Agility Career together, and most importantly everyday life. They accomplished amazing things together in a very short time, he was smart, tough as nails, brilliant dog. Over the past couple years he was our best travelling buddy going to Agility Trials. I loved his cuddles at night and his grumpy groans in the morning - he and Kaleb were hilarious together. Kaleb would try to kiss him ALL THE TIME ... and Tags "Mad teeth" were just not enough to EVER make him stop, EVER.

And then there was Gyp and Tag ... they loved eachother from the moment they set eyes on eachother. I am going to miss Gyp losing her mind at Agility when he running. Oh god, how I am going to miss that. Fuck this is so unfair for his family. Nobody else makes her soooo crazy, Tag brought out the best in her :) She would hear him inside the building warming up and would instantly lose her mind. Gyp gave Tag confidence with people, something Gyp learned from Kaleb. Gyp passed that confidence onto Tag, and Jo could often be seen walking them together. Thanks for the ride buddy, and thanks for being the dog you were, you made me a better trainer, and because of you I have an extended family that I never would have met it if I hadn't met you.

Good-bye my friend. We'll love you always, Ricky-roo.