DiPauls::Borzoi - Irish Setters - German Shorthaired Pointers

CH Shangrila Antigua
"Amy"

Memorial
January 9, 1999 – June 13, 2012

We realize with respect and compassion that the following memorial may appear a bit too long for some to care to read, but in our eyes it is the briefest tribute that we could make to our beloved Amy.

A giant piece of my heart has been ripped out as we had to say goodbye to our precious girl; Paul and I are devastated. Five weeks ago Amy was her usual happy-go-lucky self, walking around (didn’t run much anymore as she was 13 years old), playing with her buddy, Paddy, (Ch Shangrila Can’t Keep A Secret), eating enthusiastically, loving her cookie treats, I even remember commenting to Paul that our 13 year-old seemed to be doing better than our 11 year-old …….. then suddenly out of nowhere came the diarrhea, non-stop, nothing would help it, no medication worked, x-rays showed nothing, blood work was good. Then Amy took a big turn for the worse, she had lost 10 lbs.; she stopped eating except for her beloved (Milkbone biscuits), she could no longer use her legs for more than a minute, but she was alert… An ultrasound taken by Dr. Randy Hutchison on Tuesday found the reason….cancer of her intestinal wall. We brought Amy home to have a day to say goodbye, love her up and give her all the Milkbones she wanted; Paul sat by her side and fed her ice cream. Tears, tears and more tears, they just won’t stop.

I remember so clearly talking to Mary Laturie (who was helping to handle “Albert” (owned by Sheila Smith) about having a “Molly” BISS & BIS CH Rusticwoods Love Song (Carolyn Thomas-Dison, owned by Marilyn Wade) puppy if there were to be a successful breeding. Sadly that never happened, but then in February 1999 the call came from our friend Sharon Reilly to let us know that there were “Molly” grandchildren at Lynne Mehring’s “Shangrila”. Paul and I drove up to Michigan where there were two litters of pups at Lynne’s and 15 girls to choose from! When I looked into the eyes of the pup with the red ribbon there was a very very special connection and I knew this would be the pup that would come home with us. I put her out of my mind as I looked over all the girls, but she was the one. This was Lynne’s “Caribbean Litter”…. BIS BISS CH Rusticwood’s Running Mate ROM (Albert)x CH Shangrila Annie Laurie CD JH ROM (Annie). Thank you to the breeders of this litter and bringing her into our lives; Lynne (I miss you so much) and Martina Friedeberg.

Amy was my companion and dog soul mate for 13 wonderful years that flew by way too fast. Aside from being a “show dog” she was a happy and typical Irish setter full of life and fun. There are so many stories and memories of my sweet girl …. One of those memories was attending George Alston’s handler training clinic and having him use her as his demo dog (she was 15 months old at the time). All of us “students” were sitting in the bleacher type seats when he asked me if he could use her ….. Amy looking up at me with those soulful eyes asking “Why me mommy, why me?” – brought a big “oohhhh sigh” from the class.

We remember Amy’s “Butterfly Win” - At one of Amy's very first shows (age 7 months), her handler, Shery Kinley-Alligood, “tried” to tell us that puppies as young as Amy almost never win the points. We told Shery – “Just go ahead and take her in, Amy will ‘Show’ herself, she is an extremely up and flashy girl and loves to show off”. Amy won her 6-9 Puppy Class and then moved on to the Winners Class. It was Amy’s turn to be examined and do the ‘go around gaiting’. As Shery was taking her around a Butterfly came fluttering down exactly in front of Amy’s nose (we actually heard an ‘Oh No’ from the spectators – for sure Shery would loose control of an Irish Setter Puppy with a Butterfly right in her path to chase!! We watched as Shery tightened her grip on the lead, Amy jumped up on her hind legs, arched her neck and tried ever so hard to catch her “new toy”, but Shery kept control as Amy displayed all the fun and happy antics that the Irish are known for! Together they completed their gaiting go around in high style and WON THE POINTS – (Best Of Winners/Best Of Opposite Sex) !!

We remember that Amy had a way of doing everything in her life with a special “flare” … like in her senior years she had to make a production of jumping onto our bed … she began by dancing her feet up and down and winding her head and neck around in circles as if it were a propeller and then leaping up onto the bed. And speaking of that, she knew that she owned that bed and poor Paul was left about 14 inches of space to sleep in on our king size mattress. Amy was a “talker” especially when she would go to the cupboard where the biscuits were kept, would push on the door and come and get us very vocally asking for a treat.

Although we chose not to send her “out there” as a Special, Amy had quite an impressive show career. I would like to thank those people who have given me the wonderful “show” memories now to treasure in my heart…… First to Bobbi Kinley-Blewett who handled Amy as a puppy on through her final show. Although Bobbi handled Amy throughout her career, there were a few times that others pitched in and took her lead. Thank you to Shery Kinley-Alligood for beginning Amy’s career with her first point known as her "Butterfly Win" at 7-Months of age going Best Of Opposite Sex / Best Of Winners.

Thank you to Mary Merlo for handling Amy as a Special at the 2001 ISCA National (Lancaster PA) – There were approximately 133 champions in the ring and Amy made it down to the very last cut.

Thank you to Ron Beebe (Marge Beebe) and Pam Caffo for her big win at the 2000 Irish Setter Club of Ohio Specialty going Best Of Winners.

Thank you to Anne Marie Kubacz for her win at a show in Canfield, Ohio.

I have the warm memory of Amy’s name being announced at the awards dinner at the ISCA National as runner-up for Best Of Opposite Sex Bitch.

Amy finished her career in style with a Group One win in 2003 under Judge Darren Bowey who asked me if I had any videos of Amy gaiting that he could take back to Australia as she was one of the best moving setters he had seen in a long time. Later the Best In Show judge told me that it was between the Afghan and Amy and even though the afghan won, I will remember that day forever!

Throughout her Show Career Amy was known for her outstanding ground covering reach and drive movement. Amy finished her Championship easily with 3 Majors at the age of 19-Months. She was retired in 2003. In addition to numerous Best Of Breed and Best Of Opposite Sex wins, below are the “Extra Special” wins Amy accomplished throughout her limited career ..…

• Best Puppy Sporting Group Two – Lorain Kennel Club – 1999
• Best In Specialty Sweepstakes – Irish Setter Club Of Western New York - 2000
• Specialty Best Of Winners – Irish Setter Club Of Ohio Specialty (for her 3rd Major) - 2000
• Specialty Best Of Opposite – Golden Triangle Irish Setter Club Specialty – 2002
• Sporting Group One – Western Reserve Kennel Club Summer Show - 2003

Amy is in the 2001 and 2006 Pictorials and in various Memos from those years.

Dear Amy, rest in peace and play and chase the butterflies in the green fields of the Rainbow Bridge; one day we will be together again. Play with the buddies you grew up with and who have gone all too soon before you; “Cody” - Ch Rising Star Conquistador CGC (borzoi), “Gigi” - Rising Star DiPauls Gigi (borzoi), ”Annie” - Ch Sonnenschein’s Echoes From The Past (German shorthaired pointer) and “Danielle” - Ch Rising Star On The Wings Of A Dove (borzoi) You will be forever in our hearts and in our souls, we look around our home and see you everywhere, always to be remembered and never forgotten ………

Love you forever, Mommy (Diane) and Daddy (Paul J Spohn)

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