Am MBISS Silver GCh/Can RBIS GCH/Int’l Champion Renaissance Kiss’s Casanova JH ROM

Am MBISS GCHS/Can RBIS GCH/Int'l CH Renaissance Kiss's Casanova JH ROM - Mojo

December 20, 2008 - November 29, 2018

Breeders: George and Linda Durham, Renaissance Vizslas, Oklahoma

Most of you do not know him by all the titles he's been able to secure in the show world but simply that he is the sire of your MOJOXPALOMA puppy.  He has been one special dog and aside from the litter he produced with Paloma, has produced many puppies who have done great things for their owners.  

I do have very sad news to share with you. On the evening of November 29, 2018, Greg and Dennise lost Mojo. Last week he was diagnosed with cancer; they didn't know which kind so scheduled a biopsy. The results were not what they were hoping for and they scheduled a consult with an oncologist. The oncologist's news was not good; Mojo had a non-genetic, aggressive cancer rarely seen in dogs. Treatment in humans with this kind of cancer is moderate at best. He hadn't been eating well for the past two weeks and tonight he was restless and in some pain. Greg and Dennise could not bear to see him suffer and made the hardest decision we as pet owners will all have to eventually make.  Mojo is no longer in pain but healed and made new running on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.  I am sure he already met up with his son, Battle, and our girls. He may have already made peace with Otto, his Rottweiler housemate who passed a few years ago. I am also sure he was greeted by other red dogs and compassionate dog people.   I am absolutely heartbroken for Greg and Dennise.  He was not only a large part of their breeding program but also a very loved companion and housemate. He was ball obsessed and loved playing in the hose. He had mad hops which he passed on to Lily, for sure. He was stingy with his kisses and reserved them for people he really liked. I was lucky to get one once. 

Mo, I knew you from the time you came to live with Greg and Dennise and I am so glad Bree and I were able to see you in July when we came to pick up your grandson, Cruise.  A little bit of you lives on in each one of your pups. 

Relocation to Arizona 2018

We made it to Arizona last Friday, May 18th.  We've been busy organizing our things at Bree and Josh's house where we are staying while we wait for our new home to be ready.  We expect that to happen by October. 

Hannah did well on the trip which included a two day stop over in San Diego to rest.  Patriot is happy to have his girl in the house.  He's so funny with her; always flirting with her.  Paloma and Sparrow travel like seasoned pros but are also happy to be off the road and here in their second home.  Marley rode "shotgun" with me; her memory lives on!

Marc and I are happy to be here with the boys and have already attended an award ceremony for Cullen. 

We will keep you posted on our progress and update everyone with contact information.  Our cell phone numbers have not changed and we can always be reached via e-mail or through Facebook.

We Tried Something New Today!!

We tried something new today - something fun, now that we are taking a break from the show ring.  Yesterday, Sparrow took a fun run in Fast CAT and today we tried her at CAT which is lure coursing. The Monterey Bay Coursing Association was having an event at Brigantino Park right here in Hollister. So we decided to check it out! 

This is Sparrow singing to have her chance to run.

Sparrow wondering why Mom is sitting over there in the field and she's with Dad a long way away.

Okay, I'm at the line, where are you Mom? 

And, she's off! 

Aw, nope!  I think I'll just turn around here and go back to Dad. That's what he wants me to do, right?

Great extension!

Okay, I'm coming to you, Mom!! 

Sparrow ran about 150 yards on the big 600 yard course and lost interest. This was her first time running and we might try it again in the future. In the meantime, we're thinking she might like to do Fast CAT instead. Fast CAT is a 100 yard dash that's timed. In order for her to get her first title, she has to acquire 150 points. It goes up from there. 

Catch A Fire's Letter From Home "Battle"

Born on Easter Monday, Turquoise Boy was the largest pup weighing in at 16 ounces, one full pound. His closest litter mate was Purple Girl at 14.75 oz.  At nine weeks, the day the pups got their microchips and first shots, he weighed 14.8 lbs and was a little over 2 pounds heavier than all his littermates except Pink Girl who he outweighed by 3.2 pounds!! 

Turquoise Boy used to follow Cullen back and forth along the x-pen. When it came time to make the decision on which pup went to which home, it was clear, Turquoise Boy wanted to go live in the Turquoise State - Arizona.  Turquoise Boy became Battle and his relationship with Cullen was a close one.  Best of all, Uncle Patriot didn't seem to mind him and the two of them became friends.  

Battle learned early on that food rained from the sky in the form of Cullen throwing it off his highchair. 

And that fun floated in the air!

And, that is was always fun to reunite with your pack, your family! 

Battle loved being around the kids and Josh and took his role as their protector quite seriously. So much so, he would chase after anyone who was chasing his kids, always in play!

He was a big help when Declan was learning how to stand up!

Anything the kids were doing, he wanted to do, too! Although he would probably draw the line at actually getting into the tub - he was just there to drink the water!

He loved his Uncle David. He loved some of Bree's friends who came to the house. I wish I had a photo of everyone he tried to climb into their skin with!! Battle's heart was huge and there was plenty of him to go around to anyone wanting to be loved on!

He could be goofy!

Battle was a member of Bree and Josh's family for 5 Christmases. He missed his sixth one by three days.  Enjoy these Christmas Past memories. 

 2012

 2013

 2014

 2015

 2016

 2017

A few random photos

We found out Battle was sick on Monday, December 18th, after an ultrasound which was performed by Dr Eichelberger, a radiologist at Veterinary Specialist Center of Tucson. In the following days, Bree and I met with two more veterinarians - Battle's primary vet, Dr Humphrey at Animal Care Center in Green Valley and Dr Dennis at Monument East Veterinary Clinic in Tucson.  They agreed with VSCOT's ER Vet, Dr Joshi and Dr Boozer, who gave us the ultrasound results, that Battle had more than one splenic mass and that nodules on the liver in a dog his age was not common and most likely meant the cancer had spread. Not wanting Battle to experience the pain of rupturing masses and recovering from bleeds and/or surgery which would have been major, Bree made the decision to have Battle euthanized. The family agreed with and supported her decision to let him go while his quality of life was still good. 

Battle

April 9. 2012 ~ December 22. 2017

Always in our hearts ~ Never forgotten

On December 27, five days after Battle went ahead to romp in the green fields on the other side of The Bridge, this Sparrow Hawk came for a visit. We didn't see it again before we left. Bree made a comment that she thought Battle had come to check on us. Perhaps he did - we will not know until the day we meet again in the sky. But, for now, it's a nice thought.  

Don't let anyone tell you how long is appropriate to grieve the loss of a loved one, yes, even a pet. Everyone chooses the length and manner and it's different for us all.  Be kind and supportive but above all, love them through it.  My hope for you is that you never experience this kind of cancer. It is called a great mystery - they don't know its cause and there is no real cure.