Yankee Remembered March 12, 2015

Ch Wisdom’s Gate Let Freedom Ring, CGC

July 2, 2005 – March 12, 2015

 

We lost our beloved Yankee yesterday after a valiant battle with advanced heart disease and cancer, almost exactly a year from when we lost his mother, Annie, at 14. True to his terrier nature, he was diagnosed last June with a heart that would only last 2 months at most.  Nine months later, it was the cancer that finally got him, not that huge and faithful heart.

 

Yankee is the best Norfolk I have ever owned or bred, both in temperament and in structure.  Barbara Miller once said of her boy, Storm, that what she missed the most was gazing out at him in the run, seeing his gorgeous stature.  I now know what she meant.  Both Tim and I would comment weekly on how even at 9 years old, with cancer and a bad heart, he was gorgeous.  He will forever be the image of a male Norfolk for me.

 

Yankee was weaned while I was in the hospital, so he was first and foremost my husband’s dog.  Tim would visit me, then come home and play with Yankee, who as a singleton, had no other pups to play with.  His mom weaned her pups at 3 weeks, so Tim was it.  Throughout his life, Yankee loved lying on Tim’s chest just under his chin, ‘praying’ and loving it.  Last night, as we sat on the couch with our remaining three girls and our grief, Carmel, our small red 6 year old Norfolk, began that praying motion for the very first time.  We swear it was Yankee saying all was well.

 

Yankee took me to Westminster, to the National Dog Show, as well as all over the country with Michael Lynch as a special.  He was the consummate show dog, and even on his final day, was excited to go into his crate in the car because he might be going to a show.  I thank Mike Lynch every day for making sure he loved showing.

 

We miss you, Yankee.

If love could have saved you – you would have lived forever…