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Mistfield Oliver CGC
August 3, 1987 to July 3, 1998
The slide show above is a glimpse into our sweet Oliver's life's
journey. On July 3, 1998, we did a very brave thing for a very brave soul. Our Ollie was found to
have lymphosarcoma, only a few weeks before, found too late for him to respond
well to chemotherapy. So we allowed Ollie to be out of his pain forever.
While we stroked Ollie and told him how much we loved him, and how good he would soon be
feeling, our veterinarian gave him medicine that allowed him to die peacefully. Ollie,
though, will always be alive in our hearts and in our memories. Please be sure to read
our Memorial Tribute
for him.
Ollies beautiful soul, which clearly radiated through his vividly dark-rimmed eyes,
created quite a legacy during his lifetime. And, while that spirit will always brighten
the hearts of many, his recent physical departure is a painful reminder of the treasure
that has been lost. For, there could be no finer goodwill ambassador for our breed than
this noble gentleman.
Mistfield Oliver CGC,
or Ollie for short, entered our family into the world of Golden Retrievers. He was born on August
3, 1987, the photo here showing his first day in his new home. His parents and
grandparents and his great-grandparents were breed champions. His parents were Ch. Westbens Might Tango and Ch. Mistfield Bardot. And one grandparent was the famous
Ch. Mistfields Mr. Bill! Named for Oliver North, Ollie remained a paper shredder
throughout his days. Ollies favorite thing in
the world was people. He loved everyone, but especially that of kids. The day we went to
bring him home, we saw lots of lovely little puppies, all with different colored yarn
around their necks. We didnt know which one had been selected for us by Jane, but the first
guy to come up to the wires of his kennel to investigate us had a piece of red yarn around
his neck. It turned out that this guy was our little Ollie. While he was the runt of the
litter, he was the little lover of the bunch, preferring people to being with his brothers
and sisters. Ollie was a wonderful helper with
young children, especially boys, as they struggled over having to spend their free time
inside, working with me. Yet, with Ollie added to the picture, these sessions became
must-attend events! He easily calmed my anxious patients, bolstered the insecure, and
lifted the spirits of the depressed. And, while its tough to admit on more
than one occasion it was our four-footed therapist rather than this two-footed one
whom in fact scored the victory. Ollie was also a great entertainer, but far more importantly, he was the consummate
teacher. He helped innumerable children and adults learn just how valuable his presence
could be. My kindergarten demonstration work with him, although exhausting, not only
helped youngsters who were fearful of dogs, but allowed children to learn some valuable
dog safety lessons within a comfortable and fun atmosphere. Ollie, was very much the
show-off, and loved to be applauded for his actions. He simply loved our Go
Search game that involved him smelling a glove and then being taken out of the room.
I then hid the glove, the kids all knowing the hiding place,
before having him return and telling him to Go Search. Of course, he always
found his precious glove! Ollie was the most cherished of teachers, so gallantly fine-tuning my awareness of the
substantial role that canines play in our lives. Yet, always a kid at heart, I made sure
that the obedience work that I did with him would allow him entry into the world that he
so coveted. While Ollies sit and down-stays grew to be quite impeccable, it was his
ability to combine these with retrieves and retrieves that reliably would be
relinquished that allowed him to become a favorite visitor throughout several
neighborhoods. It was so heartwarming to be able to teach even two-year-olds how to play
independently with him, for both benefited so greatly from the sense of mastery that they
ultimately experienced. With only canine children to speak of, it is embarrassing to admit that much of the door
ringing at my house was for Ollie. Simply known as Ollies mother, I was forever
being asked by the little ones in our neighborhood, Can Ollie come out to
play?
We were so proud when he was
involved in an important photo shoot, then appearing in Time,
Newsweek, and Readers Digest magazines in an ad for the Pharmaceutical Research
& Manufacturers of America. Who better than a Golden to help someone from being
depressed? Thats why he was so perfect for an advertisement about an illness, like
depression, being treatable. Be sure to check out the
wonderful brochure spread.
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