A Life of Riley v. Adhem

A Life of Riley v. Adhem

October 2001 - July 2011

As is often said in memoriams, its the dash between the dates that makes up the most important part of a life. And this has certainly been our Riley boys legacy to ourselves and to the Nemda group!

When our boy was chosen for us in December of 2001 we really had no idea how vitally important this little puppy would be to everyone who met him. He was certainly a ball of energy from the get go... so very willing to learn and be taught, but also so willing to teach us how to love and appreciate the finest things in being owned by a dog. The total ability to trust, to love, to learn, to play and to accept what cant be changed - the finality of life. Even in death he gave his best effort to keep us protected from the pain of making the final decision, he left this world in the arms of those who loved him best without fanfare or theatrics, just peaceful knowing hed done his best for us and would now leave it to other pups to carry on good deeds.

We were given the opportunity to compete in dog shows with this boy, he was more anxious to play ball than to prance around the dog arena but we think his feelings were hey, it this is so important to my people then lets get it done and then well get to play ball! We doggy danced with him, did agility runs, cattle herding, obedience work, scent work as well as participated in many dress up parades.

He was always a willing participant and such a ham in front of the camera one only needed to mention the name of one of his wives or a friend and hed perk up his ears in a most delightful manner giving the greatest photo ops! Ive sent a few along for your pleasure.

Over his time as a stud dog, he had 10 wives (well, a few were repeat performances) and gave out 55 puppies. Some of his pups are now well into passing on his looks and temperament and its been said that they are well valued in the Nemda organization.

So hopefully our Rileys name will go on in Entlebucher Mountain Dog history for the fine pups he has produced and those that continue to be produced by his offspring.

Many thanks go out to our dogs grandma, Jan Vincent, for allowing this wonderful dog to own us, to Lynda Featherstone for helping pick out our delightful boy from that original litter and supporting us through many a mating time when she allowed us use of her home and gardens to have the visiting females stay over.

Thanks to Nemda for their insistence on maintaining quality in the BCOE program and for giving such important guidance to novice and experienced owners of this special breed of dog. It certainly is a lifeline to be able to contact the breed gurus at any time to gain advice and support. Keep up the good work of maintaining the strict guidelines so that the breed will prosper and become greater with each litter produced.

We have been truly blessed with Riley being part of our lives and the memories will remain even though the boy has now gone to another place where he can play ball once again with joy and vigour. He is missed by all who met him, dog lovers or not, as everyone seemed to find that special something in his being near them...just as we did. Goodbye dear friend, our Riley boy.