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Page added November 17, 2025 |
Teuio en-dro an avel c´hlas
Da analañ va c´halon c´hloaz
Kaset e vin diouzh e alan
Pell gant ar red, hervez `deus c´hoant
Hervez `deus c´hoant pell eus ar bed
Etre ar mor hag ar stered
Denis Prigent, Jean Marc Illien & Lisa Gerrard
"Gortoz A Ran"
On a September day, the same on which my love Minna moved in to live with me, our little twinkling star was born, Rosti's 3rd-great-grandson. And later he came to live with us, Minna's first Cardigan.
He was an overactive and very opinionated puppy. We even considered calling him 'Kiukku' (which is Finnish for 'Anger'), but he grew out of it in due time and turned into a little phlegmatic and rather self-absorbed dog. His head and tail were always held high and while he was not really bossy about it, he was never one to defer to any other dog. This eventually led to him falling out with both his older companion Kamu and his younger one Frodo, who we eventually had to give to a new home when the tensions just kept building up.
He had no qualms about meeting new people either, unlike some of our other Cardis did, and do. Yet he was never very cuddly, even if he never was far from our side. You would find him settled quietly at the foot of the bed, at the vacant end of the couch or just on the floor near your chair — always near but a little bit aloof.
He would probably have wanted to be a hunting dog, an often-annoying trait he picked up from Kamu, and his distinctive coloring and his soft wavy coat meant that he would always have hard time to be accepted in the show ring. We tried anyway, but his merits were far and few between. Once in a great while a judge would see beyond the superficial and note his solid structure and movement. He did finish his career on a high, becoming Finnish Veteran Winner in December 2021.
There is one thing that even those with most pertinacious nature have to bow down to: time. Since that crowning win in the last show of his career, he slowly began to grow more visibly old and frail. He no longer wanted to go on long walks, could no longer or hear very well and his kidneys began to fail. Finally, in March of this year, he was diagnosed with two different types of cancer.
We knew then that he lived on borrowed time. He was able to enjoy one last warm summer, but come Autumn, the days he gave us came to an end. I could not be there for his last hour, and Minna had to make the last, hard but right decision by herself, meeting his great love with her ultimate responsibility.
Our twinkling star shines no longer. The world is now a darker place.
Jouni Pohjola (with Minna Hyvönen)
Piikkiö, Finland
November 17, 2025
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Page added November 25, 2018 |