A VERY SPECIAL BOY

GLENSCOTS LITTLE WIZZARD 1996-2008

LAURENCE RAMSDEN   1918- 2009

WIZZARD WAS BORN A LITTLE LIGHTER BONED THAN WE LIKE AND HAD A CROOKED TOOTH SO HE WAS DESTINED FOR A PET HOME. HIS SISTER HAD GONE TO LIVE WITH OUR CHURCH ORGANIST AND WE WERE LOOKING FOR A GOOD HOME FOR HIM WHEN MY MOTHER PASSED AWAY. MY FATHER LOST INTEREST IN LIFE AND WAS SLIPPING WHEN WE DECIDED TO GIVE HIM WIZZARD. THE CHANGE WAS QUITE DRAMATIC, HE STARTED TO PUT THE SAME ENERGY INTO CARING FOR WIZZ AS HE HAD PUT INTO CARING FOR MY MOTHER, HAVING TO GET UP EARLY TO WALK AND FEED HIM THEN SPEND THE MORNING TALKING TO HIM. MY FATHER BROUGHT HIM TO OUR OBEDIENCE CLASS AND WIZZ SEEMED TO UNDERSTAND THAT DAD WAS SEVENTY EIGHT  AND TONED DOWN HIS ENERGY LEVEL DURING THE CLASSES.

MY FATHER BOUGHT A SMALL MOTOR HOME AND STARTED TO FOLLOW US TO DOG SHOWS, I STILL HAVE A VISION OF THEM BEHIND US AND ALL YOU COULD SEE OF WIZZ WAS THE TOPS OF HIS EARS SHOWING ABOVE THE DASH BOARD. AS MY FATHER AGED THEY BOTH MOVED IN WITH US AND STARTED TO TRAVEL WITH US IN A LARGER MOTOR HOME. AT THE SHOWS, WIZZ WOULD SIT QUIETLY ON MY FATHERS LAP WHILE WE SHOWED HIS LITTERMATES, HE WAS SO WELL BEHAVED THAT THE SHOW SUPERINTENDENTS WOULD ALWAYS ISSUE HIM AN IN TRANSIT PASS TO ALLOW HIM IN THE VENUE WHILE NOT ENTERED. THEY BECAME AN INSTITUTION.

AS MY FATHERS HEALTH FAILED, HE REQUIRED MAJOR SURGERY TWICE. THE DOCTOR INSISTED THAT WIZZ BE ALLOWED INTO THE RECOVERY ROOM BOTH TIMES. WIZZARD WAS THE FIRST THING HE SAW WHEN HIS EYES OPENED NOW MY FATHER IS IN EXTENDED CARE AND WIZZ MANAGES TO GET UP TO SEE HIM TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK.

GLENSCOTS LITTLE WIZZARD WAS NOT BORN SHOW QUALITY, HE NEVER GOT UP AT FOUR IN THE MORNING FOR GROOMING, NEVER STOOD AT THE ONE BOARD OR WON A RIBBON, BUT HE  KEPT MY FATHER GOING FOR TWELVE YEARS.