Tango died peacefully this afternoon as a result of chronic kidney failure. Tango had been fading for the past week or so. She has had spinal arthritis that impacted her mobility and recently has collapsed going up and down stairs. She had become increasingly incontinent and the past two days refused food, took little water and vomited a number of times. She developed that vacant stare that we all know well and was mostly unresponsive socially. The combination of her toxicity and her obvious pain made it clear that she was ready to go.

Tango was the last of the late Cynthia Kelly?s foundation bitches, and I believe was one of the last two surviving members of her litter. She was a frequent visitor when Cynthia went out-of-town for shows and when she was in hospital. After Cynthia died Tango stayed on with us. She was a typical, pushy female, but subtle and dignified. Not so dignified in the field, however. Two years ago she went with us to a fun day that included lure coursing. She became so excited that she began baying and we had to move her behind a barrier so that she could not see the lure until it was her turn to run. When I set her up for the start she nearly pulled me over. On hunts, Tango was the one who pushed through the bushes and low underbrush to flush out the varmints. Then the other dogs, who were observing from a higher vantage point, would respond to her baying and set out on the chase. At home she was incredibly quiet, rarely barking and leaving alerts to our boy, Georgie.

As we all know, each of our dogs has a unique personality and set of qualities that are never completely duplicated in any other dog. Tango was unique and we will miss her, but especially because she was a link to Cynthia. I like to imagine that we have sent her on to reunite with her real mom and the RRs with whom she spent the major portion of her life.

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