Hooligan Irish Water Spaniels

I’d met Emerald Isle Co-R’s Fiona O’B Mx (shortened from Blu Max) at Ruth Roes’ house. [Actually, due to a registration error, her name is technically, Emerald Isle Car’s Fiona O’B Mx.] She was a pretty pup sired by Bes’ brother Golly (Ch. Co-R’s Galway Bay O’Blu Max, CD, JH). The Co-R’s O’Blu Max ladies had taken Fi as a stud fee puppy as her pedigree doubled on Ch. Sylabru’s Naptandy Scarlet, CD, a lovely bitch who had a very pretty headpiece that they wanted to reinforce in their line. Betty Liittschwager had selected Fi because of her sweetness – a temperament that she felt would appeal to Ruth’s husband Bob. Fi rode all the way back to California sitting on Betty’s lap.

Ruth named Fi after an eccentric antique dealer friend who’d owned a shop near the school where Ruth had taught. While Fi wasn’t eccentric per se, she was definitely one of a kind.

The Co-R’s ladies rotated their dogs among themselves to help the dogs become adaptable. Fi went to live with Dorothy Read when Ruth whelped a litter out of Maeve (Ch. Co-R’s Maeve O’Blu Max, CD). Shortly thereafter, my IWS girl Bes was supposed to have her litter at Dorothy’s house, so I was dogless. It made sense for Fi to come & stay with me so that we could keep each other company. She never went back. She’d found her true home.

Fi continued the education that Bes before her had started. Fi was my first owner-handled breed champion, my first Companion Dog Excellent, & my first Utility Dog. We learned about tracking together (she didn’t love it), & she was the first Irish Water Spaniel to earn a flyball title – Flyball Dog Excellent. Fi always did just about anything that I asked of her, with the possible exception of tracking.

Because of Fi & through Fi I’ve gone on to learn about canine nutrition, vitamins, herbalism, homeopathy & flower remedies. I’ve read about & studied the vaccine controversy. I’ve made like-minded friends, & unfortunately lost a few others along the way. We’ve done acupuncture & chiropractic.

Fi was the first dog that I bred. We flew back East together in the middle of winter for a breeding that unfortunately didn’t take. We tried the same dog again via frozen semen – again we failed. Then we tried another fellow (Irish import Ch. Aspen of Mistywaters, CD, JH aka “Gavin”) whose owner was kind enough to send him to us. We did things the old fashioned way on her turf & it took. Fi had her pups the day before my birthday – the day of Gavin’s owner’s birthday. We lost one pup the next day & unfortunately another about six weeks later. We ended up with two lovely girls, Mabel, BOSS Ch. Hooligan’s Fair Hibernia, SH, WCX, CD, HIT (who belongs to Colleen McDaniel), & Edin, Am/Mex/FCI Int’l Ch. Hooligan’s Holy Grail, CD, CGC (who’s still very much here). Both Edie & Mabel have taken their turn at motherhood & have been considerably more fecund than their dam. Fi now has grandchildren titled in conformation as well as performance events, & others contributing as therapy dogs. She has great-grandchildren living in Europe & Scandinavia. Fi’s contribution to the breed is assured & can be seen in the pretty heads of her descendants.

Fi died on September 15, 2004 at the age of fourteen & a half+ on the eve of the Jewish New Year. The Days of Awe between Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur are a period of contemplation & reflection – an appropriate time to ponder Fi’s life & legacy. We had a dreadful heat wave in the weeks preceding Fi’s death, which proved too much for her to bear. Several days before her passing, she assembled her niece Callie, daughter Edie & granddaughter Glory around her & “held court.” I swear that she gave them “instructions.” Her absence echoed loudly throughout our house for a very long time.

I miss her calm presence & beautiful face, but she continues to smile at me through the eyes of her progeny & the photos that constantly remind me of her life. Rest well & thank you, Fiona Fair & White aka Ch. Emerald Isle Co-R’s Fiona O’B Mx, UD, TT, FdX, CGC – my Beauty Bright.