Ch. SureShot Smoking Gun -

Losing Smoky was truly a shock. One day he was bouncing around with the others; the next he had to be rushed to the vets and a day later he was gone. Anyone that thinks cancer is a slow killer is wrong. He left us the way he lived his life, without fuss, calmly, quietly. A gentle giant. Much missed.

Smoky was my surprise dog. A surprise that I kept him, a surprise that he actually won, and a surprise that he started looking very, very nice after a wonky start. A big puppy, he went through the typical gangly stages of young Gordons with bone and size. To make matters worse, his head grew before the rest of him caught up. He'd been in the showring only a couple of times and each time he came out with the points (now that was a surprise!). At 12 months of age, we entered him to support the GSCC booster and, under a breeder-judge, he was BW (surprise again!). After that, I tried not to pay attention to his looks but then found myself thinking "hey, this is nice" (another surprise!). With new-found respect for this dog, Smoky was entered in the summer shows at Westerly and, with four Best of Breed wins under his collar, he was a Canadian Champion.

The other surprise was his unique achievement. Consider that this was very laid back dog. Consider also, that we have a 5 foot fence that no Gordon has ever gone over in 18 years. So, who would you suppose would be the first to test out the greener pastures? Smoky. Of course, he didn't go anywhere when he got over, just waited for me to join him. Our investment in invisible fencing became another of Smoky's legacies. I miss you big guy.