From Cameron H. :

3-21-2010
Mary, I want to commend you, applaud you and most of all thank you for doing your very best to breed healthy dogs. See I'm down to one now, Savannah my gorgeous girl. I had to put my beautiful, wonderful, baby boy Magic down yesterday. He had a stroke Friday which left him blind and hardly able to stand or get up. In the end he could not get up and in the hour I left him during the night to get a little sleep when I thought he was ok, he hurt himself and I realized what I had to do because it was apparent he required 24/7 care. We are not positive but we think he had a seizure the week before and hit his head (we noticed his right eye was very bloodshot but thought he got something in it) and we think he developed a blood clot which caused the stroke. Luckily we were home that day but it didn't do any good and he just got worse. I miss my baby boy so much and just wanted to thank you, cause if he had a breeder like you he would still be here with me, where he belongs. I didn't realize I could hurt so bad from losing a dog. So please keep up the great work by breeding wonderful healthy dogs!!
Darlene

Please do post my letter. I am very proud if you, your dogs and your integrity! I want everyone to know the person/breeder you are. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt if you were Magic's breeder he would still be here with me. That dog loved me more than anything, he was truly MY dog. Gypsy was James', Savannah is belongs to both if us but her personality is so independent. Magic would be looking for me if we were outside and he couldn't see me. I know you understand and I finally understand you statement of losing a piece if yourself. Next opportunity I get to take off I'm coming to visit, I miss you! You taught me so much, don't know if you realize that. You mostly showed me what total devotion to our wonderful extended family is. I love you. Darlene.

Hello, I wish to share with you how I met Mary Catoir. I lost Trixie this past Halloween. I can't believe that it's been 8 months already. It's funny . . . I was thinking about my sweet Trixie today. She was born on November 9 and my dog before her, Sambo, a mixed dog, died on the day she was born. I was thinking that Scarlet (my new baby) and I would release two blue balloons on November 9 in their memory. I, too, feel your pain. My baby had been having some stomach issues and she was almost 12 and I knew that she was going downhill. She had been back and forth to the vet the last two months and blood work had been done but nothing showed up and I had to coax her to eat . . . I tried everything - even going out to Podners BBQ and getting her chopped brisket. I decided to look on the internet and find a breeder who had collies and see if they had senior collies who had trouble eating and what were they doing. That's how I found Mary . . . wonderful Mary. I emailed her about Trixie and we corresponded a couple of times and then Trixie left me about 4 days after that. She took the burden of me making the decision of putting her down and died at home with me laying by her side. I was asleep and I know that she kissed me good-bye before she left. She was 10 days short of being 12.
I wanted another collie, but not then - I needed some time. Since she died Halloween I really wanted to take the rest of the year - November and December - and deal with her loss and honor her. I knew my heart would open up for another one, but at that time it was broken. She died on a Tuesday morning and I realized the next weekend that the Baton Rouge Kennel Club was having a breed show that weekend - I saw it in the paper on Sunday and remembered that Mary had told me that she would be at shows almost every weekend. I had nothing to do and nothing to keep me home so I drove over to the show and arrived - just as the collies were going in the ring. And, not only did I get to meet Mary, I met Doc, Charlie and Colleen. At that time, Mary had just bred Charlie to Colleen and she told me that it would be a while before she knew that she took and then, of course, a couple of months for the puppies to be born and then she keeps them three months. And that was just the time schedule that I wanted.
It was so strange . . . it was like Trixie was in charge of everything. She hooked me up with Mary before she died . . . and for me to be able to meet all of them the next weekend . . . everything just fell into place.
Scarlet's litter was born December 22 . . . and that was the date that I had picked Trixie up to take home . . . 12 years ago. Just too coincidental.
I needed those two months. I got out some more pictures of her and put up at my office and at home. I picked out two of her favorite stuffed animals and slept with them. One of those I have given to Scarlet and it has become one of her favorites . . . go figure.
The next three months I was very, very fortunate and lucky to be able to visit the pups several times . . . I only live 1 1/2 hours away. I preferred getting a female, but after seeing Doc and Charlie it really didn't matter - I can tell you that I have met ALL of her collies and they are all loving and sweet and playful! Scarlet was the only girl so I knew that chances of me getting her were slim. And, honestly, which drove some of my friends crazy - I never once picked out a favorite. I loved them all and figured that it just wouldn't matter which one I got. Mid March - March 16 - I brought Scarlet home.
Originally, I had just wanted a dream pet . . . and believe me . . . she is a dream pet . . . a dream come true. But, I connected with a girl I used to work with and she is big in obedience and showing and I asked her about obedience classes. Well, my eyes were opened . . . because I thought that conformation was the only thing that you could do. I have now entered Scarlet in her first rally competition at the beginning of August - it's just me and her . . . we are a team and we have fun. We may bust and not score, but we will have fun doing it. I've taken her to two kids library days which our obedience club puts on and the week after that we participated in pet therapy at one of the nursing homes. I have met so many new friends. I have a life now.
When I had Trixie - she mostly stayed at home and we played and played her favorite game outside . . . ball. But, I think that when she left me she wanted to make sure that I was taken care of and that I got a life outside of my home. So . . . she provided me Mary and Scarlet and now I have a life outside of work. Trixie is all over my house . . . in every room . . . and she will always, always be in my heart . . . she was the love of my life. I often called her Mommy's baby girl.
Scarlet . . . lol . . . has now weeded her way into my heart . . . a whole different personality. She is now called, Mommy's little collie girl.
Trixie - my guardian angel and Scarlet - my breath of new life. You, too, will feel like this one day. It just takes time. You never forget, but you just open your heart again.
We've all been through this. It hurts. I won't lie to you. But . . . one thing about collie people . . . you always have a friend, a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.
Paula and "sleeping" Scarlet

OUR PERFORMANCE PRINCESS.

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