Welshie of the Month Nicky Sept. 10, 1984 - April 29, 1998 This was written by Debi Jamison, co-owner with me (Steve Patt) of Gregmar's Nicholas - Nicky: Steve and I said goodbye to our dearest Nicky on Wednesday, April 29 at a time of our choosing. He was a very special dog and we are very sad, even though we of course knew this day would come. We miss him terribly. He was 13 years, 8 months. Nicky was Mr. Exuberance. He had three times the energy of most other terriers. As a pup he never slept! For most of his life he ran laps around the backyard until we were exhausted just watching him. Most of you knew him as a very competitive runner. He loved to run and he loved to be ahead of the other dogs in races. We dubbed our home Running Dog Kennel because of him. He earned several medals with his racing partner Steve. He was crazy about balls, and was always up for a game. He loved to actively watch TV, especially ball games. He always tried to grab the TV balls. The earthdog tests were another game to him and he quickly earned his Certificate of Gameness and Junior Earthdog titles. We enjoyed many wonderful outings at these events meeting other Welsh terriers and their folks. Nick enjoyed hiking too and often increased his mileage by doing circles around his hiking companions. He loved his people and was always generous with kisses. He graciously welcomed every foster dog into the family. We could write a book about this wonderful dog. Nick's health started to decline in the summer of '96. Spinal cord degeneration slowly weakened his back legs, and his poor eyesight didn't help his ability to move around either. One by one his many activities were curtailed. In the last few months, he needed lots of assistance. His hyperactivity probably caused his problem (he twirled clockwise whenever excited, and a lot excited him!), as well as kept him going for as long as he did. It was a privelege to care for this dog in his time of need. He gave us so much joy. Making the decision to end his life was the hardest thing we ever had to do. We couldn't bare to see him so incapacitated anymore, and he was hurting himself with his constant stumbling and falling. Even on his last days he never lost his will to move and struggled to stand again and again whenever he fell. We took him for one last walk at a park and he actually pulled and ran to get at a big, blue ball that two boys were kicking back and forth. We played with the boys for a several minutes. It was good to see a bit of the old Nick back again. For those of you with Welshies and other animal companions, give them extra hugs and kisses today in remembrance of our Nick. Read more about Nicky on his picture page