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On Sunday, 20th May 2001, Kosmos Tallulah (Lulu) inexplicably got through our fence and was killed on the road. Whoever hit her did not bother to stop. She was found some time later by a passer-by who kindly came in and told my children, who were home on their own at the time, as I was at a horse show.
I have no idea why Lulu chose to go out on her own without any of the other dogs, and can only think that she may have been looking for me. If she'd had her own way, she'd have gone everywhere with her people.
Lulu was always the smallest of the litter of nine pups from Fanta (Barakzai Moonfantasia) and Nigel (Ch. Colinarra Go For Gold). However, the quality of her disposition was streets ahead of the rest. What words can I use to describe her character? What made her so special, and so different from the rest? "Joie de vivre", playfulness, courage, grit, spirit, boldness, pluck, fervour, and much, much more.
I gave Lulu to my very good friend Catriona, and her daughter Lissie. They could not take her until she was five or six months old (exactly how old I cannot remember) because their house was not completed. Lissie often "slept over" at my house to spend time with Lulu, and Lulu always knew that more people belonged to her than was the case with her brothers and sisters.
Lulu had far too much love for just one family. Even after she moved to her new home, she often returned to mine for extended visits. She would choose where she wanted to be, by jumping into the car belonging to whichever family she chose to spend time with.
Sometimes we chose for her, for instance, when she was in season she stayed with me. Lulu had her own cage at Catriona's, but she refused to stay in it, ever, and howled forlornly any time Catriona tried to shut her in. This was irrespective of where the cage was located - even in the house right beside the family, she would not stay in that cage. For some strange reason, the cage in my study was more than acceptable, and whenever she walked into my house, she'd curl up in the cage for a sleep before doing anything else. When she was in season and had to spend entire days in the cage, she never uttered even a squeak.
I never missed a chance to have a "turn" with Lulu any time an opportunity arose. She often came home with me after dog shows, when Lissie had either left before the end of proceedings, or not attended at all.
At Catriona's, Lulu's family included a multitude of little terriers. Bob (Silky Terrier) and young Mitchell (Mini Fox Terrier) were her two special friends. She and Bob used to go rabbit hunting together, with considerable success: he'd go down into the warrens while she stayed above ground. Once Bob was lost in a warren, and Lulu led Catriona to him.
At my home Lulu loved running with her whippet family (brother, sister, mother and uncle), and she loved her kitties. Catriona has no cats, and Lulu always greeted mine with great affection every time she returned home. She often curled up with a cat or two on a chair, bed, or in "the cage" that she loved so much.
Some special, treasured memories of Lulu:
After shows, especially those held in the evening, we would often take the whippets out onto the huge grassed show oval for a run. Lulu was always a leader, and was also the fastest of the lot despite her small size. It was a beautiful sight, streaks of white and fawn coming into view as they sped past us, then disappearing into the darkness, leaving us with just the sound of their speeding feet on the grass.
In Darwin on Mindil Beach, Lulu oozing joy as she led the "pack" in a flatout gallop along the beach, into and out of the water.
Cold nights, when Lulu snuggled into position beside me in a way that no other whippet ever has. She was just the right shape and size to be the perfect hot-water-bottle, and had the ability to position herself comfortably (for both of us) down to a fine art.
The day Lulu ran into the bumper bar of my old Valiant (didn't duck low enough to clear it) at 'whippet top speed' (close to 60kph), and uttered barely a squeak. This despite the fact that the cut on her head required stitching, and her nose bled for three days afterwards. All she wanted to do was continue running with her friends.
Lulu following me down to the gate (usually accompanied by my son's dog, Skud) when I was on my way to work, then standing forlornly behind the gate, watching as I drove off.
Lulu bouncing at the gate when I returned home, her tail wagging furiously, and then racing up the drive at full speed beside the car. When I got out of the car she would jump into my arms (a family trait), a wriggling bundle of wagging whippet.
One of Lulu's extended visits with me started after last November's show, and ended on Sunday. Lulu now rests at Catriona's next to her best friend Mitchell, who was killed by a snake earlier this year, and well before his time.
Lulu has left a hole in our lives that nobody and nothing else can ever fill. She was the perfect dog; the perfect whippet; the perfect companion; the perfect friend.