Dilquin Standard Poodles
Dillon's Story
Can. Ch Khalsa's Very Debonair Dillon HIC
(June 25, 1998 - Sept 08, 2003)
Quincy quickly convinced me that standard poodles were the breed I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I started talking with poodle breeders & other owners and spent many hours looking at old poodle magazines to learn as much as I could about this breed.
I had an opportunity to own a dog sired by Am/Can CH Dawin High Falutin (Lutin). I was excited as the dam was a granddaughter of Am/Can Ch Terima the Moor and Lutin was a son of Am/Can Ch Pamela’s Manderly Spellbound. Since Lutin and Cole were dogs I greatly admired, I was very excited. Dillon, was born the weekend Quincy got the last leg of his CD and I met my good friend Deborah Foster (Violet Standard Poodles). It is not often that three wonderful things happen in a row and I treasure all of my memories of that weekend.
Right from the start, Dillon was exceptional. He showed an ability to think and reason his way out of situations that were uncanny for any dog, never mind a 3 month old puppy. Dillon was a very outgoing, charismatic, cute, clownish, and incredibly intelligent dog. He walked into every new place with the attitude "I'm here, let's start the party". He had a very strong retrieving and herding instinct, as well as a very soft mouth. Dillon had an incredibly high prey drive and almost no pack drive which led to some interesting situations.
Dillon always got many compliments on his beautiful head, neck and tail set, and wonderful feet. He was always beautifully handled by Beth Hilborn, PHA, to his Canadian Championship and several US points.
At the completion of his show career, we went to work on his obedience and agility titles. He was a challenge to work with because he was not food motivated and, although he had a high prey drive, once he decided he wasn't having fun, or was bored, even his favorite toy wouldn't motivate him. I learned to get very creative and often made a real fool of myself to keep his attention.
By the time Dillon was 4, he knew the names of all the agility equipment and, when he felt like it, he could run an entire course without me - I just had to call out the names of the equipment fast enough. He also had two legs of his CD.
Dillon had nearly all of the Open exercises down pat and we were planning to finish his CD title, when tragically, I lost him to a fungal infection that escalated into both Pseudomonas and Squamous Cell Carcinoma. .
Dillon's death left a huge whole in my heart that will never completely heal. He was my best friend and I know I was his. .
From the lives and deaths of these two amazing boys was born Dilquin Standard Poodles.