CH. Gemar's Anything Goes aka Cole

CH. Gemar's Anything Goes aka Cole McGuire

When I first started looking for a stud for my Nikki to have another litter of pups I had contact Gene McGuire to see if she had a male and she said that she did but that he wasn't a champion but that he was a beautiful dog. I told her that it would be a couple of months before Nikki came in heat and she said that would be fine and told me how much the stud fees would be. Well right before she came in heat I received a phone call from Bob Bull telling me that he had the perfect stud for Nikki. He said did you ever call Gene McGuire and I said yes a couple a months ago and he said well he just got his championship and you need to call her. Well I called her again and we talked and she said that since we had talked before that she would not raise the price on this breeding because we talked before he received his championship and as soon as Nikki was ready to breed to bring her up. Well I couldn't go the first time so Dennis took her up and then stayed overnight at my mom's in Valparaiso and went back the next day. He told me that Cole was a beautiful dog. We ended up using Cole 4 times as a stud for Nikki and Carrie. They all had some beautiful puppies together. Dennis did tell me that Gene also had a liver Bedlington that I just had to see so when we bred Carrie the one time I went up to meet Kiwi and fell in love.

I had met Cole at a dog show in Indianapolis. Gene had a handler showing him and a friend of mine had been to the show earlier and saw him there and asked the handler if he cared if she brought me the next day because I was bringing her one of Cole's puppies and he said no. So when we got to the show she told him these are the people that I was telling you about and he said that there would be a looking fee and I said fine. I started to get some money out of my purse and he said I was just kidding and I said well I would pay to see him. Well he let him out of his little crate and that baby boy was all over me jumping on me, licking my face all over, I had no make-up left on, my glasses were knocked off and everything. He was just wild. Then the handler grabbed the leash and you saw a totally different dog. He was so well poised and trained it was amazing. He brought Cole back in the gated off area and took the leash off and away he went again with the licking and kissing and jumping. I couldn't believe what a beautiful father my pups had and how he remembered me from only seeing Dennis one time. He was one smart little boy.

I can remember that we had not talked to Gene for awhile and I had an awful feeling that something was wrong so I had Dennis call to see how she was and we found out that she was in the hospital and needed to find a home for Cole and Kiwi. Without even asking me Dennis said we will take them. Gretchen said and you have how many dogs. Dennis came back with 7 but 2 more will be no trouble. We told her to tell Gene that if she ever got better and could take them back that we would let her have them back - even though I knew that it would kill me. Gene told Gretchen that she wanted us to have the kids but hated to ask us because of the number we had and she was afraid that it would be a hardship on us. But everything worked out find. Gene called me a couple of weeks before she died and she talked for over an hour and it surprised me and then we got the phone call. When the call came Cole was in the office with me and I was on the computer. He had been asleep and he got up and came over to me and laid his head on my lap and looked so sad. It was as if he knew what had happened. Gretchen told me when the funeral was and we wanted to go so bad. But instead we stayed home. Dennis was working so Kiwi, Cole and I went outside and sat and I had them in the pen. It was the strangest thing. At the time of the funeral Cole stood as still as could be looking North towards Joliet. Then when I figured it was about over (I had a watch on and wrote down the times) he looked up to the sky, towards me, back to the sky, towards Joliet and then walked over to the gate as if to say it's ok mom, my other mom is gone now. What really gave me goose bumps was when I told Gretchen and the times were exactly when everything happened. But I had never seen Cole stand so still like he was at attention before as he did that day. He sure did pay his last respects to his first mom.

Cole was one special boy that was put on this earth. He touched so many lives, was the father to so many puppies, and made so many people happy to have a Bedlington in their lives. But the older he got he got cataracts and could not see well so he would bump into things, his hearing started to go and he started to have kidney issues and in 2008 Kiwi his sibling since 1994 and Carrie his little lover both had to be put to sleep. After that he just seemed to change. He was so very close to both of them. There for a long time we had the last litter - Carrie, Cole, Arianne and Montana Bo all together. It was funny because they acted like a family too. Carrie and Cole would almost always be seen lying together sleeping.

I (We) can not thank Gene and Gretchen enough for letting us have Cole and Kiwi into our lives in 2001. They brought us so much joy and happiness. We would never be able to thank either one of them enough for letting us have them in our lives and homes and trusting us with those two precious babies. All I can say is thank you and God Bless you for the two most special gifts in the world to us.

Cole, you brought us so much love, joy and happiness and you will always have a place in my heart, right along with the rest of the Bedlingtons that have passed ahead of you and those that will pass behind you. I can close my eyes and see a hill in heaven with a bunch of Bedlingtons all standing and laying around and there at the top will be your mom with her grooming table, scissors, clippers, etc. trimming you all so that there isn't a one of you that is not just perfect.

Goodbye my dear little boy, at least you can see now, are not in any pain and it is just this family down here that is missing you now. I'm sorry I could not have kept you longer, but your time had come and unfortunately it was me that had to be there to let you go. I hope you heard me say that I loved you and give you a kiss. I did love you Cole, forever and always.

Love, Mom, Dad, Josh, Megan, Gabriel, Montana Bo, Arianne, Chloe and the Bedlington Angels

Nikki, Quincy, Carrie and Kiwi

Nancy Rodgers