We lost our dear Merlin during the transition into our new/old house. He passed away in Scott's arms early one morning in the little travel trailer as the bitter cold outside grew thick frost crystals on the windows, and far away up Paiute creek, coyote howls rose to the fading stars.
We so very much wanted Merlin to live with us in our new home, where the heart of the new house is our old house, and spacious new additions will allow a Sheltie to play and run even when the wind is howling outside in the blackest of freezing nights. But it was not to be. Merlin did get to go into the new house before it was finished, and happily recognized the rooms where he used to live, and the kitchen where he was born. That much he did get to do.
I have the most glorious color photos of Merlin, but somehow could not bring myself to put color into this page, as I feel that the color washed from my life when he slipped away. There are color photos of him elsewhere on the site, namely on the Fun Pages, and those I will let stand.
Merlin and his littermates came about because old friend Jean Swim of Scherzando Shelties was kind enough to let me have Whitney, Clan Duncan Powder Blue (Ch. Banchory Feel My Thunder ex a Thunder Blue daughter), at the age of 7 years. Whitney is pictured above at 14 years old. Whitney was from my last litter before a divorce and career change (better known as job loss) forced me to go out of Shelties in the 80s, so I was thrilled to have something from that last litter. We bred Whitney to Maramet Midnight Encounter in 1994, and Merlin was the pick of the litter. Merlin was scheduled to be shown. A top handler was lined up and he was growing coat for his debut when disaster struck. While retrieving a ball on the old Hill, he fell into a hole concealed in the tall grass and broke his pelvis and one shoulder blade. For a year, he was exercised only on leash so that his bones would heal, a sore trial for lively and athletic young Merlin. But heal he did, though in old age arthritis visited the sites of these old injuries and slowed him down. So ended the hopes of a successful show career. Merlin continued to be a superb, intelligent, and beautiful companion.
Merlin loved going to the cabin and going for long walks in the hills. He was a master of the "warmer-colder" dog game "Nopey-Goody" in which the dog's eyes are covered, a ball or toy is thrown, and the dog is guided to the ball by the person's saying "Nopey" or "Goody" as he tries to locate it. Merlin also loved to play in the snow.
Merlin loved Halloween on the Hill, as I do, and "helped" to place all the spooky decorations each year, leading up to our huge Halloween party and treasure hunt, called The Halloween Thing. He was always there supervising when we set up Edith Needles the Witch in the Haunted Cemetery and hung the bats in the trees. He would haunt the kitchen when we carved jack o' lanterns, so he could eat the cut-out eyes, noses, and mouths from the pumpkins. But, since we would carve 60 to 90 jack o' lanterns for the party, I had to ration his pumpkin consumption! I will always think of him when we light jack 'o lanterns, remembering his dark, intelligent face as he watched intently. Halloween will not be the same without Merlin.
Merlin found the preparation for our Halloween Thing very exciting. Here he meets the Red Death, a life-sized figure I have just been constructing. At times, it was almost as if Merlin knew that his registered name was Halloween.
Merlin had a great capacity for enjoying life, and always did well finding eggs in our annual Clan Duncan Dog Easter Egg Hunt!
In mid-life, Merlin and his sister Reenie suddenly became paralyzed from some unknown cause. Both were immobile below the neck for a week. We almost lost them. Both survived only because of the 'round-the-clock expertise, care, and dedication of their veterinarian, Dr. Dennis Dixon. Who would have guessed that a winter car accident would take Dr. Dennis from the world before Merlin and Reenie even reached old age? After the paralysis, Merlin showed some motor damage, but could still run and go for long walks. He never lost his joy in living.
We bred Merlin to several girls during his lifetime, but no puppies resulted until it was very nearly too late. It became almost a comedy of errors. One female carried six embryos a while and then aborted because her uterus was deformed. Another became pregnant but developed an infection and lost them. Two other girls were bred to him several times over a period of four years, with no result. (Years later we discovered that both of these girls were bred to several other males and never conceived to them, either.) But at the time, I figured that Merlin himself was the problem and for a number of years stopped trying for puppies from him. Then, when he was eleven years old, as it happened, I had a girl just perfect for him -- proven to be fertile, all her tests, the sweetest personality, and an excellent cross-complement to Merlin in every way, both physically and in the pedigree. I decided that I would try one last time for Merlin puppies. First, I took Merlin to the new state canine fertility center to be tested. The "teaser" test female they brought out for him, was a very large Pit Bull Terrier, and she was NOT happy! I thought Merlin would not give a sample under these circumstances, but as soon as he discovered that the Pit Bull was muzzled and restrained, he cooperated with the vet techs and ignored her vigorous, loud, and fierce growls! Later I was shocked when the fertility center director said, "Merlin's sample is just fine. He should be able to sire puppies with no problems." Stunned, we went ahead and bred Merlin to little Rowena. And they gave us --
This is Miranda. We find her breathtaking. Miri is indescribably precious to us, along with her litter sisters Clan Duncan Halloween Candy (Candy) and Clan Duncan Halloweena (Imp). We look forward to these gentle and intelligent girls to carry Merlin's genes into the mainstream of quality Sheltie bloodlines and thus into history. Their litter brother, tiny Hob, Clan Duncan Goblin Moon, warms the heart of his very own family.
No tale of Merlin's life would be complete without mention of his litter brother Gnat. Gnat was just as beautiful as Merlin, but he was born with a deformed hind leg, and though he was happy and beloved, in later life Gnat could not get around very well. Merlin was Gnat's guide and protector for Gnat's entire life, and never a growl passed between the two. When Gnat died, Merlin was absolutely devastated. In more than 35 years in Shelties, I have never seen grief like his. Overnight Merlin became a different dog. His mourning for Gnat was black and fathomless, and lasted another two years until Merlin's own death. This kind of strong, deep character is why we became dedicated to Shelties. Such profound temperament is rare these days; treasure it when you find it.
There will never be another Merlin. Sleep well, old friend. We will meet you before many more snows have fallen.
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