One of the premier performance Cardigans left us last week.
'Maggie' was the first of our breed to achieve the difficult
Herding Excellent title and remains the only Ch, HX, UD to date.

While campaigning for her HX she concurrently earned her UD,
and could have probably gone on to an OTCh if I hadn't caught
the herding bug and left Obedience training behind. She also
made the cut in the huge 9-12 Bitch class at the Atlanta
Specialty in 1990. One of my fondest memories of her many and
various special days was the time she got a standing, whooping
ovation in Utility... even after she NQ'd for taking the wrong
jump! She was really 'on' that day, grinning from ear-to-ear,
heeling like she was a part of me, and the crowd was with us.
Another was the 'Snoopy-dance' day when she went high in trial
in herding over the biggest winning dogs in the Midwest. I knew
we had made it on that day!

She always had people pulling for her in the herding arena - she
never took any crap from any sheep. This was at the beginning
of the AKC program and Maggie was one of the only Cardis herding
so people were still amazed that a 'little' dog could do such a
good job. The day she backed the recalcitrant sheep the whole
way around the course hit the internet and was known from
coast-to-coast in a flash.

I always felt very safe with Maggie by my side, knowing that she
was willing to die trying to protect me from whatever came our
way. She wasn't a dog who went looking for a fight, but if she
felt I was in peril she would put herself between me and the
problem and wouldn't look back. We logged many thousands of
miles together in my truck. I often said that she would walk
through fire for me... and I for her. There aren't many people
that I can say that about.

Maggie was a dog who loved a job and even at the end when her
health was failing due to kidney disease, she demanded to go
with Rick down our long driveway to bring in the newspaper. He
had to carry her part way back up but she had done her job and
she was smug about it!

Maggie leaves behind sister Ch Cisco, UDX, daughter Ch Dot, CD,
HX, daughter Ch/MACH Hillary, CDX, HI, son Ch Arnold, PT,
daughter Ch Gabby, and granddaughter Ch Ingrid, HI and
granddaughter Lacey, HS.

Maggie's loss has left Rick and I brokenhearted but we are
comforted that she lives on in the minds and hearts of so many
people she came into contact over the years. She was truly a
special companion and friend to me.

Dana and Rick Hasemeier
Fantasy Farm Cardigans