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ROOKIE
Arcticstarr Sadam Rookie
ANKC Registered Siberian Husky | Bred by Michael Herbst
Male | 24.02.2008 - 06.09.2022
14 years, 6 months and 12 days of loving you Rookie. My heart is hurting for the loss of our "Mumma's boy".
From the very beginning, this beautiful soul was mine. He was like a needy toddler who had to have my undivided attention and always sought out affection and confirmation that he was doing the right thing.
I really can't remember any time that he caused an issue in our kennel or was anything other than a gentleman. Rookie was such an easy guy to live with and he just wanted to please you. The one flaw that always kept us on our toes was his love for chewing his harness. Rookie was so bloody quick to bite through the webbing if he had to wait too long to run and he had three harnesses on rotation with various forms of repair to all of them. He needed a minder to watch him at all times!
Running was Rookie's first love. As a yearling he started his training with Rex who taught him all the bad habits like cutting corners and trying to throw the musher off the scooter. When he teamed up with Roary he just blossomed and they were a phenomenal team who went on to be ASSA National Champions in the 2 dog class.
Over the years, Rookie competed in every class and ran in every position. He didn't care really whether he was in lead, team or wheel. He just wanted and loved to run.
In June 2021 Rookie bloated after coming home from a race and it was then that we discovered he had a tumour on his spleen. Diagnosed with splenic haemangiosarcoma the outcome did not look good and we expected that our remaining time together would be very quick. Rookie defied the odds and gave us another 14 odd months together where he was able to live as a spoilt house yard dog with his special buddies and teammates.
Thank you to my mum Laurel and our dear friend Sam for taking care of Rookie over the past couple of months while we attended races. Knowing that he was in expert hands and getting all the cuddles and love made it a little less hard to leave him at home.
To Michael, thank you for allowing Rookie to be a part of our family. He has been such a beautiful dog to own and love and watching him run in harness was the greatest thrill.
I am going to miss him terribly. My shadow is no longer and I will miss his eyes constantly watching me. Sleep well dear Rookie. You were such a good boy and we love you dearly.
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