PET OBITUARY/MEMORIUM - APOLLO HOEL (EX DAVIS)
IT IS WITH PROFOUND SADNESS AND BROKEN HEARTS THAT WE ANNOUNCE THE PASSING OF OUR BEST FRIEND, BELOVED COMPANION AND "ADOPTED SON & BROTHER", APOLLO CREED OF KOKUSH, C.D., FbDCh, ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12,1999 IN THE ARMS OF HIS MOM AND DAD AT THE AGE OF 12 YEARS.
APOLLO CHOSE HIS MOM AT 7 WEEKS WHEN HE RACED ACROSS THE FLOOR AND JUMPED INTO HER LAP WITH PLENTY OF KISSES TO SPARE. THAT WAS TO BE THE BEGINNING OF A LONG AND REWARDING COMPANIONSHIP. WE WILL REMEMBER HIS FREQUENT RIPS AROUND THE HOUSE IN TANDEM WITH HIS THEN TEACHER RACHEL, A BOSTON TERRIER. APOLLO LOVED TO DANCE, ESPECIALLY TO CALYPSO MUSIC AND PULLING ROPE WITH HIS FAVORITE BLUE BOMBER, #52 MICHAEL GRAY. VISITS TO OUR HAIRDRESSER, DONNA, AND HIS MONTHLY MASSAGES FROM ELDA WERE ALSO HIGHLIGHTS OF HIS LIFE. AT THE CIA OBEDIENCE SCHOOL HE WAS A KEEN LEARNER AND THANKS TO TEACHERS, LAURIE THOMPSON, GORD ROBERTS AND VAL REITH, AND JUDGES GAIL CARROLL (BRANDON) AND PAT SCULLY (NEW YORK) HE ACHIEVED HIS CKC COMPANION DOG DESIGNATION IN JUNE OF 1990. FOR HIS EFFORTS HE RECEIVED HIS C.D. CERTIFICATE FROM THE CKC AND WAS RECOGNIZED BY THE BULL TERRIER CLUB OF AMERICA WITH A BEAUTIFUL BRONZE MEDALLION AND CERTIFICATE OF ACHIEVEMENT. APOLLO ALSO PARTICIPATED IN TEAM OBEDIENCE WITH THREE OTHER DOGS AND HIS ANTICS, ALTHOUGH THE TEAM ALWAYS PASSED, OFTEN BROUGHT A CHUCKLE FROM THE CROWD FROM TIME TO TIME. ALTHOUGH AT AN EARLY AGE HE SUFFERED A SPIRAL FRACTURE OF ONE OF HIS BACK LEGS, THANKS TO THE CARE OF DR. RON WORB AND HIS STAFF AT ANDERSON ANIMAL HOSPITAL, APOLLO WAS ABLE TO TRAIN IN THE SPORT OF FLYBALL. WITH THE DEDICATION OF KEVIN HUGHES OF ALLSORTS DOGSPORTS, APOLLO SET THE RECORD OF BEING THE FIRST FLYBALL BULL TERRIER CHAMPION IN NORTH AMERICA IN 1992 DURING A TOURNAMENT IN MINNEAPOLIS. HE APPEARED IN TWO HALF TIME BOMBER SHOWS AS WELL AS NUMEROUS SHOWS AT THE FORKS AND ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY. HE WAS THE LAST REMAINING MEMBER OF THE ALLSORTS DOGSPORTS BOYZ TEAM. IN LATER YEARS WITH THE CAN DO OBEDIENCE CLUB HE APPEARED AS AN OLD TIMER IN FLYBALL, WHICH SAW HIM GO DOWN OVER THE JUMPS, GET THE BALL AND RUN BACK AROUND THE JUMPS MUCH TO THE CROWD'S DELIGHT. UNFORTUNATELY ALTHOUGH READY TO COMPETE FOR HIS 2ND OBEDIENCE DEGREE, A FLYBALL INJURY SIDELINED HIM IN THE PRIME OF HIS LIFE. OUR THANKS TO DR. MOFFATT AND DR. JOHN WIENS FOR GETTING HIS SHOULDER BACK TO AS NORMAL AS POSSIBLE. APOLLO ALSO LOVED AGILITY AND THE 6' WALL WAS HIS FAVORITE. IN THE DAYS OF THE PIT-BULL SCARE, APOLLO WAS FEATURED IN ONE OF THE COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER AT HIS SHIRT, WHICH READ "I AM NOT A PIT BULL"! WHEREVER HE WENT AT ANY DEMONSTRATIONS HE WAS MUCH SOUGHT AFTER FOR PHOTO SHOOTS WITH CHILDREN OF ALL AGES AND HE DELIGHTED IN ALL THE ATTENTION. APOLLO WAS TRULY ONE OF A KIND AND HIS ABSENCE LEAVES A LARGE GAP IN OUR HEARTS AND FAMILY. OUR PROFOUND THANKS GOES OUT TO DR. MURRAY MOFFAT AND HIS WONDERFUL COMPASSIONATE STAFF AT TRANSCONA VETERINARY HOSPITAL WHO TRIED IN VAIN TO EXTEND HIS LIFE, BUT NATURE UNFORTUNATELY WOULD NOT ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN. IF YOU EVER HEAR THE SONGS "HAVE I EVER TOLD YOU LATELY THAT I LOVE YOU" BY ROD STEWART AND "UNFORGETTABLE" BY NAT KING COLE, THINK OF APOLLO BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT HE MEANT TO US. ANYONE WISHING TO PRESERVE HIS MEMORY MAY MAKE A DONATION IN HIS NAME TO THE WINNIPEG HUMANE SOCIETY. REST IN PEACE POOKIE TIL WE MEET AGAIN.
MOM, DAD, SARA, ZYGGEE AND BANDIT
