Cosette

Cossette was Hopper's first girl and the pick girl of the 2016 'Great Musicians' litter. Her registered name is from my grand-mother Honora, who was a pianist. By pure coincidence and to keep it in the pure Knightcastle tradition, she was wearing the yellow collar. She had good bones, good abilities for work and probably Knightcastle's most beautiful head ever. She was often behaving like her great-grand mother Nova as she was putting her paws only when needed as a good pack leader.

But when she was young, I questioned my judgment at some point! Worst puppy ever? No, she just had a lot of energy and was probably the most powerful destructive force in the Universe! She reminded me of her uncle Baxter at this age! It was a good sign because over time, she became a very well balanced dog, like Baxter. One thing is certain, she was very curious! She was born in November and when I started to put the puppies outside (in late December), she was always the first one to come back inside. I discovered she was looking at everything in the house when it was time to feed the puppies, there was almost nothing left for her, so she did not have the strength to stay longer outside. Older, she was crazy about snow, go figure!

In summer 2018, I decided to enter her (and the whole crew) in dock diving events. She earned her 'Dock Diving Junior' title on August 22 2018 in five consecutive trials with a best jump at 14,6 feet. Cosette (AKA Coco) was my best jumper! Cosette was also half way toward her Canadian Championship, earning two majors in summer of 2019.

She successfully received all her OFA health clearances in January 2019. She was bred to Bentley (GCh DueNorth Spring Loaded) in January 2020. I was hoping for great looking puppies, like their parents. They would have been part of our fourth generation. I also had plans to go in Europe to breed her with beautiful Romeo (Diamante Blu Nella Mia Stanza) in 2022. Then the unexpected happened, she passed away from kidney failure, very ill. Like I wrote, she had a big part to play in Knightcastle's future, a part which started in 2012 when I decided to keep her mother in my breeding program. I would have liked to see the beautiful puppies coming out of her and watch her introducing them to life, she would have been a great mother, but that will never happen.

She was a very soft dog, never looking for troubles, a gentle soul. She had the habit of licking and eating Holly's ears, which she transmitted after to Avril and César. She was also a fantastic counter-surfer, always looking for food, and a professional lapdog, as she loved sleeping on me while I was on the couch or be on the top edge of a couch. Most of the time, while walking in the fields, she was by my side, holding a stick, just to be with me. She also loved to sleep on the living room table, her favorite place, sometimes watching tv with me. I'm writing all this because I don't want to forget who she was. One other things she was doing is always find a way to escape the pen or the crate she was in. I have no clue on how she was able to do this but she was really good at it!

At 3 years old only, she was still a baby girl, discovering new things every day. I had fantastic dogs over the years and I was still having a hard time dealing with the death of my Forrest at eight years old only. I am totally speechless regarding her sudden departure, I had the feeling she would have been my next pack leader, like Nova was before. As a breeder, she represents my biggest loss ever. On a personal note, I lost a lovely friend. No words can bring her back. She died peacefully in my arms on January 22 2020.

For a short moment in my life, I had a sweet little girl, her name was Cosette, she will always be remembered. I'm so proud of her, love her so much ...