Art of the Dog: Dawn Secord: Clooney - The Very Best Dog in the World

Monday, November 29, 2021

Clooney - The Very Best Dog in the World

This is a painting of Clooney. His owner described him below as the very best dog in the world. Isn't that how we all feel about our beloved dogs? Isn't that what we want for each dog - to know that dog is thought of as the very best dog in the world? Clooney was a wonderful dog and had a wonderful life. I can vouch, to his family, he was undoubtedly the very best dog in the world.

I remember the first time I saw a photo of baby Clooney like it was yesterday. What I remember was seeing a stacked photo of this pup in front of a gorgeous boat. All I saw was the most breathtaking puppy ever. Here we are years later and I've had the honor to paint him. I've asked his owner to share a little bit about Clooney. Following is her story about Clooney:

Clooney went on his first boating vacation at the tender age of 10 weeks. It was so rough crossing the Straits into Canada that I donned my life jacket and sat on the salon floor with him while Patrick took the helm and shook his fist at Mother Nature. Cloo slept through it all. I remember cautioning Patrick, “You don’t spit into the wind and you don’t let the puppy walk on the inflated tubes of the skiff when you’re underway unless you’re prepared to go in after him.” PJ’s wallet and its contents spent the awhile spread out on the dining table – drying.

Cloo blossomed into a lovely adult who finished his Championship quickly and easily. Peter Kubacz handled him to his first huge win, a BOS at the 2010 National. There is simply no way to describe what it was like to be having Thanksgiving Day dinner with the family the following November, celebrating our 43^rd Anniversary and watching our dog go Best In Show on national TV! Peter took Cloo to #1 All-Breed points, #2 Breed points in 2011.

That following spring we moved to a waterfront home and it was perfect except for one thing - It was time to bring Clooney home to enjoy it with us. Cloo spent the ensuing years working with our son, Michael in the field, trialing with me in Obedience and Rally, running the beaches, swimming, boating and riding around in the skiff with Patrick. We were fortunate to have him in excellent health to the end. Sometimes I would hide so Cloo had to find me, then he would trot away ahead of me, down the long hallway to the cookie jar in the kitchen. It always made me smile as I watched him going away – dead true to the last. How I wish I could follow him down the hall one more time and tell him again that he was the very best dog in the whole world!

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