|
Mojo was our second Malamute. Mojo certainly lived life to the fullest even though
his life was cut short this year at the age of seven. We lost Mojo practically
overnight, as we had no idea that anything was ever wrong with him. This is typical
malamute behaviour as they never show weaknesses, and they ALWAYS give you their all,
and our dear Mojo was no exception to the rule. He gave us his all up until the moment
he passed away. He taught us so much about dogs and about life than we could have possibly
imagined. We have a lot to thank him for, and we also extend our thank you to Craig and
Joanne Heard of Bordalaska kennels for the opportunity to have Mojo in our lives.
He could only be described as a clown. He was always playful and forever running
around keeping himself entertained. He made us laugh every day and acted like
an eight week old puppy until the very end. Mojo was always seen doing laps of our one-acre
property. He was extremely friendly and like Satinka, often had visitors showering him
with hugs and pats. He was always the first dog to greet you at the gates with a huge grin
when you got home - without fail. He also exhibited great intelligence and was the best lead
dog one could ever ask for. Teaching him tricks was very easy as he was so willing to please.
In the show ring, Mojo was outstanding. Even then he was the "class clown". He was always
shaking Dan's hand and play-bowing and barking...yes... this malamute barked when he got
excited! One of his other famous ring tricks was to sneeze whenever the judge was to check
his teeth during examination. As you could imagine it would make some judges jump right back,
so we had to warn the judges beforehand of this habit. The judges would not believe us, until
they had the "Mojo" experience, and following his antics they would just laugh.
During his show career, he was a multi Best in Group, Runner Up in Group and
Runner up Best in Show winner. He was also awarded Australian Bred in Show at the
prestigious Canberra Royal at 18 months. After 25 Class in Group awards we lost count of how
much he actually won. He became a Royal winner when at 3 and a half years of
age he won Best of Breed and Open in Group at the Canberra Royal Dog Show. This came
2 years after he was awarded Runner-Up Best of Breed, Australian Bred in Group and
Australian Bred in Show again at the Canberra Royal Dog Show. His effortless
movement was his most eye-catching feature and was awarded with the Best Gait
at both the New South Wales and Victorian Malamute Specialty shows. The trip
to Victoria in September 2002 resulted in Mojo receiving Reserve Dog Challenge at
both the Melbourne Royal Show and the AMCV Championship Specialty Show. He
retired from the Show Ring and in one of his last major shows was again awarded
Reserve Dog Challenge at the AMCV Championship Specialty Show in 2005.
A close friend and mentor in the breed commented on how he was a "great ambassador
for the breed", as he was always loving being on display at Royal shows to meet the public.
He was always there with Dan and would just lie belly-up receiving tummy rubs for hours on
end. When he was not belly-up enjoying a scratch he would be shaking hands with the public
of all ages and speaking on demand, much to the delight of the crowds.
Out on the trail, Mojo was just as impressive. The 2004 winter season saw Mojo
compete in the One Dog class where he finished Top Ten overall in all bar one
of the 10 heats he raced in. He was first malamute home in all his races and
his best result was fifth place at the Hunter Sled Dog race. The 2005 season
saw the formation of a very successful 2-Dog team with Beyonce.
To conclude, it is not hard to claim that Mojo was certainly a dog to remember.
Rest in peace dearest friend. We miss you so much, and not a day goes by
where we do not think about you.
|
