It is with sadness that we acknowledge the passing of one of our great Curly friends,

Diver was the most titled Curly-Coated Retriever ever. He will be remembered as one of the purest examples of what a Curly should be, intelligent, friendly, handsome, wise, and gentle with people, puppies, and kids. A joy to watch while he was working in the field, agility or obedience rings, he was clearly enjoying every chance he had to work. While he'd passed the toughest field and obedience trials, numerous times, in the last few years he served as the test dog for advanced trials, leaving most of the audience with a "Wow!" while handling water, land, and blind marks as though they were just part of what you did to have fun. His last great accomplishment was to achieve an Obedience Trials Champion title (OTCh), which he did during the fall of 2005.

Those of us who had the privilege of training with his owner and handler Kathy Kail, were always impressed by how much heart Diver had and how eager he was to do anything she asked of him. The bonus was watching how close a relationship between dog and owner/handler can be. It is our good fortune, too, that many of his good traits have been passed on through a fairly large number of children and grand children.

Kathy prepared a page for Diver < http://www.charwinccrs.com/diver.html > well before he passed, and in her words may describe his life better than anyone else. But it also reminds us that words and pictures fail to explain the value of a true friend, a once in a lifetime dog. That has to be experienced to be understood. We can only say we will miss you Diver, thank you for being such a wonderful friend and such a profoundly good Curly.

To Kathy and Rick Kail, we are deeply sorry for your loss.