June 24, 1989 to May 17, 2003

Klein came into our lives thanks to OVBCC member Edna Newman, as a rescue in the pound she managed at the time at the All Dog Sports Club. We were the luckiest family in the world. He had a lot to learn about life outside of a cage, but he was a quick study. Within his first month on the first of his many coast-to-coast family camping trips, he was fording streams in Ontario, learning to recognize and avoid prickly pear cactus in Saskatchewan and hiking the hoodoos of the Badlands in Alberta. We named him Klein as he was the "kleinste" (smallest) border collie. Of course, he was really a sheltie, but none of us had the heart to break it to him. Klein lived surrounded by border collies: Mallam’s Jesse (1984-1999), Mallam’s Quest (1986-1998) and Kilravock Skye (1999).

As an honorary member of the OVBCC, Klein participated in obedience, flyball and agility. He ran the Toshiba Show Jumping dog-horse agility challenge at the Equestrian Park in June, 1992. He won a Search trophy at an All Dog Sports Club fun day the following year. He achieved his CD in obedience at the ADSC. His passion was flyball, and he loved nothing better than to challenge the competition on the other team!

As a sheltie, Klein was all we could ask for; quiet, joyful, alert and humorous. Those of you who have been on dog walks might not agree, as Klein was renowned for "yapping" his way through a walk – his way of declaring his pure joy at being out with the pack. Indeed, his usual place on the trail would be bringing up the rear, looking for stragglers and herding the herders. In the winter with his short sheltie legs, he sought out unsuspecting Club members…usually the men…that he could melt with his almond eyes and con into zipping him into a warm winter parka for the rest of the walk, where his foot snowballs would also melt… onto nice warm wool sweaters.

I think the words of two-year-old Allan Johns (son of Karen and Peter Johns, and BC Mickey) summed it up, when at an early ‘90s Club fun day, he searched Klein out for a gentle game of fetch, and declared: "You’re a nice little dog."

We miss you, buddy!

Diana and Donna, Skye and Spooky