THE CHESHIRE SET FLYBALL TEAM

On New Year's Day our gorgeous Kizzy Whizzbang was poorly and she died peacefully in her sleep early hours of the following morning, she was about 17. Whiskers (Jinty) could sense there was something wrong as she spent all of the day snuggled up to her. They say there is no such thing as perfection but Kizz was perfect in every way and with everything that we did together. And she had the most amazing bronze coloured eyes.

Was that Kizzy that just whizzed past
When after a ball there's nothing as fast
Agility she's great but flyball a superstar
And never fails to impress her Ma and Pa
Bally, Ready and Go are her three favourite words
Flies over the jumps as graceful as a bird
Is there anything my little Whizzbang can't do
Food is a bind and can only manage a morsel or two
Kizzy is a chewer especially with wood and plants
Don't say those words "What have you done?" or she'll pee her pants
Feeling a bit down and need of a hot choc in a mug
Open your arms and she'll give you a big bear hug!

The above sums up our Whizzybang but a few funny stories.

When we rescued Kizz in Nov 2004, little did we realise how ball possessed she was. She didn't eat for the first 5 days so took her to the vets as we were getting worried, no nothing wrong so what was it. Process of elimination, if a ball was in her sight she didn't have time to eat as the ball was more important so no toys or balls could be around at food time.

When we went up the woods, she would try and pull the trees down with the vines, we'd wait for about 5 mins her tugging away and then we'd have to drag her away until she found the next one to tackle.  Kizz always had to be carrying something in her mouth - a ball, piece of driftwood she'd found, dried cowpat - anything she could find to throw at anyone who would throw it for her and if there was nothing she would use her initiatiive and improvise by ripping up a tuft of grass. She loved log collecting but many a bruise we had from her finding a 15 foot branch and then come racing between Ali and I and whack us on the back of the shins.

Before we got the caravan, it was Just Kizz and I that travelled round the UK flyballing in a tent. I remember one time at Doncaster it went down to minus 7 so we had to go for a run before we went to bed to get warm and then we'd snuggle up together in several sleeping bags.  Believe it or not Kizz and I used to turn up to comps in my 2 seater sports car, roof down - boy we did some miles together!

Whizzbang gave 200% in to whatever she did and with the flyball, Kizz and I have had some very exciting and nail biting racing. She became a flyball champion in 2011 which went down to the very last leg and we won by 0.01. She gained loads of trophies, awards and rossettes over the years including the Blizzard trophy at Doncaster. If it wasn't for Whizzbang I would never have done flyball and I always used to say to her "Hey we're a force to be reckoned with!" 

Kizz is now wrapped up nice and snug with all our gang in the garden under her tree. We bought this tree not long after we got Kizzy, back then it was a small flimsy sapling and she would kindly trim it for us, nibbling away at the twigs for the reasons mentioned above so to see it now as a strong, beautiful tree is a miracle. We cut off a few of the twigs to be with Kizz and she has a brand new slazenger tennis ball from Wimbledon tucked up with her as well.

Sleep tight our beautiful girl, we miss you loads and our world has been turned upside down - always in our thoughts and hearts, Kizzy Whizzbang! Love you sweatheart and there will be another star shining brightly in the sky tonight.

Lou, Ali and the Gang