Loss of a Legend

Luke 1996 - 2009

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It was with great sadness that we learned whilst racing at Middlesbrough on Saturday morning of the death of former Barney ‘Owler lead dog Luke, aged 13 (or thereabouts).  He had been unwell for a few weeks, had picked up again, but deteriorated towards the end of last week and so Kim & Garry made the brave decision to let him go with some dignity.

Luke had only visited us at training the weekend before and our lasting memory of him is of a happy, smiling, noisy dog barking instructions to his former team mates and successors and having to be literally hauled into the car under protest to go home! 

A team-mate of the founder ‘Owler members at the Whiterose Wagtails, Kim & Luke joined back up with the gang just a couple of months after we formed and Luke took his place at the head of the Barney’s at Newark in November 2004 alongside Brooke, Meg, George & Buffy.  He & Kim were superb together on the lights and probably still hold the club record for the most 0.00s.  His finest hour as an ‘Owler was probably at Pikehall in September 2005, when he was part of one of the first sub 19 second runs of the Barney’s – 18.97.  He will also be remembered for the trademark damp tea towel over his head, which earned him a very non pc nickname at the time and also by anyone who ever ball collected for his team as gloves were provided due to the extreme sogginess of any ball he had touched!

Luke’s last competition as a full time Barney ‘Owler was Middlesbrough in May 2006, it give me quite an eerie feeling when I realised this - that exactly 3 years on he made the transition to no doubt lead another team at Rainbow Bridge.

Funnily enough although he was replaced by a faster dog, the Barney’s times slowed for quite some time after his departure, such was his influence - the gang that had been together so long didn’t appreciate the change very much!  On the other hand the Barking ‘Owlers certainly did, as Ben, Jack, Jess & Archie welcomed the elder statesman of the club to their ranks, where he kept them all in line for a couple of seasons, popping back to the Barney’s on a few of occasions when they were a dog down.

After attemping to retire him several times and the old man having none of it, Luke eventually had to give up his beloved flyball after far too strenuous a play session with his younger siblings left him “not quite right”, though occasionally last year he popped along for a short go over tiny jumps just to remind us all how it should be done.  His last appearance was at The Waltheof Centre, Sheffield in January 2008 where he showed the Eagle ‘Owlers a thing or two as their fastest dog at the grand old age of 12!

He will be sadly missed by us all, especially those of us that remember him doing what he did best at his best, it’s the end of an era.