Questa: The End of an Era
[5/6/85 - 9/8/02]
Questa, my first titled Malinois, passed away quietly
at the age of 16+ years on September 8, 2002.
Little did I know 16 years ago that this 40 pound pocket
rocket, bought as a pup from Charley Bartholomew, would be
my introduction to the world of protection sports.
Questa was a daughter of Stewart Hilliard's
UFO and
Rena, owned by Charley and Stewart and both Dutch imports. UFO
is the bewhiskered Laekenois mix seen in many of the
Leerburg and Canine Training System videos.
In 1992(?) she was the Rocky Mt. Regional SchH3 Champion.
At age 12, Questa came out of retirement to take a 12 year old
handler to his first B, WH, and SchH1.
Questa was the quintessential Mal. If it meant
trouble, she did it. Oh the stories! Fortunately--except for
barking at the egrets and squirrels--by maturity, guests and home
were safe from her rampages. In fact she grew into quite the
charmer with a bag of tricks to wheedle food and affection (and
money in a hilarious fund-raising trick we used at animal shelter
benefits in NM) from adults and children alike.
Despite the gray hairs I owe this girl a lot. Thank you, Questa!
