RIP Onwasa Patch

Onwasa passed peacefully Saturday October 14.  She had been fading for several days.  I went to check on her about 7:30 Saturday morning, she didn't come out of her box but wagged her tail for me and looked to be at peace and by 9:30 she had passed.  She was an awesome hound and sort of an end to an era.

Onwasa, which Mike told me meant "Good Water" was the product of a half brother/ half sister cross (Ambe X Pella).  Wasa was always a gentle hound with a very sweet disposition.  She was started by Bert and Rita Hakey in Vermont (I believe) and was a very solid rabbit dog.  After I brought her to PA and after her settling in a bit, I took her out for her first sniff of cottontail in my friend's enclosure.  Within 5 minutes she had a cottontail on the move and looked like she had been running them all her life.  She was by no means my fastest hound but she was very dependable and a very good check hound.

Wasa also was a very good mother.  Off hand I do not know how many were in her first litter, but her second, she had 11 and raised 9.  Her third litter here she had six and raised them all.  Her offspring are all through my kennel, Paco, Lola, Chandra, Taya, Izzy and Pria all descend from her.  Her pups are all throughout the country, several are in California and from Indiana to Maine.

A couple years ago, some of the younger bitches started picking on her so she was moved to her own kennel.  Last year I decided to kennel her with Gadget and they got along great and seemed to enjoy each other.  Last year her voice changed to a horse, gruff chop as her age was beginning to show.  Right up to the end, she was a very clean hound and just a joy to have in the kennel.

I've said before that I bury a piece of my heart with every hound and that is definitely the case here.  I still look to see her and the kennel seems different without this grand dam of the kennel.  Rest easy girl!

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