Ch. WoodsRunner Rorik
June 1, 1998 to April 28, 2010



Call name: Rorik
OFA Fair; CERF Normal
Breeder:  Bob & Connie Jones, WoodsRunner Chinooks, Portland, Maine
Owned by Bob & Connie Jones, WoodsRunner Chinooks and Pam & Tim Wilmot of Duvall, Washington
Handled by Ginger Corley of Rain Mountain Chinooks
Sire:  Grand Ch. PR WoodsRunner Duncan
Dam:  Northdown Ruby

Rorik was as close to being a conglomerate as a Chinook could be.  He was born in Maine to breeders Bob and Connie Jones of WoodsRunner Chinooks.  At eight weeks old, he and three of his sisters flew west with Connie when she went to a Chinook National Specialty in Colorado.  There one sister met her new owners and left for a life in souther California.  Rorik and the two remaining girls traveled with me back to the Pacific Northwest.  Two months previous while visiting the Seattle area, Connie had met Pam and Tim Wilmot and their coterie of older rescue Chinooks living on an idyllic hobby farm in the foothills of the Cascades.  When Connie and I figured out how to bring some of their WoodsRunner genes to the Pacific Northwest, the Wilmots came to mind.  Rorik joined their household of Chinooks Beowulf, Tillie, and Dancer, horses, ponies, llamas, alpacas, cats, an African Gray Parrot, and eventually two human sons.

Pam and Tim were busy and Bob and Connie were 3,000 miles away so Rori's professional career fell to me.  He was a frequent visitor for dog shows, breeding duties, or just to hang out and play with his sister Lady, who lived with me until she retired from showing and breeding duties.  He was bred only four times but each of the resulting litters produced dogs that went on to be foundation stock for many new breeders and significant contributors to established Chinook kennels:  Aspencreek,  Balsam Ridge, Granite Hill, GreatMountain, Hurricane, and two excellent litters for Rain Mountain, both with Ch. Rain Mountain Jenna of Bear Creek.  Rorik was what every breeder hopes for -- a good dog that was easy to live with who produced pups who had superior conformation to his own.

     
Rorik in his prime showing off his black mask and sweet expression

   
Left, playing with one of the many house and barn cats.
Right, With young Rodion.
 

In later years Rorik took on the raising of his grandson, BrownStone Rodion of Frontier, until a house fire in late 2009 sadly took Rodion's life.  Rorik lived through the fire but was beginning to have trouble getting around.  He spent a great deal of time during his last few months living here while Wilmots rebuilt their house.  Pam, Tim and the boys moved around between neighbor homes, rented the house next door (where Rorik was able to stay with them for a few months), then camped out in the half-built home while Rorik came back to my house.  Here he seemed to enjoy a second puppyhood, albeit one that was a bit shaky on its feet sometimes.  Of the dogs living with me, all but one had Rorik in their pedigrees as a grandfather, great grandfather, or great-great; the only exception is one of his first cousins.  In between naps, Rorik toddled along behind them as they zoomed through the woods, happily let the puppy steal his bones, and accepted the hero worship they all showed him.  They recognized his age and never complained if he crashed into them or fell on top of them.  They knew that he wasn't steady on his feet.

February of 2010 Rorik went along with us to a Health Clinic Day in Olympia and had a great time saying hello to all the young dogs getting their OFA x-rays and CERF eye exams.  As you can see to the right, Rorik was blind in his left eye since he was a youngster as the result of an accident, though it never slowed him down.

During a late winter break of nice weather I was even able to take Rorik for a visit with his sister Lady.  She too was slowing down after having stomach problems over the winter.  Rorik enjoyed flirting with his daughter Frontier Dandelion Sky -- in his senility he seemed to forget he had been neutered but he didn't quite have the strength to do anything about it -- and he loved it when his grandson Seven Lakes Goodwin play bowed him, trying to coax him into a wrestling match.

Seven Lakes Goodwin play bows to Grandpa Rorik	I get a kiss from Rorik's daughter Sky while he rests
Rorik and his sister Ladybug.  In their prime, I spent many weekends showing both.  Both are well built but flashy Lady (Grand Ch. WoodsRunner Lady Rain HCT) almost always won over her brother, boing as far as #6 ranked the year she retired.

It was only a few days later that the Wilmot's house was finished and Rorik could finally go home.  We all knew he wouldn't be with us too much longer.  I had seen him decline even in the six weeks he'd been with me during his final stay.  By the time he was ready to go home, I had to help him get up the two steps to the door.  He was a big dog, too big for anyone other than Tim (who's a big and well muscled guy who works out almost every day) to lift.  I almost cried when Rorik was finally able to go home with Tim to the house he'd grown up in.  Though Rodion wasn't there, the other two Wilmot dogs Flaire and Olive were waiting as were the cats who knew Rorik for the teddy bear he was.  We kept in close contact over the weeks.  Pam told me how Rorik was having so much trouble getting in and out of the house and maneuvering on their hardwood floors.  But he was home with his family and he was happy.  I don't think that Rorik ever went more than the briefest moment without wagging his tail.  He was just that kind of happy dog and gentle soul.  He wagged his tail up until he fell asleep for the last time on Wednesday, April 29th, 2010, surrounded by his family and his favorite vet.