Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.  Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read.
-- Groucho Marx  

Ch. Brevis Concorde CDX TD ("Connie")

Connie was an open tricolor basset bitch who was whelped on September 12, 1989 and died on April 3, 2004 (AKC number HD809063). She was bred by Brevis Bassets of Bethany, Connecticut (Ch. Maritime's Night Train x Ch. Brevis Imprint). Connie breezed through her conformation championship in only seventeen shows, with several best of breeds over specials and even a group placement. Her performance career was equally illustrious. She had two legs toward her UD (which she got in only five shows), and after many failed attempts for the third leg I decided to retire her without getting the title. Connie loved to train but tended to become stressed in the obedience ring, and I eventually decided that getting the title (which would have meant that she was the second basset hound in history to achieve Ch-UDT status, and the first bitch) wasn't worth the price of her unhappiness. I blame myself for her not getting the UD: I rushed her into the ring too fast without adequate proofing, and she gave me two legs before succumbing to inevitable stress. I made mistakes with her that I'll never make on another dog, but she was my first advanced-obedience attempt. Connie taught me more about dog training than any dog I've ever had and (probably) ever will have. I will always miss her very much.