When the Time Comes… A Tribute to Maya

It is with great sorrow and heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved Maya, she was the light of our life for almost 14 years and will be missed by all.

When the time comes picking out that first pup will only be the beginning of emotional investment with the potential for unlimited returns. The dog in question will be the sum of your hopes and aspirations.

It’s said that people pick out dogs that best suit their own disposition, a mirror image of personalities. In the case of Maya, the analogy is probably correct. The hunters of two and four legs are equally driven by a desire to be where I’d like to think they were intended to spend their time, in the corn fields of Nebraska or grasslands of southern Colorado.

When the time comes the pup’s training will commence, and the bond between the two of you will become something nearly tangible. The members of this cast will play dual roles during the training sessions, each learning something new, and teaching their own particular sort of curriculum. It’s a sense of devotional respect that will carry you both through the coming years. 

When the time comes there will be an endless array of in-house antics that will earn their place among the emotional ties, sock worrying, chair chewing, boot teething and the sight of a small dog stretched across your bed. In addition, there will be late-night quiet moments of messing around with a growing frame whose head rests easily on the arm of your chair. And it’s here that you will discuss the small things that so importantly fill your life. 

When the time comes, you’ll collectively discover the secrets of working a covey of bobwhites, and how to best work a patch of cover for a late-season rooster. The learning phase will continue throughout the season, each of you practicing his individual specialty, the pup, its point and retrieve, and for you, your wing shooting.

When the time comes her legs will tell you she can no longer withstand the demands of the field or the effort made to make a long retrieve. The body is unable to carry her where her heart commands. And again, you will make the decision as to where and when, much the same as you did when it was time for her first meaning of a hand signal, the excitement of her first retrieve.  Yours will be the final decision in a team where ultimately, you were the guiding force.

When the time comes you will do what must be done. No, it will be far from easy, yet asking her to endure more than any dog should is unfair, at best. For as long as can be remembered, Maya did what needed doing and was asked of her without question. When the time comes, I will be expected to do the same.

We love you Maya,

The Holiski’s

7 Comments

  1. Teresa Nystrom

    So sorry for your loss.

  2. Prayers and Love for Maya! I really hated when I hear the news but I know she is a better place!

  3. Sue Doolittle

    Maya was so fun to be around. All the Doolittle boys loved her (and me) will miss you sweetie.

  4. Very sad. So sorry that a beloved member of the Holiski family has been lost.

  5. Diana english

    Sorry to hear about maya passing

  6. I am so sorry for the loss of a family member. I will always have such fond memories of her while I stayed at the lodge. All my thoughts and prayers.

  7. So sorry to hear this. What a wonderful companion she was for so many years.

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