Last hurrah for Ruff and Touch

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Last hurrah for Ruff and Touch

Postby Peter Betteridge » Fri 05 Sep 2003 5:19 pm

Geoff Cole has announced that he will be retireing both Ruff and Touch at the end of the NSW championship on 14/9/03
National Retrieving Trial Champion Truclass Ruff'n Ready is the only dog to ever win 3 consecutive nationals.Injuries and ill health as well as Geoff's hectic buisness schedule have meant that Ruff has been trialled only sparingly over the last 3 seasons. Ruff will be remembered as one of the sports most prolific trial winners. His extradionary blindwork was his trademark as well as the great control,chemistry and teamwork the he and Geoff developed.
Retrieving Trial Champion Truclass Untouchable was also a big winning dog.He overshadowed Ruff in the early years winning various state championships.Touch was a spectacular dog who was equally at home on long trickey blinds or difficult marks.
I have many happy memorys of enjoyable battles in the 1990's against Geoff and Touch I consider Touch to be one of the greats prompting me to purchase one of his offspring.Just recently I was watching a nearly 11 year old Touch fly out after a training dummy with much the same style as I remembered.However Geoff feels that the inevitable arthritis complaints that his dogs now have mean it would be unfair for them to continue.All good things must come to an end.
Last edited by Peter Betteridge on Mon 15 Sep 2003 4:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Postby Kirsty Blair » Fri 05 Sep 2003 9:38 pm

Congratulations to Geoff for his fantastic success with these dogs. Ruff and Touch will live on through their offspring.

Kirsty
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Postby Kerry Webster » Fri 12 Sep 2003 4:17 pm

Having spoken to Geoff last night, he confirmed that the time had come for his two boys to bow out of retrieving. The first time I saw Ruff in 1998, I was in awe of the dog, and his handler. I had never seen anything like it in retrieving, and being my first visit to a National, it became a most enjoyable task sitting and watching both Touch and Ruff work their runs.
I know that injury and it's affects, has been the cause for the retirement. Who knows what might have been had there not been any.

Having two of Touchy's sons myself, I hope they can be even half as good as their father and uncle were.
I will miss seeing the "big" boy and his brother each year.
Happy retirement boys, and, all the best Geoff with your next Champion.

Kerry
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