Tailtipīs Fencing-Master
23 March 1986 - 23 May 2001

Beagler's Humle	Beagler's Black-Gold	Beagler's Gold Smuggler
		Pinewood Courtesy
	Wild-Honey	Great Pumpkin of Starcrest
		Beagler's Sweet Sonnie
Starmaids Flower-Maid	Little John	Barvae Starmaker
		Violas Kamilla
	Starmaids Courtney-Maid	Tarr Hill Rollikin Romeo
		Starmaids Bold-Bluemaid

Almost two years after Fajt's decease my parents bought a new puppy and gave him the name Toke, inspired by the leading character in a novel by the famous swedish author Frans G Bengtsson. Later we were told there had been other Tokes before him. A couple of highly qualified studs, namely "Seven Hills Gold Toke" and "Beagler's Gold Toke II".
Toke was Sniff's half-brother and they were bred at the same kennel. They had two different fathers, but the same mother, Starmaids Flower-Maid. They also happened to be born on the same day, although Toke was one year younger than Sniff - which was rather handy...when we remembered to celebrate. But unfortunately it was March 23rd, a time of year when Sniff was in Uppsala - and Toke in Katrineholm.

Toke was a totally different dog from Fajt. He was weak and over-protected. In our garden he was cocky enough, but the moment he got outside the door he completely lost his self-confidence. He was scared to death by other dogs and insecure with strangers and it did not make his life easier, beeing so adorable that everybody always had to come forward to cuddle and talk to him.
He grew up to be a barking and rather difficult dog. Walking with him was no fun at all - one had better be careful which paths to chose, in act to avoid any dog-meetings. He was also strong and impatient...and completely unattentive, so where he decided to direct his steps, it was mostly just to follow him along. My father let him keep up with his pulling in the lead, as well as with his barking at other dogs. He even encouraged him to go on, by jumping up and down and barking, too, when they met a dog.

Toke was very vigorous and atletic when he was young. He moved as easily as a steinbock. The fence around our garden had to be raised to keep him inside, or else he would soon jump over it and go exploring the neighbourhood.
He loved climbing up on stone blocks along the foot-paths where we were walking and every time he did so, he always managed to choose the most suitable side where to start his ascent.
It might have been his jumping that triggered the problems he got with his back, but this is just a theory - maybe they would have appeared nevertheless.

The happiest period in Tokeīs life was while Maidi was living with us. She was his guiding-star and comfort, who at once took command over the household, a fact he seemed fully content with. She complemented him very well, being brave when he was afraid.
She teached him to dig holes in our garden...and many other things that could be useful and amusing. His walks got a lot more interesting - Toke barked at the male dogs and Maidi at the bitches. When she stole food in the kitchen, he was always right behind her, ready to snatch a piece for himself.

Everything was altered when Maidi suddenly died. Shortly afterwards Sniff moved in and later even his cousin Skutt. Sometimes they were fighting over a trifle of no importance, but mostly they were good friends and kept each other company. However the relationship will never be same between three males as between a male and a bitch, so they never got that deep understanding which hade existed between Toke and his mother.
When even Skutt and Sniff was gone, Toke's life became a real misery. At that time he was 12 years old and far away from his youth, so we thought he would consider a new puppy mostly annoying, but the fact is he was so depressed that we feared he would leave us, too. It was then we bought little Tumle and he made Toke's whole life turn around. Suddenly there was light in his eyes again, taking part in the education of the new member of his family.
Two years later we bought Mille, whom he liked even better than Tumle. Toke and Mille were soul-mates - they understood each other completely. Mille is also a bit like Maidi, both in looks and his behavior. I doubt that dogs can see things the same way as we do, but so he is.

Toke got very old, exactly 15 years and 2 months. He had a stroke about 6 months before his death - which he survived due to his stubbornness and will to remain among the living. He was deaf, almost blind and a bit senile, but still he seemed to enjoy his life. As long as he was not suffering, we had decided to let him hang on, but the night before May 23rd 2001 he had another stoke and after that he could not rise any more, not even hold his head up.
The decision to put him to sleep was not hard - it was so obviously his time.

OBITUARY

Interested in Toke's relatives? Toke's sister Bessi (Tailtip's Forget-Me-Not), became one of the two foundation bitches at the kennel Trewelyn Beagles.