Sunday, November 21, 2010


Today's blog brings the sad news of the death of Witkin who went to spirit on Tuesday.

Witkin, champion show dog, beautiful spirit and all around great character, was diagnosed with an abdominal tumour in July. Born July 9th 1998 in Kincardine Ontario, Styrlingsanz Maximum Ice moved to Toronto in September 1998 and took his first city pee on a lawn in Leaside. He yowled so loudly on his first night away from his dog family that a neighbour 2 blocks away came banging on the apartment door. He soon adopted the name Witkin - after the photographer Joel Peter Witkin - rather than having the embarrassment of being named after a beer brand.

Witkin competed in show rings in Ontario and completed his championship as a way to meet females. Through his website and promotional materials he became a model and could be seen in catalogues and fashion shoots with female humans. A life-long hiker and Sierra Club member, Witkin traveled by airplane and car to more places in North America than most humans, traversing the continent several times all the while keeping his amber eyes trained on the landscape in search of possible new and exciting adventures. He has hunted squirrels, run with horses and lounged on couches in homes in Toronto, Kingston, Elora, Guelph, Taos, Sonoma and Santa Fe. Known for his calmness, kindness and beauty, Witkin was a poetry aficionado, attending readings and festivals with rapt attention and sage silence across North America.

Known to his familiars as Witz, he spent his last day strolling in Sunnybrook park and snacking on just about every favourite food including a Rahier pain au chocolate and listening to jazz with his family at home. Witkin will be missed by all who met him and grieved and terribly missed by his brother, Ansel, and his human companion, Jill.
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Witkin: July 09 1998 – November 16 2010.