Dog Lover

The folks who know me know that I am a dog nut. I begged my parents for a dog when I was young, and my dad came home with a puppy on my 10th birthday. Friskie was supposed to be a fox terrier but looked just like a tiny collie pup. I had already read many of Albert Payson Terhune's books and the collie was my favorite breed, so I was in 7th heaven. I have pictures of him in old photo albums but have never scanned any into my computer. (There's something to add to my to do list for the year!).
I lost Friskie to kidney disease in high school, and then one day a little short legged black and white mutt followed me home from the bus stop. She was a sweet little dog and stay around the neighborhood all day, mostly in our yard. all of my siblings claim that she follow them home, too. My dad kept saying no to another dog, but Scamper refused to leave and soon won him over as well. A few weeks later she presented us with 7 puppies which proved her Heinz 57 ancestry. We hand fed them after we learned that she was had eclampsia and soon found them homes with friends and neighbors. Scamper was a family dog and stayed with my parents as we left the nest.
I waited until I was two years out of college to get my first dog as an adult. She was a farm puppy, born under the porch of a farmhouse. She was the only one of the litter brave enough to come out to say hello, but I think she knew she would be my heart dog. I named her Sara and she saw me through 15 1/2 years of becoming the person I am today. Everyone who met her loved her and the day I had to help her cross that bridge was the hardest day of my life.
In the meantime, I had found a shelty/husky mix I called Emily. She was a nice little dog but could not quite live up to the legacy of the brilliant Sara. I loved her anyway, of course, and still miss her.
A month after I lost Emily I couldn't stand being without a dog and found Amy in a newspaper ad. She was listed as a Border Collie mix, but those border collie genes are strong. She's smart, intense and neurotic! Herding is not her thing, but she's a better mouser than any cat I've ever known. She is still going strong at 12 1/2, living the good life with me in the country.
And then came Miss Nell. Amy was so active I thought she could use a friend, and I was in a place in my life where it made sense to have more than one dog. So I started visiting the local shelters. One day I walked into a large barn-like building and from the middle of the room a little white head popped up. The look on her face said "Oh, there you are-I've been waiting for you!". I actually considered another pup that day but couldn't leave without the little white pup with the funny ears. Sara was my heart dog, but Nell is my soul mate. I always know what she is thinking and she seems to understand me in the same way. She wiil be 11 in April, but in so many ways she is still that little white puppy.