I first fell in love with collies watching Lassie as a kid. It wasn't Lassie so much as it was just that I just loved the dog. Large and furry. I got a book on collies for Christmas. In 9th grade I bought my first collie for $45. That was when I experienced for the first time, the intelligence of this breed. Kelly lived to be 13. I will write about her some other time.
This entry is about Thor. My "I will have another collie someday" collie. When Kelly died, I was living in Ketchum, Idaho. She stayed with my mom in Wisconsin because that was her home. I was working a few hours on the weekends at the shelter in Hailey, Id. I wanted to bring all the dogs home, so I settled on one, a springer/sheltie mix I named Travis. When Travis was about 12, my mom's friend's neighbor's daughter brought home a puppy she knew she couldn't keep, but the farmer was about to kill him because he wasn't needed on the farm. That was how I got Jazz, a collie/border collie mix. (I was getting closer!)
When Jazz was 11, I happened across a collie on Petfinder.com and that was how I got Thor. He was a one-year-old collie being fostered in Osceola, Wis. for a rescue. He was originally from Kansas City. His owner became disabled and couldn't care for him anymore.
Though he had his faults, he was too bossy in the dog park, and as a typical collie, barked A LOT, he was a perfect gentleman. Friendly to everyone he met, loved the cats, was good with the rabbits, and could be left alone in the house without getting into anything. Too often we'd come home to an absolute mess with Thor pushing his way out the door as if to say, I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT MESS!
He loved to go for walks and rides in the car with his head out the window. He didn't like water or it's frozen form. I had to push him out the door in the rain or snow.
A few weeks ago he was diagnosed with cancer after he went blind and his face swelled up. The medication brought the swelling down, but he'd been losing weight and went from being a normal eight years old to about 12. He was losing control of bodily functions. As Dr. Bob Nelson once said about Kelly, it was time to be a friend to Thor.
Thanks to everyone for the hugs, real and cyber. They help.
I will continue fostering and when the right dog comes along, I will adopt again. As hard as it is to lose them, it would be harder to not have them at all.
This entry is about Thor. My "I will have another collie someday" collie. When Kelly died, I was living in Ketchum, Idaho. She stayed with my mom in Wisconsin because that was her home. I was working a few hours on the weekends at the shelter in Hailey, Id. I wanted to bring all the dogs home, so I settled on one, a springer/sheltie mix I named Travis. When Travis was about 12, my mom's friend's neighbor's daughter brought home a puppy she knew she couldn't keep, but the farmer was about to kill him because he wasn't needed on the farm. That was how I got Jazz, a collie/border collie mix. (I was getting closer!)
When Jazz was 11, I happened across a collie on Petfinder.com and that was how I got Thor. He was a one-year-old collie being fostered in Osceola, Wis. for a rescue. He was originally from Kansas City. His owner became disabled and couldn't care for him anymore.
Though he had his faults, he was too bossy in the dog park, and as a typical collie, barked A LOT, he was a perfect gentleman. Friendly to everyone he met, loved the cats, was good with the rabbits, and could be left alone in the house without getting into anything. Too often we'd come home to an absolute mess with Thor pushing his way out the door as if to say, I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT MESS!
He loved to go for walks and rides in the car with his head out the window. He didn't like water or it's frozen form. I had to push him out the door in the rain or snow.
A few weeks ago he was diagnosed with cancer after he went blind and his face swelled up. The medication brought the swelling down, but he'd been losing weight and went from being a normal eight years old to about 12. He was losing control of bodily functions. As Dr. Bob Nelson once said about Kelly, it was time to be a friend to Thor.
Thanks to everyone for the hugs, real and cyber. They help.
I will continue fostering and when the right dog comes along, I will adopt again. As hard as it is to lose them, it would be harder to not have them at all.
I'm so sorry about your loss but agree with your sentiments. It is very hard to lose them, but life would not be the same without them.
ReplyDeleteHugs!
Crying for your loss. Winnie sends her love to you...
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for your loss. Losing a pet is losing a member of your family.
ReplyDelete