Sheba was given to me when she was six months old because her first owner couldn't keep her; his wife was allergic to dogs, and he just wanted her to go to a good home, and one of my employees knew I wanted a German Shepherd one day. And then, there she was... all feet and ears and happy bouncy as could be. Over the years I taught her how to fetch a ball, even catch a ball in flight several feet off the ground, and many afternoons were filled with long throws in football fields and a dog that ran like the wind. Alas, the years have passed all too quickly and that spry young black-and-brown whirlwind on four legs has a lot of grey in her muzzle, one ear droops (due to surgery), her vision and hearing are all but gone. While she still spends our workday in her Dogloo (but on a very padded mattress in the shade), when I knock on her house to let her know I'm home at the end of the day she slowly stumbles inside the house to sleep on her orthopedic mattress behind me when I am at my desk. But he still has the heart of a puppy; when I put a ball in her mouth she remembers how we used to play. Her tail doesn't wag anymore, and she huffs and grunts like the old dog she is... but when she sleeps her legs kick wildly and once again she is a canine blur of wind, chasing the ball across the fields...
Mendy needed Dax, Dax needed Mendy. Who needed whom more is up for debate, but one thing is sure: these two were meant to be together. I found Dax the old fashioned way; a breeder was selling a litter. Dax was the last one, the runt of his litter, and just one day after we got him Dax was the sickest little kitten. We had to get medication for his eyes and to put down his throat; "I didn't want a cat," Sheba could be thought to say to us, "but do you have to hurt it?" Poor Dax meowed his tiny heart out as we gave him his medicaiton. But the next day we found tiny, sick Dax sleeping on Sheba's bed... and Sheba was wrapped around Dax to keep him warm. Today, they share table treats, eat dinner together, and sleep in the same room dring most of the night. Each day when Sheba's brought in after the work day Dax is at the door, waiting to give her a friendly "bop" in the nose to welcome her inside. When Mendy gets home he runs to the bedroom to get his daily luvving and give his welcome home purr on the bed...
Watching them do their own things are adventures in real life, hence the best photos below showcasing our Methuselah puppy and Kittyboo...
FINAL UPDATE TO THIS PAGE: October 4, 2006, our beloved puppy Sheba left this life for those rolling fields over the Rainbow Bridge, where she now is once again running like the wind, practicing chasing her ball until the day comes when we both are playing Ball together again. So at the bottom are the final pictures to be added to this page...
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2006
This is the last picture of Dax and Sheba together...
This is the first picture of Dax and Sheba together...
