Minimor
Well-Known Member
I just came in from burying Sheba; it's been a very sad week!
Sheba came to us 9 years ago from the humane society as a 3 month old puppy, and she grew up to be the best dog we've ever had. Probably the best dog we will ever have! In all her life I don't think that dog ever got scolded for anything. I never gave her any real training, she just knew things. It was really quite amazing! We believe she was Rottie/collie/shepherd cross & who knows what else. There was definitely collie--she had a wonderful herding ability--and she had the rottie body. She was loyal, always stayed home, got more & more protective as she got older. She absolutely adored the Minis & they liked her, she was good with the cats--she learned to hate foxes and saved several cats from being carried off by foxes. She chased coyotes out of the yard more than once, though she was cautious of them & preferred my help when it came to running them off. She wasn't careless enough to get too far from home where they could attack her. When the timber wolves came around she was smart enough to leave them alone--she would have been no match for them.
In recent years we tried many different dogs & puppies, hoping to find one that could follow in Sheba's pawprints and take over guard duties when she got too old to manage. Replacing a dog as perfect as Sheba is next to impossible. Actually, none of the ones we tried even came close. They'd chase horses, or cats (or both)--they wouldn't stay home, they'd hide instead of bark at intruders...it was impossible! We rehomed each & every one of those dogs & thought we'd never find anything to take her place. As she was only 9 we did think we had some time yet--she was getting a bit arthritic, but thought she'd keep going awhile yet.
Sadly, it was not to be. In early April she began to show signs of illness. I took her into the vet clinic the middle of April to have her teeth checked & cleaned. The girl at the desk disregarded what I told her & didn't make any note that Sheba was to be checked before she had her teeth cleaned--and so all they did was clean her teeth, which turned out to not be in bad shape at all. Cost me $165 & didn't help Sheba at all. In fact, it made her worse, as they opened her mouth too much--and Sheba's condition prevented from opening her mouth much. She was having difficulty eating, she could not bark, was snuffling & choking. When she came home from the clinic she was much worse. I got antibiotics for her & those did help her to some extent (made her breathing better anyway) but they sure didn't cure her. The last little while the muscles over her head atrophied. A week ago when the vet (different clinic) was here for our dystocia I had her look at Sheba & she immediately diagnosed cranial nerve damage. Masticatory muscle myositis was a possibility, but ruled out because of which muscles were first affected--that usually affects the jaw & eyes first. In Sheba's case it started on top her head & was slowly moving lower & affecting her jaw & breathing more & more. The vet prescribed some anti-inflammatory/painkillers. After several days they did make her more comfortable, but they were only buying time, not curing her. She still couldn't open her mouth much, and she still couldn't bark, and her breathing and the choking were still a problem.
Thursday we had this same vet back out here to flush our mare, and I asked her to bring along the euthanasia drugs for Sheba. It was much better to have her put to sleep here at home than to haul her into town to the clinic. She hated car riding & except for her trip to the clinic for the teeth cleaning she hadn't been off the place since she was spayed late in 1998. Much less stressful for her to breathe her last here at home. We took her out to the trees at the edge of the yard and did the sad deed there. She is now laid to rest in that same spot.
Here is Sheba in her younger, healthy days:
I tell you, things just aren't the same here without Sheba!
We do have two decent dogs now--got Kellie first & she was working out fairly well, only she won't bark--her silence was deafening--and living out here with the wildlife we have (not to mention the scary neighbors!!
: we need a dog that will sound an alarm if needed. So, then I got Lucy, the black Shepherd. She's working out very well in some ways--at least she will bark when there's a reason to bark, and I tell you, she sure can look ferocious!
Two dogs to replace Sheba, and those two dogs still aren't the equal of one Sheba! Far from it. :no: Maybe in time they will improve. Lucy has been here just over a week and Kellie is young yet, so she may do better with age. It's just too bad that Sheba went downhill so quickly. I had counted on her being able to teach Kellie all the things she is supposed to know!
Sheba came to us 9 years ago from the humane society as a 3 month old puppy, and she grew up to be the best dog we've ever had. Probably the best dog we will ever have! In all her life I don't think that dog ever got scolded for anything. I never gave her any real training, she just knew things. It was really quite amazing! We believe she was Rottie/collie/shepherd cross & who knows what else. There was definitely collie--she had a wonderful herding ability--and she had the rottie body. She was loyal, always stayed home, got more & more protective as she got older. She absolutely adored the Minis & they liked her, she was good with the cats--she learned to hate foxes and saved several cats from being carried off by foxes. She chased coyotes out of the yard more than once, though she was cautious of them & preferred my help when it came to running them off. She wasn't careless enough to get too far from home where they could attack her. When the timber wolves came around she was smart enough to leave them alone--she would have been no match for them.
In recent years we tried many different dogs & puppies, hoping to find one that could follow in Sheba's pawprints and take over guard duties when she got too old to manage. Replacing a dog as perfect as Sheba is next to impossible. Actually, none of the ones we tried even came close. They'd chase horses, or cats (or both)--they wouldn't stay home, they'd hide instead of bark at intruders...it was impossible! We rehomed each & every one of those dogs & thought we'd never find anything to take her place. As she was only 9 we did think we had some time yet--she was getting a bit arthritic, but thought she'd keep going awhile yet.
Sadly, it was not to be. In early April she began to show signs of illness. I took her into the vet clinic the middle of April to have her teeth checked & cleaned. The girl at the desk disregarded what I told her & didn't make any note that Sheba was to be checked before she had her teeth cleaned--and so all they did was clean her teeth, which turned out to not be in bad shape at all. Cost me $165 & didn't help Sheba at all. In fact, it made her worse, as they opened her mouth too much--and Sheba's condition prevented from opening her mouth much. She was having difficulty eating, she could not bark, was snuffling & choking. When she came home from the clinic she was much worse. I got antibiotics for her & those did help her to some extent (made her breathing better anyway) but they sure didn't cure her. The last little while the muscles over her head atrophied. A week ago when the vet (different clinic) was here for our dystocia I had her look at Sheba & she immediately diagnosed cranial nerve damage. Masticatory muscle myositis was a possibility, but ruled out because of which muscles were first affected--that usually affects the jaw & eyes first. In Sheba's case it started on top her head & was slowly moving lower & affecting her jaw & breathing more & more. The vet prescribed some anti-inflammatory/painkillers. After several days they did make her more comfortable, but they were only buying time, not curing her. She still couldn't open her mouth much, and she still couldn't bark, and her breathing and the choking were still a problem.
Thursday we had this same vet back out here to flush our mare, and I asked her to bring along the euthanasia drugs for Sheba. It was much better to have her put to sleep here at home than to haul her into town to the clinic. She hated car riding & except for her trip to the clinic for the teeth cleaning she hadn't been off the place since she was spayed late in 1998. Much less stressful for her to breathe her last here at home. We took her out to the trees at the edge of the yard and did the sad deed there. She is now laid to rest in that same spot.
Here is Sheba in her younger, healthy days:
I tell you, things just aren't the same here without Sheba!
We do have two decent dogs now--got Kellie first & she was working out fairly well, only she won't bark--her silence was deafening--and living out here with the wildlife we have (not to mention the scary neighbors!!
Two dogs to replace Sheba, and those two dogs still aren't the equal of one Sheba! Far from it. :no: Maybe in time they will improve. Lucy has been here just over a week and Kellie is young yet, so she may do better with age. It's just too bad that Sheba went downhill so quickly. I had counted on her being able to teach Kellie all the things she is supposed to know!
