Monday, October 5, 2015

Miller man 1999?-October 5, 2015




Good bye my big red dog.  You have taken me on quite a journey.  While strawberry started this crazy life of dog agility and dog agility friends and the crazy world of Australian shepherds, you continued it.  I still remember the day we saw you in the shelter, your big golden eyes peering at me while you hid under my chair. You stole my heart from that very first time.  I knew I had to have you even though I was a poor grad student with another aussie and a red horse.  You weren't always the easiest dog to love, you haven't ever been overly cuddly or one to sleep on the bed at night.  You were content on your dog bed, just hanging out.  You HATED agility when we first tried it.  You would do one obstacle and then hide under the truck.  You also had a horrible recall and would escape and run the neighborhood till you felt ready to come home.  I still loved you and will  never forget how soft your fur was and how crazy your bark was.  You took me so many places, places I would have never gone.  Of course after I got a little aussie puppy to be my next agility star, you decided it was your time to step up.  You had the most phenomenal running a frame, one that I didn't have to teach at all, you just did it no matter what. I think I can count on one hand the number of times you missed the zone (once at nationals but the video shows you clearly did hit it:) Your loud mouth made people stop and watch and you taught me so much about dog training.  You were stubborn and loud and awesome and amazing and I will miss you so very, very, much.  In the end, you told me it was time, that you had had enough of raising aussie pups, had enough of dealing with crazy foster dogs and had enough of raising a red headed two legger.  Your mind was still very much intact but your body just didn't want to cooperate and that bothered you.  I saw it in your eyes when I had to help you walk or come down stairs in the middle of night to help you back to your bed because you had fallen.  We decided to go out on a high note, before things got bad and I hope that is the best gift I could give you, better than any dog bone or piece of cardboard (yes you were weird like that).  Rest in Peace my sweet red loud aussie. Miller, you may be gone but never ever forgotten.  Go find berry dog and run free and bark loud and tell her that I love her and miss her too.

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