A Tribute to a REAL LADY!

We had only been married for a short while, but during this time, my wife iterated a lifelong desire to own a Sheltie (Shetland Sheepdog). I was less then enthusiastic. Armed with some dog knowledge, I knew that Shelties were talkers (barked incessantly), full coated and shed like crazy and finally, my limited knowledge led me to believe they were fidgety and nervous little tykes. But she caught me in a weak moment one day and since I am the kind of husband that enjoys pleasing his wife, I gave what I thought was to be an intelligent way out of my dilemma by giving an ultimatum. Perhaps, I could finally put to rest her desire for one. 'If you can find one in the newspaper TODAY' I exclaimed, 'I will let you have one'. Needless to say, NEVER give a wife an ultimatum. She found a breeder in the paper and she had only one sheltie left. My wife sped off. With a puppy head resting on my wife's lap as she drove on her return home, the bundle of fur would affect and change our lives immeasurably. Not only was Lady not fidgety or nervous, not a talker, but she was a laid back, confident and loving companion. Since we lived on Eagle Mountain Lake and since this dog acted like such a LADY from the very beginning, it was only right that my wife named her "Lady of the Lake". For the Next 14 ½ years, Lady would validate her name again and again. Not fully aware of proper conformation for Shelties, we paid a 'Show Quality' price for Lady. Had I known the joy she was to bring to our household, I would have paid ten times the amount. However, she was oversized (17" at the whithers instead of the allowed maximum of 16"), had a Collie face, ears the flopped more over then allowed, no full sheltie coat to speak of and a gait that resembled two parts of the body, front and back, seemingly out of sync. When she was a pup and teething, I would lay her across my chest, insert my finger between cheek and gum and gently massage the gums. For the next 14 years, as a bonding ritual, Lady would lay across my chest (from my knees to my chin) insisting I insert my finger in which she would mouth and gum between cheek and teeth and never once biting me. However, I would invariably end up with a dripping wet finger or thumb. Also, curiously, Lady would NEVER lie on anyone, family or friends, to get petted laying across someone's body. It was a special privileged she only afforded and reserved for her daddy (me). It was because of Lady that my wife decided to take her to obedience school. It was because of Lady that Claudia would eventually open what now has become one of the largest dog schools in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It was because of Lady that my wife would eventually become an Obedience Judge. When Lady was ready, my wife entered in her first Obedience Show and she took a 2^nd Place against 30 highly trained competitors. Moreover, Lady would go on to place in every show she participated in with a number of High-in-Trials,   even winning 'DOG WORLD'. Astoundingly, Lady would get her 'CD' (Companion Dog), her CDX (Companion Dog Excellence) and her UD

(Utility Dog) in straight sets. This SOLID dog never once broke in competition. Some trainers take years just to get one title, let alone three. But Lady got her titles in several Registries, such as AKC, UKC, ASCA etc. With the advent and introduction of Agility,Lady immediately got her Agility title at age 11. Additionally, Lady became a therapy dog,going to Shriner sponsored children's hospitals, Old Folks Homes, recovering addict's facilities, etc. etc.My most memorable experience was an Alzimerer's patient who sat in her wheelchair for over two weeks without lifting her head until the day Lady visited her. She lifted her head and moved her arm gingerly so she could pet our

dog.  Heartwarming experiences like this were an almost everyday occurrence with our Lady-girl (my affectionate southern term for her). Lady was also the Matriarch, in that she kept our other 3 male Shelties in check. Don't believe it is the Alpha dog that runs a pack. I have, from observing our girl, that it is the Alpha female that truly rules. Lady, during her entire life, never once complained about anything. She could be taken to the Vet and shot time and time again and still smile at us and our Veterinarian.

One could never know if Lady was hurting for she never indicated anything except the joy of being with us. We would dress her in costumes for such events as our annual Cowtown Parade which opened our rodeo and western fair events. She would walk the 2 to 3 mile course enthusiastically, being petted by literally hundreds of smiling children. She was food oriented however and even as a pup would lift her food dish, bring it to us and bang it on the floor if we were a few minutes late with an evening meal.In our den is a gorgeous 24" x 30" oil painting in a gilded frame of Lady in painstakingly detail as to the subtle nuances of her sparkling personality. You cannot look at this picture and not be aware of why people the world over love their dogs.

One day in October, Lady became listless and disorientated. We immediately took her to the Vet, who did a blood work up. Nothing showed up. Heart was strong. Blood work seemed normal. They gave her an I-V to reinstall fluids she may have lost. I was then sent home with 3 vials of pills. I was at a wits end for I couldn't understand what was going on since the tests seemed fine. Was she bitten by something poisonous? Had she eaten a poisonous plant? Did she have a stroke? Was it cancer? I left the vet on Friday and by Sunday morning Lady had stopped eating and drinking. I know she suffered for 2 solid days and yet never once complained.  Sunday morning, she refused to die until she was sure I was awake. I lifted her in my arms and we laid on our porch recliner, positioned across my chest as we have done hundreds of times in the past.

She died there, in my arms, without a whimper, but with me crying uncontrollably. I held her in my arms for over a half an hour after she expired refusing to believe I lost her. It is so difficult to express to anyone how much and how deeply I loved the "Lady-girl". If there is any consolation to losing someone so dear to you, is that Lady had the very best of everything we could give her. She is buried at a local Pet Cemetery and she had a stone marker at home under our favorite tree. This written tribute will be posted on our website: www.gooddogschool.com, for there would never had been the existence of the Good Dog School had Lady not come into our lives. Having helped some 3000 others with their dogs is in direct correlation to the love foisted upon us by this wonderful animal. This written tribute will be placed under her painting for all visitors to our home to read. My dear, dear Lady-girl, not a day goes by I don't give thanks to the moment in time my wife decided on you.