I guess I just need to share this.

We had our elder Sheltie put to sleep yesterday and it's breaking my heart. Bandit came to us 9 years ago through a rescue organization when he was about 6 years old. Not sure why we knew he was the right dog for us, but his story touched us and we did an 8 hour round trip on New Years Day 2000 to get him.

He came with some odd baggage but he was always affectionate and a wonderful, athletic clown. Once we got used to him going insane every time the phone rang and his desire to eat the UPS man, we were able to just enjoy the good things about him! We never did discover why he would leap into your lap and start licking your face anytime you use a word that started with br. (breeze, brush, bring, brussel sprouts, anything with br) We just learned not to do it if we didn't want instant and close company! LOL

We also learned to be careful when calling him because he would respond so quickly. Furniture didn't seem to be an obstacle for him and he would leap over the sofa to come when called. He always saw himself as a lap dog and when he needed a cuddle he would just flop over on your lap with a big doggie grin on his face. Until his arthritis got so bad, he slept on the bed between our feet. It was almost as if he was making sure that this was a family he would not lose. We were his pack.

Strangely, all the cats loved him. They would rub on him, sit right next to him and curl up beside him to nap. We always wondered if he smelled a little like catnip to them! Each morning until the last few months he would have to take a walk around the pool each morning, checking out the yard to be sure everything was OK. We called it his daily perimeter check. What was funny was watching one of the boy cats trail along beside him like a little sidekick. He would trot along, stop at the same time and appear to be looking at the same things Bandi Boy was looking at, then look up at the dog's face. It was like "See? I'm helping! Right?" Seiously cute and it happened every day.

We really loved this dog and will miss him terribly.

Kate