Sad Day

Tuesday was a sad day for the family. After fourteen years of running, jumping, chewing and shedding, we finally lost the German shepherd to old age. As part of the family, she wore many hats and performed her duties admirably. Thankfully she entertained us while entertaining herself.

Here is a brief list of some of the hats she wore (and chewed) in the family. For she was a:


A puller of plants. When she was a puppy, she pulled out all of the corn stalks from the garden and had a great time dragging them around the yard. She finally dropped the battered stalks when she decided to take a nap.

A pruner of bushes. She destroyed two azalea bushes by pruning them down to the ground. The third and final azalea was able to survive because it was enclosed by a five foot high fence. It took time for my brothers to learn about the importance and versatility of fences during the early years. Once they learned about fences, they were able to use this knowledge to save numerous plants as well as furniture.

A chaser of the light. This dog would chase a laser light for hours while carrying a squeak toy in her mouth. When the laser light failed to move for five seconds, she would aggressively squeak her toy at it until it began to move again.

A lover of cheese. Her love of the laser light was only surpassed by her love of cheese, specifically Tillamook Cheese. At least she was a dog that appreciated good cheese.

A stealer of toys. When proud parents brought their babies over to the house, she would sneak over to the baby carrier and then snatch all of the kids’ plush toys.

A shedder of much fur. Only a chow would have more fur on its body and it would also be more discreet during the shedding process.

Another thought that comes to mind is that this strange dog would carry her stuffed toys around in her mouth. The fact that she carried stuffed toys in her mouth was not strange in and of itself but the fact that she always carried them by their butts was a tad disturbing. My brothers explained this behavior by stating “The best meat is in the rump.” We will miss you Maggie.

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