Goodbye, old friend

My playmate and one of my best friends, Star, passed away on Tuesday evening. She was our dog, but more than a family dog to all of us. She was like my little sister. My parents often referred to me as her "litter mate", which sounds weird, but as much as I played with her, it was pretty accurate. She was often Aaron's running buddy. She was my mom's companion during the day and after we went off to college. She helped my dad hunt rodents in the yard.

She was the most thoughtful, active, people-oriented, attentive dog I have ever known. She is the whole reason Matt and I got a heeler last year. I truly believe that they are the absolute smartest and most loving dogs. I am somewhat biased though, and I'm sure there are many great breeds of dogs to suit everyone.

Star would herd whatever she could find in our yard. We had homing pigeons the whole time I was growing up, and she would "herd" them as they flew circles around the sky above our yard. She would look so proud, as though it was really her making them stay in a group, fly around, and eventually come back to their coop. (They would have done this anyway, out of instinct, but we didn't tell her that.) She would herd me, Aaron, and my friends, as we ran around the yard, nipping lightly at our heels to get us to move. We lived by the airport, and planes often flew over our yard. She would chase them from the time they entered the sky over our yard until they flew out of sight, prancing around as though she had done her job and gotten that pesky thing to go where she wanted it to. When we swam, she would run laps around the pool barking at us and herding us from one end to the other (although she never got IN the water).  I wont even get into all the cars, squirrels, possums, and mice she herded...

When you cried, she would come check on you. When you were sick, she knew something was wrong. I got her when I was 9. We had some great times; she would even jump on the trampoline with me! I wish we had video of this. One time, I tied her in my wagon, hooked it to the back of my play tractor, and pulled her down the street. I took her rollerblading with me around the neighborhood. She was so patient with me. One time, I had her on a walk, and she pulled out of her collar and took off running. I was so worried, I ran home as fast as I could to get my mom and the car to go find her. When I ran up to our yard, there she was. Laying there, in the front yard. I guess she got tired of walking, and found her own way home. Stinker. :-)

As she got older, she started developing tumors. They weren't cancerous, but just "fatty". No one knew why she had them, and we even had one removed at the vet once. After that, she kept getting more and they kept getting bigger. She really went downhill this year, and I'm so thankful God allowed us to have her as long as He did. She was almost 16.

Star, thanks for being more than we could ever expect in a dog. Wiley has some big paws to fill. We miss you, but we know you're in doggie Heaven, healthy, with all the bacon you could ever eat, and all the cows you could ever herd for the rest of eternity.

Star at her last Christmas