My (our) German shepherd dog, Angel, will be 12 years old sometime this fall. I picked October 10, as a good day for a birthday.
In the spring of 1999, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The evening before the lumpectomy surgery, my husband, his brother, and I were outside in the garden of our LA house. That house is right on the sidewalk with steps leading up to a gate and that evening a young German shepherd dog ran up the steps and sat down outside the gate. She would not leave, so of course, we opened the gate and took her in. My BIL has dogs also, and I remember pleading with him to take her home as I was having surgery the next morning. Thank God he said no.
At this time, I had three other dogs: Bandit, our beloved hound dog mix, Saschi, our Siberian Husky/Malamute cross, and our disturbed Doberman pinscher, Sundance. We also had our two cats, Samantha and Sindbad, and two parakeets. All this in a house with a small yard and way over the legal city limit of three pets. And I had cancer and wanted to focus on my recovery, not on a new dog.
But right then and there, I had some kind of insight and decided to make lemonade of the lemon that had just arrived. I felt very strongly that this dog had been sent to look after me and as my husband posted signs and walked her around the neighborhood, I hoped that an owner would not be found. And no one ever was.
I named her Angel, and I was right, she came to look after me. For the past eleven plus years, this dog has never left my side. She is 12 now and every time I get up and leave the room, she gets up and leaves the room. This is a tribute to Angel on her 12th birthday:
She is Protective
Angel in 2006. She always positions herself facing away from me toward the door. And not until recently have I seen this dog sleep. With both eyes closed. All her life she was always alert, protecting me and her family.
She barks and puts on a fierce guard dog show. She still has excellent hearing and is always the first to alert. And that goes for anything that moves or makes a sound, including the wind. She still hasn't figured that one out.
She is Kind
Looking after Soldier during a thunder storm.
Sleeping with little Samson.
Kissing her beloved Sindbad.
She loves to Play
Who stole Mommy's shoe, is a favorite.
She loves to Run
Sniff
And play in her Kiddie Pool
She will stand in it for the longest time.
She Climbs
Angel is a rock climber; she will climb as high as I let her.
Climbs and Sniffs some more.
Christmas is a favorite time of the year.
She likes some people, Rachael is one of them.
She is not much for being petted, hugged or kissed. She is scared at the vet, she is terrified of moths, and she doesn't like flies. You can see her nose is red. After we moved up here, she got Discoid Lupus. It is only on her nose and I manage it with homeopathic remedies. It looks kind of bad, but she is doing very well, much better in all-around health than when she was on Tetracycline and Nicacinamide.
And here she is today, anticipating her birthday cake!
As most beloved pets, she has a few nicknames: Angel Cakes, Missy, Missy Cake, and Come when I call you, will you!.
Happy Birthday, Dear Angel, from Mommy, Daddy, Soldier, Samson, and Pippi Birdie!
