Memories of Shana
Monday June 21st 2010 my wonderful canine companion Shana took her last breath. She was 11 1/2 years old. We knew she wasn’t feeling well and after a lengthy conversation with the vet we scheduled an appointment for her late that day.
We were aware that she was having difficulty walking so we regularly checked in on her offering food or water. I believe she chose a time to leave her body when both Bill and I were busy. Having the honor of knowing this dog for so long I’m reasonably sure her timing truly was a choice. She was a very dignified dog who never complained and never seemed to want to impose or be a bother to anyone.
It always seemed that Shana was what some would call and “old soul.” She was very understanding of our emotions and took very good care of us without ever being troublesome. At night if I heard a scary sound I just looked at Shana, if she was comfortable with the noise so was I.
We adopted Shana from a family at a very young age. I actually lied to people about her age because she was much younger than was recommended for adoption. She came to us at just 5 weeks old. The family she came from took excellent care of the pups but did not want them any longer and were planning to give them to a shelter if not adopted. Our shelters are already too full of unwanted dogs so we took her.
Shana was no purebred, which is true of all our dogs. She started out looking like a Lab Shepard mix but between 4 & 5 months of age she turned into a true German Shepard. In reality, each of her parents are purebred, 1 Lab, 1 Shepard. In the beginning I was actually upset by her new Shepard characteristics, I liked Labs much better than Shepards. This was not what I signed on for. 11+ years later when I see a Shepard I think how beautiful they are.
From the day Shana adopted us she was our protector. All 7 pounds of her sat at the foot of the bed eyes on the door ensuring no intruder would harm her family. We tried and tried to get her to play with us by the pillows but she knew she had a job to do and never forgot that.
Shana, you have taught me so many important lessons that I will never forget. You’ve left a huge imprint on both your human and canine family.
To those of you who are considering getting a dog I urge you to please adopt a dog from a shelter, or someone who can no longer care for their pet. Purebreds have special qualities but the same is true of all mutts. Every mutt is incredibly unique and is capable of bringing such joy to your life. While my grief at the moment is great my life is much improved by her presence, even for such a short time.
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