She was a beautiful dog. 14 is old. You took good care of her. I know you are sad. I had to put Annie to sleep late spring or early summer when it started getting hot. She had been blind for a year and had kidney failure. Now that I look back I'm glad she didn't have to suffer any more. It sounds like your dog had a good end of life. Your house will seem empty and to me there is grief just like a human died only it doesn't last as long. I think knowing from the beginning that their lives are short and that you provide a good home helps.

I remember when you posted that Annie had suddenly gone blind but I didn't know you had to have her put to sleep. I'm so sorry. : ( That's hard to do. I was putting it off for Shasta because I know I would've been a blubbering mess at the vet's office and was thinking about having someone come to the house. That would've been easier on both of us. I'm not sure on Shasta's age. She may have only been 13.

How old are you other dogs Helen? Don't you have one that was older than Annie?

Christie, so sorry about your Shasta. What a beautiful dog.
Sunny

Blackie is 14 and Annie may have been 12. Annie came as an adult so I don't know. She and four pups were dumped near my Mother's farm. The pups ended up at the neighbors and Annie came to our barn. She was hard to handle through the hot weather. She couldn't stand the heat and had to be inside not good with kidney trouble. It was an ordeal for both of us. I felt bad because I was making chicken popsicles for Annie and Honey in the heat and I thought I may have overfed her. She was fat from all the treats necessary to motivate her to move where I wanted her. Blackie is old and lays around. One of these days he will be gone, but somehow he goes on trips with Beau and comes home tired and sticker covered. My fear is one day he will be missing and I won't know where he is.

What a beauty, sorry to hear you lost her.

Christie, I am sorry you lost your dog. We lost Biscuit this year too and he wasn't than old. We want another dog but worry about being so close to the road....we have more traffic than we use to and it travels faster.

I have always wanted a Border Collie.

I like the idea of planting some shastas on the grave.

Glenda I have also always thought Shelties were beautiful dogs, but no one has dropped one off yet. That is how I get all my dogs. Just wait someone will drop a dog on you and you may run if off. But ones of these days one with a good personality will come and you won't have the heart to get rid of it. Shelties are really small under all that hair and would make a house dog. All you would need is a little fenced yard for a bathroom.

Honey wears a collar that shocks him when he crosses a wire. You are supposed to bury the wire but I didn't. Sometimes rodents chew the wire so it has been trouble but I absolutely don't want Honey in the road. Blackie and Beau are not stopped by the radio fence. It used to work on Beau but Blackie just walked through it. He taught Beau to cross it. Honey Hates being shocked and I am glad. I could not think of any way to fence my yard so I am glad the wire fence works for one dog. None of my dogs would stop an intruder but at least they bark at anything strange. I think I will always have a big outside dog because it makes me feel safer.

You said Border Collie I read Sheltie. Border Collies would need a big yard and want to help run the farm. They are intense. Smart dogs are almost human and know what you are thinking. I think Border Collies are smart.

Thanks everyone. We'll miss her.

Sorry to hear you lost Biscuit Glenda. I don't have any advice for keeping a dog away from the road. There's always something to chase.
We put our chainlink up when our kids were little so they would have a safe place to play and to keep the neighbors' dogs out. It's handy now for keeping our dogs in.

We adopted a stray several years ago that looked like a Border Collie but was most likely a mix. He was too big for a Border Collie. He was friendly and had a lovable personality but was a VERY active dog and would knock you down. If someone was trying to keep him as a house pet, I can almost understand why he was dumped. It would be like trying to keep a wild elephant in the house. He seemed too hyper to train but maybe if we'd gotten him when he was a puppy, it would've gone better. We kept him for about four months but he somehow managed to bend our gate and get out of our fenced yard and was hit on the highway. So sad.

We're down to two dogs and two cats now. That's plenty. I hope nobody dumps an animal out here for a long time.