DAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY - OHHHHHHHHHHH !

Today is our oldest dog's Birthday.  We like to sing Harry Belafonte's Bananna Boat song to her. She as well as the rest of the dogs get a real kick out of it.

It is hard to believe Deigh is eleven . She is still peppy and full of energy. She still is wanting and willing to work livestock, though I keep what she does on the easy side so she is not too worn out in the evening.  For the most part she is accepting her Retirement from Sheepdog Trials and a lighter work load with grace and style .

She has been a good dog. Not an easy type of dog to handle but a good one none the less. She challenged me and made me a better handler. Gave me a placement in the Open class the first time I ran her at that level. Was a shoulder to cry on and soft fur to bury my face in when my Swift lost her battle with Cancer. She was patient with me after . I could not work her for many months as it was just too painful. Swift, she and I were a constant team and with Swift gone I could not make myself train Deigh for sheepdog trials without shedding tears and it made me miss my Swift even more. So she and I took a break. I feel bad in many ways as she was at the prime of her sheepdog trial career. I am sure she understood.

She gave me two beautiful daughters that I am currently running in trails

So with each day I have with Deigh, I cherish . She has an aggressive form of Cancer that will show up later than sooner I hope.

In December I had a tumor removed, it came back Cancerous. Even though there was clear margin, the type is very aggressive.  It is not a question of  " if " but more of  " when "  will it come back.

So we just pray that we can have as much time as we can with her, and in the end I know Deigh has had a wonderful life here with us. She has given us more than we could ever give back to her. I feel very lucky to have had such a good dog at the post with me and on the farm. We should all be so lucky.