[PyrNet-L] Catherine's Sequel- GET the Tissues, you'll need them!

["Barb Bowes" <bamb@monmouth.com>]

Subject: [PyrNet-L] Sasha--the Sequel--Why I chose a Great
Pyrenees.


> Sasha--the Sequel--Why I chose a Great Pyrenees.
>
> Sasha, the Pyr who was given up by the now-famous "Woman who
was going
> to Fraaaawnnnce", arrived at my home (soon to be her home) in
Vermont
> riding in the back of an open pickup, a mode a transportation
she was
> never to use again.  It seems that the "Woman who...you know
the
> rest"... was married to a red redneck.  "Dog always rides bach
thar!"
>
> Sasha was six years old when she gave up riding in the back of
pickups
> to try to adjust to life on a mountain in Vermont.  For five
weeks she
> resisted my efforts to become her friend.  She also resisted
all efforts
> of  Tahki, my shepherd/cannardly (you can hardly tell what he
was)
> cross, to make friends with her.  Then came school vacation,
and I being
> a teacher at the time, had a full week to work on her.  And
work I did.
> She rewarded me by accepting my hand, accepting food from my
hand, and
> accepting Tahki's play bows as friendly gestures.  She was ours
for
> better or worse.
>
> Then the worst  happened.  The ex-owners decided that
"you-know-where"
> was not for them.  They returned to the United States and asked
for
> Sasha back.  For two weeks I agonized as to what to do.  After
all, she
> had been their dog for six years; she had been mine for only
four
> months.  When they called for my final decision, my father
happened to
> be visiting, and Sasha's head happened to be resting in his
lap, getting
> a gentle stroking.  "No," I said, "Sasha is a part of our
family now,
> and she will stay here with us."
>
> And stay she did--never the "wife" that I had promised
Tahki--but his
> loyal companion nevertheless.
>
> For six and a half years Sasha enjoyed the cool breezes of
summer and
> the freezing blasts of winter with strength and grace.  In her
twelfth
> year her health began to fail.  She could not keep her dinner
down, and
> she could not get her back end up.  I made her a promise that
whatever
> it took, I would give her the summer of 1994.  My vet and I
worked to
> make that happen, but by late August we knew that Sasha's time
to go to
> the Bridge was coming.
>
> With my help, Sasha got into the back of my jeep on that cool,
final
> Autumn morning.   As we started on our last ride together, we
passed a
> neighbor's house, where the other Pyr who lived on our mountain
was
> sitting outside enjoying the sun.  These two females had always
barked
> at each other.  This morning, neither made a sound.  Sasha
looked at
> Princess, Princess stared back, and in my ear, I swear that I
heard
> Sasha say, "I will send someone."
>
> Sasha was put down that day.  The date was August 20, 1994.
Two days
> later, on August 22, 1994, Ch. Maranatha Joy to the World gave
birth to
> a litter of six Pyr puppies, one of whom was to come home to
Vermont as
> Maranatha Mountain Lilly.  Sasha really did send someone.
>
> Thanks, Sasha, wherever you are.
>
> Catherine
>