Lady

It was 2010 when Lady came into my life. I went to the chicken swap in Carlton to find a puppy and fell in love. She was 7 or 8 months old, tied inside a horse trailer. I crouched down to pet her, and she smothered me with kisses. She looked like a little fox, so cute and red. I thought I knew what I was getting into with a cattle dog, but I was wrong. When Lady came home, she immediately jumped straight up onto the kitchen table. A couple days later she indulged in the hamburgers my husband was cooking on the grill, right off the counter, with zero shame. She could slip any collar or harness easily and would run for hours whenever she got the chance. In 2011 Lady became pregnant with the neighborhood wanderer, a beautiful dog that enjoyed chasing cars and furry females. In October she gave birth to 7 pups, including Spike who is still with us. She was not a good mother, only a puppy herself, but she taught them all to have much fun at the expense of the garbage and my son’s fur tail collection. The first 3 years were hard. She had more energy than any dog I’d had before, and was stubborn as she could be. But she loved me. And finally, she grew up into the best companion. I grew up to be the mom of a Red Heeler. She didn’t have cattle to herd, so I became her job. To protect me and comfort me was her calling. She could look so fierce with the hair raised on her back and then roll over for belly rubs when the threat was gone. She was always by my side, guarding me from danger and ready to cuddle when nothing else could help me through the day. At the end of 2022, I knew Lady would not be with me much longer. She had difficulties with the stairs and bouts of incontinence. I carried her up and down the stairs for potty time and cleaned up after her accidents until she started to decline even more. On12/26/23 Lady left us for the Rainbow Bridge. Her ashes and her collar still sit on the bookshelf in our living room, and there is not a day I don’t miss my Ladybugs and her unconditional love. Sometimes I feel her still with me. She taught me so much and made me the dog mom I am today. Christy L.