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When I was about 8 years old, I began to pressure my parents. "I want a
dog. Can we get a dog?" For months this became my nightly ritual. The mentioning of dogs, pictures of dogs...everything I
could do to get my point across. One night my mother came into my room and told me and my brother that she had found a dog
for us. We would be adopting a 3 year old Shetland Sheepdog named Shannon from a family a few towns away. Their children were
allergic and no matter how much they had grown to love the dog, they realized they had to give it up. So we drove over
and picked up Shannon. Of course I had to have her in my room that very night. So in I brought her and that first night she
slept next to my bed. The next morning, much to my chagrin, I realized she had moved herself into my brother's room, which
is where she stayed for the next 11 years. Needless to say, my 8 year old heart was crushed. I who had wanted a dog so badly
was now being "snubbed" by our dog. Sure, she loved me and was such a great dog, but she was truly my brother's dog for her
entire time in our lives.
I remember thinking Shannon was so special because when she was described
to me as a "miniature Collie," I expected Lassie. But she was black and white in color, which to me was so unique! So 6 years
down the line, right before Christmas, my Mom and I were walking through the mall and I made her stop in the pet store. It
was then that I looked up and proclaimed, "Look Mom! It's a baby Shannon!" In one of the upper cages sat a beautiful, black
and white Shetland Sheepdog puppy. I was immediately smitten. We took the puppy into the little puppy room and I remember
how sweet and timid she was. I begged my mother to buy her, but my mother said that we should go home and think
about it, and if she was still there when we returned, it was meant to be. Since the store was closed the following day,
I had to wait two days to see the puppy again. So I patiently (yeah right)
waited and the next afternoon, my mom picked me up from school and off we went to the store. When
we walked in, my heart sank. There was a "Sold" sign on the cage. I burst into tears and ran out of the store. My mom was
shocked at my reaction and came running after me yelling "She's sold to us! I bought her! She's ours!" I couldn't believe
it. I was in shock. My heart jumped back to life as I ran back into the store to see my puppy. The store workers cleaned her
up for us and put beautiful little red bows in her hair. As we drove home, I was so happy and as I held her in my arms, I
knew I had found my new best friend...
Shelby had problems right from the start and I know early on I was afraid I was going to lose her.
One weekend my mother and I drove the three hours through Pennsylvania to visit my brother at college. Shelby got sick the
entire time. We just figured maybe she was not a puppy who enjoyed the car. Then on the way back, she threw up again and much
to my dismay, she was throwing up worms! We took her to the vet as soon as we got home, and luckily they were able to give
her medicine to make her better.
Not long after, when she was back to her playful self, she realized that she REALLY loved the snow.
Whenever it snowed, she would stand in front of our glass doors and bark at the falling snow. Then, if we let her outside,
she would run so fast through the snow, as if she thought it was playing with her. One day, after school, my mother and I
let her outside and were watching her run through the snow. She crossed over to the other side of the pool (covered and iced
over) and my mother called to her. Since she couldn't tell the pool from the grass because of the snow, she tried to run across
the iced over pool cover. The thin ice broke underneath her and she fell in! My mom went running outside and putting
her life in danger as well, she jumped in to save the puppy! Luckily, both of them were fine, just a little cold. But in such
a short time, I felt as though I had already come close to losing my beautiful puppy girl twice!
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