Monday, August 17, 2015

LION HEART, THE BRAVE LITTLE SHELTIE






I called him Bob, although his registered name was SUMMIT'S LITTLE WIZARD, and when I first picked him up, we looked at each other, and it was mutual love at first sight.  He came from the famous Summit Sheltie Kennel owned by Ruth Lane in  Cape Cod, Massachusetts.  But how did I get from Collies to Shelties?
It was time for me to leave home, and I couldn't take a huge Collie into an apartment, neither did I have the heart to separate my dog from my Father.  So with much sadness, I left Gareth safely at home, with his green lawn, his spacious house, and the person he loved most in the world - my Father.  But I couldn't imagine life without a dog anymore, so I went looking for a small dog who could live in an apartment.  A dear friend said it was clear that I needed a Sheltie, and she gave me the name of a Kennel to contact, and off I went.
I would visit home often, with Bob in tow, and Gareth appointed himself the puppy's guardian.  For Bob, it was a case of serious hero worship.



I was still in the early stages of learning about everything, and was busy making my first 3,000 mistake on the road to understanding, and I made a few with Bob.  He taught me to never take my eyes off a pup on the loose.  One day, I was upstairs at home, and Bob, unseen by me, was getting closer and closer to the edge of the second floor stairwell.  But Gareth saw and acted, snatching the silly puppy back from a disastrous fall, and teaching me to look after my pup better.



When Gareth passed on, Bob took over as guardian, all 14 inches of him.  He guarded me from people he didn't like, and to my horror, from large dogs whom he didn't approve of, as a German Shepherd discovered when a tiny sheltie latched onto his cheek because Bob felt he was too close.   What a good tempered Shepherd.  His only reaction was surprise, while I grovelled in apology to the  owner.  I also made sure that this sort of thing never happened again!
Bob was my loyal and brave companion through good times and some very bad ones, including a ruptured disc in his spine that left him slightly lame.    He was always ready to cuddle  and make me smile by curling his lips back in a silly smile that he saved for me alone.  Our living space was quite confined at times (small living space, all exercise on leash) due to life's curves, but he stayed cheerful and helped me do the same.
The little guy enthusiastically joined the cast of a local production of 'MAME', playing the Fox, and he rode out on stage on Mame's shoulder, (yes, I trusted her completely) with Mame herself on the shoulders of a couple of dancers.  He grinned happily as the full orchestra blared forth, just a few yards in front of him, and he graciously greeted 'his public' back stage where he handed out pawtographes.   He had the time of his life.
One of the happiest days in my life came when I brought him into our own hard earned  home and turned him loose to run in a big, fully fenced back garden where he happily put the run on racoons and skunks.  Our Brave little Sheltie, Bobbie Lion Heart, had years to enjoy his kingdom, and he left such an impression on our hearts, that he made it impossible for us to be without a Sheltie or two . . . or three, or  . . .




Til next time,
Cheers,
Heather
The Dog Gallery on Etsy

3 comments:

  1. What an incredible little guy! Thank you for sharing his story with us. Have you done his portrait?

    Shirley

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  2. Thanks Shirley, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about Bob. Oddly, I've never done his portrait - yet. I think the emotion involved was too much for me back then. I may be ready to do one now. We'll see.

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