In November 2001, I woke up one morning, and thought to myself, "It is true that I no longer have a husband.  That is the bad news.  And the good news is: now I can have a DOG!"  This was a turning point day.  SInce my husband had been allergic to dogs, we had been dogless, (tho not birdless).  Dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, fish, newts, etc. had been important parts of my childhood and early adulthood.

I located the local animal shelter, found their web site, and went online to view dogs needing homes.  I found a photograph of an older, medium sized mutt who looked like she needed a home.  Feeling some compassion for, and identification with, this dog, I made an appointment to go visit the shelter in the next afternoon.  I thought, I could be a good companion to an old, tired dog.

When I arrived at the shelter, I walked in the wrong door.  Instead of being in the office, I found myself in a room with pens lining both walls.  In one of these pens was a young Old English Sheepdog.

It was love at first sight. (The year before, during separation time, I had fantasized about having a dog if I was going to be divorced.  I did a "what is the ideal dog for you?" questionnaire somewhere on the internet, and an OES was one of my ideal breeds.  I have always loved their looks and had recently become intrigued with herding behaviors.  I had raised and lived with a few large mixed breeds, so I felt like I knew about large dogs).

I found my way to the office, asked (out of politeness) about the older dog, and also asked about the OES.  I got to take each of them out into a play area: there was little choice for me between this older limping, sad female dog and this beautiful 10 month old OES named Jack, who was quite mellow that day and completely charming.  I gave my apologies to the older dog as my heart soared with excitement at the possibility of actually being able to have a sheepdog.

I filled out an application, gave a list of references, and went home to wait to see if I was accepted.  (I subsequently learned that a certain Grannie Annie was also aware of this dog, and was trying to have him released to NEOESR.  Fortunately for me, I got there first.)

After several days I was told I WAS ACCEPTED!!  I made arrangements with the vet to have Jack neutered, and then to pick him up from the vet following that procedure.  So in early December 2001 I shopped for dog bowls, toys, and a leash, and went to pick up MY DOG!

The vet warmed me that had seen a bit of aggressive behavior in Jack, and suggested (strongly) that I might want to do some one-on-one obedience training with him, and gave me a couple of referrals.

I came home with this huge animal with a lampshade on his head.  As he stood with his head looking across the dining room table, I realized I had known what size he was relative to me, but not relative to the furniture.  (The lampshade didn't help!) In retrospect, it must have been quite difficult for him to have to wear a lampshade and come into a new home with an unknown upright.  After about a week, the lampshade could be discarded.

I learned I had adopted a DOG-WHO-WOULD-BE-BOSS, and so have had to learn how to remind him that I am the ALPHA one around here.  Some obedience training helped, sometimes I think more obedience training would help more, and the OES-L list has been an invaluable resource for advice and support. 

To think that 17 months ago, I knew nothing about the details of life with a sheepdog, sheepdog rescue groups, dogs in hats, dogs at picnics, keeping my garbage in the freezer and my trash cans in the closets, or any of the other kind of peculiar but wonderful things which make up this lifestyle which suits Jack and me (and Jazzy Belle the cat in the basement!).

And it is such a pleasure to be associated with this NEOESR group of folks and dogs.
DOG is good!

The quilt square is a close-up portrait style - expressive of another passion of mine, which is close up photography, of both persons and other natural objects, along with my complete lack of quilting skill!