by Judy Alway
Sheba was Mark's dog but I made her mine as well. Who would have known that I was going to fall in love with her? Mark, Sheba and I met in May of '95. I was told that Sheba was rescued from the pound...for the 3rd time. Former owners couldn't handle her and beat her etc. before dropping her off at the pound. Before, I met her, there were a lot of stories about Sheba’s attempts to become an escape artist, to re-paint the house with wet muddy paws and to re-wire the house alarm. Some people thought Sheba was a nuisance. I really think that people did not understand Sheba's independent mind.
I am sure she was the dog that many people would have taken back to pound in no time. Mark and I however had patience with her, and with time she matured and became very well behaved. However, I got to love Sheba because we used to go jogging, hiking, walking and even shopping. She was extremely loyal and she loved me no matter what. She did not like people she did not know around me and when we used to go running she made sure everybody knew this. I also remember last year when we went Christmas shopping she would wait on the car patiently and as soon as she saw me coming she would get very happy. If she saw someone walking near me she would start barking. I felt very safe with her.
I can go endlessly describing some of the cute things she did. For instance, she would put her face on my bed at about 7:00 am but only during the weekdays because she knew that I was running late for work. She would also let me know loud and clear when she was hungry or thirsty or simply wanted some attention. She did not take orders very well…you see; I think she was a genius. She did not take orders she gave them.
Despite all that we loved her because she was one of the kind. She was the “Woofenstein” We will miss her dearly and she will always be fondly remembered by us as a wonderful companion.