We adopted Hannah from the shelter on 12/9/2006. The shelter found her in the country and didn’t know much other than she was tough, scared, and wild. They kept her for several months without even listing her for adoption…in fact they confided in us that they didn’t know if she was adoptable. When I met Hannah, I knew that she just needed someone with patience and a steady hand of discipline to love her and work with her. Mrs. Engineer visited the shelter and Hannah was in her dog house and wouldn’t come out. Mrs. Engineer sat down on the kennel floor and refused to leave. Within 10 minutes Hannah was sticking her head out of her dog house looking at Mrs. Engineer and in another 5 Mrs. Engineer was petting her. We both saw the same potential, and Mrs. Engineer was completely on board. Since she was finishing up her MBA, she had a lot of time at home to spend with Hannah. When we picked her up from the shelter, there was a little old man that volunteered there, and he made Mrs. Engineer promise to take good care of Hannah, because she was a special dog and was his favorite (he saw her potential too).
Hannah blossomed into a beautiful dog that looked at us as if we hung the moon, and she completely changed my views of what a dog could be and what a dog was capable of. She was a fierce protector of our property and a guardian angel for Mrs. Engineer…I have frequently said if you have anything worth protecting you need a Cattle Dog…Hannah was all business. As Cattle Dogs will do, Hannah chose Mrs. Engineer as her “person” and was constantly on the job watching over Mrs. Engineer…If I went to sit beside Mrs. Engineer on the couch, I would see a blur as a 40 lb chunk of muscle and fur launched through the air to land between us. She would give me a smowl (a growl as she smiled at me) as if to say you can sit here, but don’t you even think about any funny business! Like it or not, Mrs. Engineer had a 40 lb shadow with adoring eyes…Mrs. Engineer would take a shower, Hannah would curl up on the mat to wait for her. Mrs. Engineer would go in the other room, Hannah would too. Mrs. Engineer would take laundry to the laundry room, Hannah would clear it first. Mrs. Engineer broke her leg, Hannah stayed by her side only leaving to eat and potty, then it was back on duty. She knew Mrs. Engineer had a hurt leg, and would lick her toes as they stuck out of the cast. What a fantastic Nurse to have by your side.
Hannah was sweet and affectionate to our family and our friends, smart as a whip, tough as an alligator, and fast as a lightning bolt. She guarded our yard and our house like a storm trooper…seriously, I haven’t set my home alarm during the day for the last 11 years…I just figured that if you had the nuts to break in, you kind of deserved your punishment. The first time we took Hannah to the vet, he told us to be sure and watch her because her body would give out long before her drive would. Cattle Dogs are bred to be tough…if a grumpy cow kicks them, their solution is to come back twice as hard…because of this when they show signs of distress, it is usually really bad. The last few weeks Hannah had visible signs of distress so we knew the end was near. Hannah died in Mrs. Engineer’s arms on July 5th.
The next time you have a cold drink in hand, please join me in a salute to a once in a lifetime best friend…Cowgirl Hannah.
Hannah blossomed into a beautiful dog that looked at us as if we hung the moon, and she completely changed my views of what a dog could be and what a dog was capable of. She was a fierce protector of our property and a guardian angel for Mrs. Engineer…I have frequently said if you have anything worth protecting you need a Cattle Dog…Hannah was all business. As Cattle Dogs will do, Hannah chose Mrs. Engineer as her “person” and was constantly on the job watching over Mrs. Engineer…If I went to sit beside Mrs. Engineer on the couch, I would see a blur as a 40 lb chunk of muscle and fur launched through the air to land between us. She would give me a smowl (a growl as she smiled at me) as if to say you can sit here, but don’t you even think about any funny business! Like it or not, Mrs. Engineer had a 40 lb shadow with adoring eyes…Mrs. Engineer would take a shower, Hannah would curl up on the mat to wait for her. Mrs. Engineer would go in the other room, Hannah would too. Mrs. Engineer would take laundry to the laundry room, Hannah would clear it first. Mrs. Engineer broke her leg, Hannah stayed by her side only leaving to eat and potty, then it was back on duty. She knew Mrs. Engineer had a hurt leg, and would lick her toes as they stuck out of the cast. What a fantastic Nurse to have by your side.
Hannah was sweet and affectionate to our family and our friends, smart as a whip, tough as an alligator, and fast as a lightning bolt. She guarded our yard and our house like a storm trooper…seriously, I haven’t set my home alarm during the day for the last 11 years…I just figured that if you had the nuts to break in, you kind of deserved your punishment. The first time we took Hannah to the vet, he told us to be sure and watch her because her body would give out long before her drive would. Cattle Dogs are bred to be tough…if a grumpy cow kicks them, their solution is to come back twice as hard…because of this when they show signs of distress, it is usually really bad. The last few weeks Hannah had visible signs of distress so we knew the end was near. Hannah died in Mrs. Engineer’s arms on July 5th.
The next time you have a cold drink in hand, please join me in a salute to a once in a lifetime best friend…Cowgirl Hannah.
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