It is with an enormously heavy heart and deep grief that I need to tell you that my beloved Old English Sheepdog, Sabrina crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday morning. Sabrina came to me in May 2002. She was abandoned and left tied to a tennis court where kids drove by her tossing rocks. The vet estimated her age as between 2 and 3 which would have put her current age somewhere between 15 and 16! She was a very gentle, sweet soul; it took some time for me to prove to her that I would only offer her love. However, once that goal was accomplished she lived only to please me and meet every expectation I would have. Even on her final morning despite single digit temperatures and legs that were losing their ability to walk without pain, she absolutely insisted on walking our route because that is what we had always done. In addition to her tough start Sabrina had many challenges She became ill from a bacterial infection in 2004, spending several days in the hospital and coming close to death. She was also brutally attacked in 2011 by another dog who ripped her leg open and almost took her life. Yet, she persevered and recovered. Despite all of this she remained a sweet devoted companion watching and taking a cue from my every move.

Sabrina was starting to slow down in 2009 and that is when I adopted her rescue sister, Katie, who definitely extended her life by several years. Katie is an exuberant party animal who absolutely loves everyone and everything (including cars). She greets people with a huge grin and smile, brings instant happiness, and wants only to play and be affectionate. Sabrina immediately caught on to her friendliness and became an immediate extrovert. The two became inseparable, cleaned each other's ears, playing every day, and working toward keeping Dad happy and entertained.