Shiner Dog

[Rip's Girl]

I always mention my former dog, Shiner, but I never really told her story..

Shiner was my brother's dog, for 2 years. He got her from the pound in 1993, and estimated that she was about 1-2 years old. When Matt moved back in with us in I think '95, he brought Shiner. Shiner & I really bonded, and we had so much fun. I would hit baseballs into the field for her, and she'd jump over the fence and dodge the cows to fetch them for me.

In '96, Matt moved out, and insisted on taking Shiner. He moved 6 miles away, and for 2 weeks, almost every day, Shiner would wind up at our house, panting and with her pads worn down from running on the pavement. So, after the umpteenth time, Matt called us and asked if we would keep Shiner until he got a place with a fenced yard. 7 years passed, and Matt never got a place with a fenced yard. Soon our ranch sold, and it was time to move.

When we moved off our ranch, Shiner didn't have much fun. She was a die-hard farm dog, she lived to patrol her property and guard her family. She adjusted really well, and found a new hobby in swimming. We had her for an additional 3 years after that with no trouble at all, and she was an amazing dog. Her problems started when we started travelling.
We stayed at RV parks while our house in AZ was being built. Shiner hated it inside the 5th wheel, so we got her a little house and tethered her outside. She wasn't a social dog and all the 'intruders' stressed her and made her more distrustful of strangers, and after a particularly nasty experience with a man kicking her, she was fear-aggressive towards most strangers, and I didn't feel comfortable leaving her tied outside where she could easily bite someone.

As the months passed, Shiner got more and more restless, she was extremely active for a 14-year-old dog, and needed to be loose, so I made the decision to try to find a home for her. I didn't call Matt to talk to him about it at all, since I basically considered Shiner my dog..

About 10 months ago I found an awesome lady with 6 acres who wanted an alert dog to keep her husband, who was hearing impaired, some company while he was home alone all day, and after a lot of talking, she drove 75 miles to come pick Shiner up.

I hated to give her up, since I bristle at the thought of re-homing my dogs, but with her age, even though she was in good health, all the stress would have been lethal to her.

I haven't heard from her current owner since I got Ripley, about 8 months ago, and I'm not sure where she's at now if she's still alive. She was the most awesome dog, though, I know I'll never find another one like her.

Here's a picture of her. Believe it or not, she was twelve years old when this picture was taken.

[sheltiepups]

aww she was adorable! great story!

[Lil'Paws]

Thanks for sharing the story I enjoyed it Rip.. Shes a pretty dog..

[ayl]

Thanks for sharing your story . Why don't you find out whether shiner is still alive ?

[Pugdawg1]

Awwww looks like a puppy in the picture.

[flyndog]

I hope Shiner is enjoying her retirement years. She is a beautiful dog.
Kit

[Carrie]

Cute dog...she looks like a puppy in that picture. I bet she has a great life with those people on the acreage. I know how hard that must have been for you, but you did the unselfish thing to make her life better. She sounds like an awesome dog.

Carrie

[Slave2Jinx]

Awesome Story Grace! It must've been horiibly hard for you giving her up. What a great thing you did for her though. I'm sure everyone here is proud to have someone do such an act of kindness for a loved one. I know I'm proud to have someone like you in this community.
She is a very beautiful dog. SHe looks like a 3-Year-Old in that picture. Seems like she's very young at heart.

[P1nay]

that was such a sweet story

[Rip's Girl]

I called Leilani today but she must have been at work, because the phone just rang and rang. (Her husband doesn't answer the phone for obvious reasons)