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Roxy, my Australian Cattle Dog (ACD) of the past 7 years was diagnosed yesterday with liver cancer that had metastasized. Her prognosis was poor; even with surgery and prolonged chemotherapy, her quality of life would be severely limited, painful, and short; so the very hard decision was made to put her down and let her go peacefully onto the last roundup.
Roxy was seven years old when I rescued her; it wasn’t a traditional rescue, but instead, a pre-emptive rescue. Her previous owner could no longer keep her. If she were not adopted, she would have been sheltered, and at seven years old, her prospects seemed unfavorable. Fate stepped in when I was visiting my aunt and uncle. While drinking my morning coffee and reading the local paper, I was scanning the classified ads on the off-chance that I could find a bargain for a used garden tractor. Way away from the Home and Garden section, my eyes caught a very little ad – “ACD Free to Good Home. Call ---“, that was it, nothing more. I called; we chatted for a bit and set a time for me to stop by on my way back home.
An ACD’s caution and loyalty is well known, so I was skeptical that she would want to leave her family of seven years and go off with a stranger. After about a half-hour of getting to know one another and deciding that we’d give it a go, I opened the door to my truck, hand signaled and said, “Up”. Without missing a beat, Roxy jumped into the truck and sat on the seat. I closed the door, started the truck, and off we went on our eleven hour ride to her new home – and the beginning of our seven year adventure together. Roxy’s loyalty was almost instantly transferred to me. Even during those first few hours and weeks, it never seemed as though she was not 100% focused on me. Family and friends were amazed how connected we were and her unswerving dedication and need to protect me…even from a cat walking into the room (LOL).
For those of you who know of ACDs, you’ll know their trait of being a shadow dog is well deserved – wherever I went, there she was. When I’d be working around the house – going from room to room, inside or out, getting up and sitting down, stopping to do a little thing and then moving on, she’d be one step behind me. On my more manic, caffeine and adrenaline-filled days, I’d marvel at her natural stamina to rest, but always stay alert and be on guard. She could be laying between any perceived danger and me, but any little change caused a perking up of head, eyes, and ears – scanning the horizon, accessing the threat, and responding accordingly. Many times, thank goodness, this meant her laying back down for yet another of her hundreds of cat naps that day.
Towards the end of such days, I’d often wonder if she’d been thinking to herself “This knucklehead can’t decide what he wants to do and where he wants to go. I’ve been getting up and laying down a hundred times today, I’m just staying here – he can chase his own tail for a while.” Even if such thoughts danced around her over-developed brain, she never showed her frustration, nor did I even notice my shadow wane.
As my constant companion, our adventures took us to 30 states and countless places: inside and out; city, country, and wilderness; forest, beach, mountain, and desert; hotel and truck stop; and many times to hang out with other critters. I hope she enjoyed sharing in those adventures as much as I enjoyed her being there. Future adventures will be un-whole and the thought of my traveling the road alone is profoundly saddening.
We were by each other’s sides until the end. The final goodbye and looking into her eyes was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. I hope, after seven years of cat naps and chasing my tail, Roxy gets her well deserved and overdue rest. Roxy will always be missed and in my heart and thoughts.
Vaya con Dios my guardian, travel mate, companion, shadow, and friend.
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