Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Shama

Last night we lost our friend! She was there through it all for the last ten years. When we were sad she slipped up a little closer and the sound of her breathing comforted us. When we needed a laugh she was there to cheer us. When we returned home she was in a habit of finding us a gift to present to us, it could be a sock, a toy or even a piece of paper that she proudly displayed. She loved to run from us when we pretended to try to get the gift away from her. She loved walks, laying in the sun and peanut butter but mostly she loved us. It was the unconditional kind that says "It doesn't matter that you don't look so good today or I'll gladly put up with your bad mood." We already miss her but we celebrate her life and what it meant to us.



This is Shama our 13 year old boxer. She has been a good friend and a blessing from God. Shama is a biblical name that means "to hear or obey". We got Shama because ironically she failed to hear or obey. She was a runner and, when given a chance, she would run like the wind and would only come home when she was ready. Her first owners who live in the northern part of the state, kept her until she was 3 years old and gave her to someone who lived near us. When this person got her home she ran off and was on the run for 6 weeks. The dog catcher was called but this little girl could out run them all. They even shot her with tranquilizer guns but could not stop her. When we seen her the first time she was thin, elusive and very fast. She was very wary of people but succumbed to the chicken that my kids put out for her, since she was near starvation. Once we got her in the house we checked her tags and called people only to find out that no one wanted her. Since we already had a dog we continued to look for a new home for her. Finally we took her to the animal shelter and asked them not to put her to sleep but try to find a home for her. All of us were heart broken for this dog who we only had for a short time so after a long weekend with her in the pound we went back to get her and brought her home. At that time we knew that she would be ours but how would we keep her from running? We had her for several months and could not keep her from running away when she got a chance but she always came home. In the mean time we found a house in the country and moved. This girl found herself in the country with all the space in the world to run but when she was given this freedom she didn't want to run anymore. She loved taking long walks and running with the other dogs but seldom left the yard without us with her. She was home and she would spend many lazy days lying in the sun and enjoying life. Now these many years later, she has been such a blessing to us. She is such a unique old soul that I can only describe her as elegant and dignified. To me she is beautiful and was sent by God to us. Our Shama, the obedient one, we love you.

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