Tasha was our first rescue.  We’d had a number of Sheepies since we bought our first in 1972.  But she came to us when a family with two dogs and a newborn decided that the doggies had to go.  Tasha became very close to us, but never trusted anyone else and she didn’t get along well with other dogs.  Her picnic behavior was not very nice.  But she was our friend.  I’ve had trouble cooking because she was always there for the carrot tips, the lettuce core, or leftover baked potato skins.  She was nice and quiet on the grooming table and even permitted the cat to walk all around her while she was lying there.  The cat was always jealous of the brush and demanded some of the attention I was giving to the dog.  Tasha loved the car and we brought her everywhere.  She was a great pet and companion.  But we knew Tasha’s time was coming when she no longer got up to chase the cat.  She’d been slowing down for six months and then she couldn’t walk up stairs anymore and we knew that her last trip to the vet was going to be coming soon.   It was very sad for us.  She was there through some tough times and now we miss her terribly.  That’s the hardest part of being a dog’s person.  I cherish all the times I’ve had with all my Sheepie friends.  Someday we’ll share our lives with another and until then we’ll continue to miss them all.