Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Jenny the Shetland Sheepdog | Pets From the Past

Jenny was the second dog I ever had. She was our family dog for about 13 to 14 years. I think we got her as a puppy when I was in the 3rd grade. Jenny was a Shetland Sheepdog. I grew up around Shelties as my entire family kept them as pets. They are extremely intelligent dogs and I'm a big fan of the breed.

I'm not sure why her tail is naked here... I think it got shaved for some reason, but it was usually a puffy Sheltie tail. 

Jenny was my dad's dog for the most part. She went to work with him just about every day of her life. In her younger days, she spent her time barking at squirrels or big 18 wheelers that passed by the fence on the road. Jenny loved to go boating, especially with my dad. She would bark away while riding in the boat. 

Jenny became sick one day and was having trouble standing with her front legs She would just kind of slide forward with them. She lost her appetite and I told my dad that if he was ready, he could bring her to my work for euthanasia. I had been working at the clinic for about a year at that point in time. 

I assisted with her euthanasia and held her during the procedure. My parents didn't want to be present for it, and I wasn't sure what to expect myself. I was used to euthanasias, but I had never had one of my own pets euthanized as an adult before. It was very sad, but I know it was Jenny's time to go and I am glad I was there for her at the end. Today, her gravestone is a small statue of a squirrel. She left us with many great memories! 


Thanks to BlogPaws for hosting the Worldess Wednesday Blog Hop. Sorry this one isn't so "wordless"!

34 comments:

  1. What a beautiful dog...! I agree they are so smart!This reminds my momma of her old shetland sheepdog, Captain Nemo (he was around before I came in the picture). Thank you for sharing your story on Jenny. WOOF!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gone but not forgotten and what remains are sweet precious memories. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
    Best wishes Molly

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely tribute Anne, Shelties are lovely breeds.

    Sheba.

    ReplyDelete
  4. That's a very touching tribute and a super cute photo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. She sure was a pretty girl. It is so hard when it is time for them to go. But that was good of you to stay with her while she made that last trip. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh what a pretty thing! My aunt had Shelties for years and years. Always good dogs. I'm so glad you were there with her at the end.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea, she was like a perfect angel. Way different than the dog I have now lol.

      Delete
  7. What a nice tribute and beautiful dog!

    Following from the blog hop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Miley! I have been following your blog for a little while now.

      Delete
  8. She was beautiful, that must have been so hard.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful girl Jenny was. We had had Bobo euthanized at home, I don't know if I could ever do that again :(
    ((((hugs)))))

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea - I don't even want to think about it with my current pets!

      Delete
  10. Mom always said she could never work at a vet (like her sister did for years) she loves animals too much. Thanks for such a lovely story, the dog mom grew up with passed after she had moved away and she always regretted not being there for her in the end. Love Dolly

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thank you for sharing her story. I love the photo.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Jenny was just beautiful. Euthanasias are never easy. I use to think I was numb to them because it was part of my job. None are easy it's just that some affect us more, especially with our own, and when they are suffering its the last gift we can give them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I wonder the same thing about myself sometimes. But then I realize that maybe it just takes a special kind of person to do that sort of thing.

      Delete
  13. Jenny was a beautiful girl... may she long run at the Rainbow Bridge.

    Happy Wordless Wednesday from the BlogPaws Blog Hop!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, Jenny is beautiful! My Mom & Dad's last dog was a sheltie, and we had a male sheltie for 14 years ourselves. They are incredibly smart dogs. Training with them is a breeze, with one exception. They are barkers. Honestly when our guy would be in the yard I think he could have barked nonstop for hours and hours. Inside, though, he was always a good boy, and just tried to "herd" us in our home. Too funny!! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yea I've heard this and some of my family's shelties were barkers too. Jenny never really struck me as a barker though. Mostly she barked when we got her worked up and excited by playing, if she were chasing a truck, or if we were riding in the boat.

      Delete
  15. What a lovely dog and a lovely tribute. It's hard to be there for the end, but I would never want my pup to go through that alone! I think that would make me even sadder.

    ReplyDelete
  16. How lovely Ann...Those final moments are so hard for all of us, but you have great memories

    ReplyDelete
  17. Jenny was very pretty. Your Dad must have really loved her and then missed her.

    ReplyDelete
  18. That was lovely you were there and the Squirrel memorial is just great. Beautiful dog xx00xxx

    Mollie and Alfie

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jenny sounds like a sweet dog. I'm sure it was a very difficult day when she had to cross to the Bridge, but I'm glad she had you there to comfort her on her journey.

    Hugs and purrs,
    Carmine, Milita, and Jewel

    ReplyDelete
  20. That is so nice you were able to be there for Jenny at the end, though it must have been difficult. She was beautiful, and sounds like a great dog. She looks big for a Sheltie....do they come in different sizes like some other breeds? My niece has had them and I just thought they were smaller than she looks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She is a bigger one I think. But, she was about the same size as Missy who was another Sheltie that came before her. I've seen really small ones and bigger ones. I'll have to get a good picture of my grandpa's sheltie because he is HUGE! He's the biggest one I've ever seen before.

      Delete
  21. Thank you Ann for sharing your memories of your sweet Jenny. She was a beautiful dog, and was so lucky to live with wonderful family like yours! <3

    ReplyDelete

Anonymous comments are disabled due to large amounts of spam. Thank you for understanding!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...