Splash

Splash was his name and none of this was really his fault. He was a handsome tricolor border collie who never really had a chance. He was kept in the barn without much contact with others until he was around 4 or 5 months old. He was given over to a rough, loud man to be socialized. When returned, he was finally given to me. He learned to love and was beginning to greet people with great enthusiasm. Unfortunately, he was also becoming more and more aggressive toward other dogs. He had to be given Prozac in order to cope with the subtle differences that occur in a "normal" day and needed thyroid medication for an underactive thyroid. His favorite activities were going for a walk and sleeping on my bed. I just didn't see the aggression building. I thought he was getting better, more confident.

inally, one day he snapped and ferociously attacked one of the other border collies . The attack was so bad that the other dog had to be neutered. Apparently, he "turned turtle" in an effort to submit, but Splash either didn't recognize it or couldn't stop. No way could anyone keep a dog that was so unstable, so Splash was sent to Dogstar. He died quietly in my arms, so fast his eyes didn't even have time to close. He died looking into my eyes and I like to think he saw his glorious star at the end.

I'll never forget him and the lessons he taught me about patience and unconditional love.