I was born in Florida but fate often changes the direction of life.

When I was 3 months old I was abandoned on the street. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me and I was scared. I ended up in doggy jail with a lot of other puppies and big dogs and although it wasn’t a bad place I didn’t really like it. I had only been there a few days when a couple turned up, took one look at me and decided we were all going to be together. They weren’t allowed to play with me on that day and they promised they would be back the very next day. I was so nervous I could hardly sleep.

The next day, there they were as promised. I was so excited I almost peed. The 3 of us played for an hour and the warden of the puppy jail said I could go home with them. This time I was so excited I did pee. When they were doing the adoption paperwork an angry woman from Collie Rescue was complaining that she had come to pick up two dogs and one of them was me. All three of us froze. My people whispered to each other that they were not going to let me go. What now? Just then the warden stepped in and told her that I had found a new home. Phew! That was a close one. I later found out that my new Mom had a dream about me and she made sure that they both rushed down to find me. Boy, am I glad they followed that dream.

My new Mom wasn’t well for the whole time I knew her so she couldn’t do a lot of things with me but I used to cuddle up with her whenever I could. I used to love jumping up on the bed and snuggling. With My Guy however, we did lots of things. We would walk every day and go the dog park every day. I loved the dog park. There were acres of land to explore and lots of dogs to play with. That was where I learned how to swim. I was standing next to the pond when a group of big dogs came rushing toward me and pushed me in the water. I didn’t even know I could swim until that very moment. It turned out to be ok because from then on I would cool down in the pond every day. Every time I went in the pond I had to be hosed off and dried before we could go home. A lot of muttering, I don’t think that was My Guy’s favorite activity. Sometimes he would take me into “The Room” and make me stand in a sink then cover me with boiling acid. (I know he said it was only warm water but I knew better. To this day he still tortures me the same way. “Oh the humanity”). Next came the sweet smelling stuff and I became one giant soap bubble. More acid then my favorite part….The Towel. Just before The Towel I always liked to have a good shake and spray water everywhere….more muttering. He would always called me a big fluffball. I was a little embarrassed in front of the other puppies but I liked it. My Guy used to carry me in the crook of his arm and I would be asleep before we were out of the car park. Ahhh. Those were the days!

Life continued until one day everything changed. My Guy turned up with a big truck, loaded all our stuff and the three of us were off. When we arrived at a house he said “this is your new home”. I was really excited and spent a lot of time sniffing the place out. I thought that I might have had some say in the matter but I later found out youngsters (especially puppies) don’t have much of a choice when it comes to moving. It didn’t really matter. The three of us were together and that was the important part.

I remember that it was close to Christmas and it was cold but we still went for walks and I met my first girlfriend Irie. We had a great time together chasing squirrels and ducks and I found out that my greatest joy was chasing lizards. I fearlessly hunted them every day and once I almost caught one. That was a great day! My Guy was also happy because he met some wonderful people who it turned out were a great help to him in the dark days to come.

We had a good Christmas and New Year then something changed. I didn’t know what it was but I felt a great sadness descend on the house. I tried my best to keep everyone happy and My Guy said I was the best present he ever had. I gave him a big lick for that one.

Life went along then suddenly things changed again. A big van with flashing lights turned up (they called it an ambulance) and they rolled Mom inside. I never saw her again. My Guy rushed off and I was left alone at the house. What was happening? Later on I heard a car arrive. It was My Guy. He was feeling very sad but he took me for a walk. I was really happy to have some company and be outside. It was cold and rainy but we didn’t care. I sniffed and played and when we got home I thought I would get the towel and we both would be off to sleep. It didn’t work that way. My Guy was off again and I still didn’t know what was happening. I was alone and I was scared.

It was still dark when My Guy came back. It must have been raining because there was a lot of water running down his cheeks. He came in and hugged me and I licked the water off his cheeks. It tasted salty and it didn’t stop even though he was out of the rain. While he was hugging me he told me that Mom had gone and wouldn’t be coming back. I didn’t understand what had happened but I stayed close to My Guy all day and gave him lots of kisses.