The Blue Streak of Puppiness
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.jpg "Puppy at the Pommerenkes")
I found the Blue Streak of Puppiness, aka, Puppy, at a gas station/mini mart on New Year's Day, 1997. She was lying in the oil and dirt in the parking lot, curling up next to one car then the other. I asked the people working at the counter if they had noticed how long she had been there. I was told she'd been there for at least 4 hours. Other people said "Oh, someone just forgot their puppy, they'll be back." I did not find that anything close to acceptable, especially considering the altitude, time of year and her condition. I put her in the car, took her home, then to the vet, and ran ads in the paper, and notified the local shelters. No one ever responded.
She is a blue merle Australian Shepherd, with long hair and beautiful markings. The vet said she is within 'breed standards.' I was afraid that she was too little to survive as a mountain dog, and afraid to let her go on runs with us. But the first time I let her off the lead, she took off like a 'Blue Streak.' She is little but with a long back she just flattens out in a run and wasn't far behind the greyhound! She has a beautiful temperament, soft mouth, and herds cats!
When I moved back to California in 2002, I had her temporarily stashed with some elderly friends, George and Judy, while I was looking for land. I wanted her back, but Judy had fallen in love with her. I reluctantly allowed her to adopt Puppy. Puppy had a run-in with cancer in one of her front legs, went in to surgery and even though it was said to be a particularly nasty and reoccurring cancer, Puppy proceeded to live a long and happy life with the rest of Judy's herd.