Sassy Sue Does the Superbowl

Sassy Sue would make an ideal mascot for the Green Bay Packers. Her owners should get season tickets for sharing her.

Just before the bad weather we were enjoying 60 degree days at the dog park. One day featured about 15 dogs and their owners, a mix of people who knew Sassy and strangers. I enjoy hearing the gasps as Sassy catches the ball running away from me, brings it back, and drops it in my hand. She enjoys having an audience and does especially well when everyone comments.

No one can figure how she snags a ball out of the air when she is running away from me. Part of it is guessing from my arm movement, but she can catch about 90% of the tosses. The throws pass over her back as she runs, and she reaches them just in time.

Lately she has been supervising my show-shoveling. I had four days in a row of shoveling, quite rare here. Yesterday it got so tedious for her that she stopped hunting for animals in the snow and sat down to watch from the garage.

She shared kettle corn with us on the bed, along with Precious and Treasure. She stayed for the game and the Shelties took naps.

Sassy is now in charge of watching out of one window. She listens for anything on the circle and raises various levels of alarms, from guttural growls to "They've come to kill us all!" She is especially loud for UPS trucks, because they are clearly trying to break in the front door when they ring the bell. That gets the Shelties barking, their eyes popping with urgency.

Merry Christmas from the Rescue Pets: Sassy, Precious, and Treasure

Sassy is unusually solemn for once.
Normally she is grinning her assumptive close - "You are taking me to the Bark Park soon?"

Precious found Sassy's large bone and helped herself to the rest, an early Christmas gift for herself.

Treasure has cornered the cute market by hopping on the bed and raising her front paw to say, "You may pet me now."

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Sassy's foster mother wrote:

"I love you guys. I smile every time I come to your blog. Thank you for being such wonderful people!"

Treasure the Rescue Sheltie

Photo by Norma Boeckler

We adopted Treasure and Precious from the Sheltie Rescue group in Phoenix. We only wanted one dog, but both Shelties were together since being taken from a backyard breeder in Tucson. No one knew for sure, but they thought the two were mother and daughter.

Both were extremely shy and remain jittery. They do not like being out in the public. Their foster mother said, "They are bed dogs."

Treasure has a cute, funny personality, so we are glad we gave her a new life when no one wanted either dog. More than one family called them "incorrigible," probably for their off-and-on housebroken status.

Treasure has several tricks that animate her unique qualities. Early on I urged her on the bed by commanding her. "Get on that bed, right now." She always broke into a big Sheltie grin when she jumped up, so I wondered if she would learn a new one.

Chris taught her to do "paw-paw" when she wanted to be petted. If we say "Paw-paw," she sticks a paw out for petting. She learned quickly and began using that to make us laugh. Sometimes she raises a paw in a stiff military salute. At other times she sweeps it in the air, using one front leg or the other. Another trick is to move one paw just a millimeter, to ask for more attention. She grins with each gesture, so we laugh with her a lot.

Shelties often win agility trials. Treasure showed off that trait when she learned to jump on the bed while Chris was making jewelry. Treasure was able to jump up and walk among the bead containers without disturbing anything.

Treasure follows Chris everywhere in the house, night and day. Treasure is tiny but has an abundance of beautiful black hair, perhaps more than most Shelties. She shimmers as that coat bounces up and down, following Chris around the house.

Sassy is the big dog and likes to be in charge. Treasure does not want Sassy touching her, although Sassy likes to throw her rear leg over us or the Shelties to keep track of her flock. Treasure responds to this by curling her upper lip and showing red gums and white teeth. She can huff but not bark. Sassy acts dumb about all this. She simply gets up and adjusts her position, making sure no other dog is left on the bed when she settles down again.

However, when Treasure jumps on the bed and Sassy is already comfortable and in position, Treasure walks across her fur-sister with a big smile on her face. Sassy's lightest touch is a canine felony, but Treasure can step on Sassy while grinning. That is entertaining to watch.

Treasure loves eggs and grilled chicken. Our friend's Uncle Roy asked, "He scrambles eggs...for the dogs?" Yes, and I also grill chicken for us and the dogs.

They have studied my habits carefully. The dogs know the first step in grilling and immediately begin to supervise, stopping by on the deck to make sure I am getting the fire going. When the aromas begin, their attention goes up several more notches. During that first food break, their eyes are wide with anticipation.

As Luther said, dogs always expect the best from their owners (so we should expect the best from God). An owner can say "No" to a dog a dozen times in a row and that dog never stops assuming that a "Yes" is coming soon. They wait with puppy smiles. They love our glass table, because they can look up through the glass at us while we eat, their starving orphan dog look or loving puppy look aimed at our tender conscience.

Sassy's First Day with the Incorrigibles - Precious and Tresure, Rescue Shelties

Precious is probably Treasure's mother. They are best buddies.

Treasure has perfected the cuteness routine.

We missed Old Precious, a Shetland Sheepdog we bought as a puppy. She died suddenly and left a hole in our lives, even though we had Sackett, a wonderful Australian Cattle Dog.

Precious and Treasure

We looked into buying a new puppy when someone said, "Try a rescue dog instead." We did not realize every breed had a rescue society in Phoenix. We checked out the Sheltie group (Mid Arizona Shetland Sheepdog Club Rescue) and found out about Precious and Treasure.

No one wanted them. The foster caregiver had tried them out in various homes. They were branded "incorrible." They had been taken away from a backyard breeder in Prescott, stuck with the improbably names of Fergie and Pinty.

When they came over to visit, we held them right away and put them on the bed. We already heard they were bed dogs. They were still thin and terribly shy.

We renamed them Precious and Treasure. Precious had the sparkle and tricks (like stealing a bone from Sacky). Treasure had the cuteness, which included tucking herself under Chris' arm while she was beading.

Little by little the Incorrigibles calmed down and learned their canine lessons. Soon we found out they played tag every night at midnight, zooming in and out of the doggie door, snapping in the air at each other and grinning.

They did well with Sassy on the first visit, but they were a bit intimidated by her loud bark and larger size. They had their barkers removed by the breeder, so they only huffed.

Sassy and the Incorrigibles

Sassy's first 24 hours were great for everyone. She wanted to befriend Precious, who had been top dog. Precious was anxious at first, but we got a dog puddle going by the end of the first day, January 2nd. All three dogs were on the bed watching TrueTV with us. Every dog was being petted.

Precious and Treasure get extra attention by lining up for lovies. Treasure lifts her front paw for more petting. As soon as the attention stops, she lifts it again. Sometimes she just nudges it forward. Precious lines up against a leg and has her face stroked repeatedly. If the stroking stops, she pulls forward for more. Since I work at home, she stops at the desk for face stroking and compliments.

They call Shelties love-sponges, but Sassy makes them look like icebergs. She murmurs, whistles (Dingo dog-like), licks, hugs, chews lightly. For those unfamiliar with herding dogs, the nibbling is a greeting and a way to get attention. My elderly aunt said, "Precious is biting me!" when Precious was saying hello with her teeth around my aunt's hand. Sassy has a big German Shepherd head and a formidible mouth, but she has a gentle mouthing touch.

Sometimes we see a petite German Shepherd posing, attentive, with huge ears listening for every noise, a vague Bentley (Cattle Dog mark) on her head. Other times we see a big Cattle Dog, agile, active, ready to chase a ball. Sassy is a perfect combination. Chris likes having a guard dog with a voice.

I thought Chris went out to the garage because I heard the security system say, "Garage door open." I heard Sassy barking in the front. I went out and saw Sassy baying at a father who decided to try out skates - across the street. Sassy thought it was a danger and began her baying.

Some other threats warned by Sassy were:

1. The steamer. She did not like it at all, but satisfied herself with growling at it.
   
2. The overhead fan. I turned that off, and she barked it up and down until the blades stopped. Then she barked some more until I comforted her and told her to cool it.
   
3. Outside noises. She lets loose and comes in, threat vanquished.

Old Precious was so smart that she took me outside and pointed (never taught that skill) until I saw the line from her head and tail. She aimed at smoke from a fireplace lit for the cool night in Phoenix. She held that pose until I told her it was alright. She looked at me again to be sure.

No Office Chair Left Vacant

We fixed a bed for Sassy and put her blanket on it. She picked my office chair instead. Sassy put her head on the armrest and looked at me watching TV. She is happy to jump into the chair when I am working, too. She is one big lovable lapdog. I can do some computer work with the mouse alone, so we talk and hug while I do some editing or check out news sites.