Okay, is this where you hear about the sad part? No, because Shadow’s story isn’t sad. Her story is about resilience, the strong heart, love and will of an ESS. Did you notice the little picture above of Shadow at the 2009 ESS Nationals looking at the finger telling her where to go next? This was when her vision was severely compromised, just before the specialist said her retinas were dying. Now, let me tell you about that specialist – she was really good looking, wore a dress, and had on spiked heels. Does this sound like any Veterinarian you’ve ever seen? Not me either.
Over the last year or so, Shadow has demonstrated, at times, confusion, uncertainty, and maybe even a little depression. But most of the time she is her usual cheerful, the glass-is-almost-full self. She continues to be outside with Kinsey on our 5 acres during the day. She greets me when I come home by woo, woo, wooing and springing with joy – hence the name Springer. She loves to hang with me and of course to be rubbed and fussed over.
We started tracking together so Shadow could learn to rely upon her nose more. It is also a great activity for us to do together. She loves to get in the car and go places with me. There is nothing better than tramping around in fields in all kinds of weather with my best friend. My goal is to go for a TD (Tracking Dog –AKC title) title. We track most Fridays with our friend M and her beagle. The beagle is what I call a Master Tracker because he is so good at tracking. So that’s Shadow’s story so far
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