It's been a long time since I've written and a lot of things have happened since our last post! But, Today is EXTRA special because today is my Shepherd's third birthday! I have been waiting for this day since December 6, 2012, the day I was blessed with this giant dog....and here are the reasons why....
When I was a sophomore in college my parents' dog Reina had puppies. Yes, this puppy birth was planned and two of the cutest Corgi puppies were born and, at the time, I was convinced that I wanted to keep the girl puppy. However, I soon found out that, despite originally wanting a girl dog, I would end up with the boy of the litter! This adorably wonderful boy became mine because he was a shining beacon of light from day one! When this little boy was only a week old, eyes still not open, we found him in the kitchen hanging out by himself! He had gotten out of his whelping box and made it all the way to the kitchen by himself! And this was the start of this little boy's crazy journey of fun, shenanigans and laughter! From this one little incident until the puppies were 8 weeks old he continued to make me laugh, continued to do all these crazy things and he had a spirit about him that I've never seen before....and, because of this, I decided that this little boy would be mine and I would call him Magnus, to signify his bigger than life personality!
Magnus was hilarious, he kept me laughing constantly! He would jump off the back of couches onto our other dogs' backs, he would unwrap every single piece of gum and eat every piece if I left him in the car for 5 minutes, he would jump as far out from the edge of the bed when he was a tiny baby to try to get to me in the morning...often falling and tweaking a shoulder in the process! Magnus was full of life and vigor and I thought he was the strongest, most exciting and funny dog to hit the earth! But, that excitement was short lived because when Magnus was two and a half he was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma, a very aggressive form of lymphoma. Magnus was diagnosed on Monday with this cancer and he died on Thursday. I will never forget laying next to him at CSU Vet Hospital and wishing that God would just bring him back to life, I didn't want to say, "Goodbye"! Once he was gone I did a lot of reflection and I realized Magnus taught me one of the biggest lessons in life....his lesson to me is to live each day to it's fullest, to make each day a "WOW" day! Most dogs would have shown signs of being sick much sooner than Magnus, but because he lived the way he did, the signs showed much later. Because of his zest for life he gave me two and a half years of joy, laughter and fun and he saved me from spending too many days with sadness as he was battling this fatal disease. From the time I lost him until now I have tried my best to always remember his lesson, to remember to make each day a "WOW" day because I'm not sure how much more time I get here but I sure as heck will make each day as great as I possibly can, to try to fill each day with laughter, with fun, with compassion and happiness! Thanks Maggie...you were one of the best!!!
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| The cutest! |
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| The boy! |
When I was a 2L in law school I told my parents I wanted to get a German Shepherd. My mom and dad were hesitant as neither had ever had a Shepherd and both were very unsure about the breed. But, Christmas of my 2L year they decided to get me a Shepherd...and thus began my journey with my very favorite breed! When I got back to San Diego, CA, after Christmas, I drove out to a farm in Campo, CA, and picked out my puppy. But, once I picked her out, I had to wait for two weeks until I could pick her up...she was only 6 weeks when I met her for the first time! That was the longest two weeks of my life and the day I picked her up was one of the happiest, most exciting days for me thus far! This little girl was about to change my entire path and add things to my life that I didn't think were possible! I decided to name this little bundle of fur, Brear, which is Gaelic meaning fields of Heather.
Brear was my pride and joy from the day I got her. She was loyal to a fault, I remember her keeping about a 25 foot circle around me at all times at the dog beach to make sure no other dog got near me! She was so incredibly smart and learned to run right next to me without a leash and each morning she would get up, touch me with her nose and then run out and touch her leash asking to go for a run! She made every day exciting and fun for me and I loved her to a fault! She and I spent every single day together, we went everywhere together and we did everything together! She was not only my protector, my source of joy, my source of love, my source of laughter...but she was my very best friend! When I lost her I literally wanted to stop breathing...my heart physically hurt so much that I ached for it to quit beating! The hole she left in my heart and in my life the day she died I thought would never become whole again! Brear, you were my everything on earth and now you are my guardian angel....I miss you with every part of my being and I treasure the time I got with you! You are what started my love with the German Shepherds...thank you my big, sweet Shepherd, you were one of the best!!!
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| My gorgeous girl! |
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| The best! |
Tierney is BOLD, happy, youthful, vivacious, crazy, funny, joyful, full of life, goofy, loving, cuddly, and most of all the most beautiful soul I've witnessed in dog form! She embodies every good quality of Brear and every good quality of Magnus! She truly is the perfect combination of my two favorite dogs that came before her, she has the joyful, full of life, goofiness of Magnus and the loyal, loving, kindness of Brear! She has brought me laughter when there have been tears, abundance of joy when there has been fun, and love when there has been loneliness. She has taught me so many things...she has taught me to love and be open to be loved, she has taught me to remember those lost but be present every day, she has taught me to trust when trust was hard to come by, she has taught me how to trust being part of a family with her sister, Lana, her dad, Andrew, and her kittens, Niezsche and Machiavelli, but, most of all, she has taught me to go through life with optimism and not to fear the unknown. She is the epitome of beauty, brains, strength, and loyalty and I love her beyond words! It has been scary for me over the past couple of months knowing that her third birthday was coming up, knowing that every dog I have had has never made to three....and when I woke up this morning and there she was, up on the bed being crazy, it was another one of those moments that puts the trivial annoyances of life into perspective and with tears streaming down my face I wished my big, crazy, beautiful Shepherd a VERY happy third birthday!
 My baby girl! |
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| Beautiful! |
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| Shepherd Girl. |
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| The Best! |
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| Love! |
I was once read a quote from a friend that will always remain a truth for me -
"It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are."
Friends, if you get anything from this blog, PLEASE remember to love with all your heart, be joyful, be bold, go forward with optimism, and make EACH and EVERY day a "WOW" day!
CiAo -
ThE sHePhErD & ShAn
