Our Dot - I always thought of her as one of a kind

[beautifultruth]

This is our Dot. She was so smart and difficult. She passed away in December of 2018 but we still haven't recovered. She was such a presence in our family.

Some of her quirks:

*She herd us to bed every night! It was bedtime when Dot decided it was time. She'd bark at us and demand we go to bed.

*If you dared (DARED!) to fall asleep without giving her a blanket, she would pull yours off you while you slept. She had to have a blanket at night.

*She, in her old age (13), decided she wanted to start sleeping in a crate. After we brought in another dog (who was crate trained), Dot started sleeping in her crate. We had to buy Dot her own crate - She had no experience with a crate in her life!

*She wouldn't stay off the furniture. I ended up having to buy her her own couch (it was a dog-size couch). She loved that couch.

We miss her and I wanted to share her with this community. I recently discovered you all through another post on r/aww (I think). Now I get to see all these other Australian cattle dogs and it makes me so happy and also a little sad. We miss her.

*edited to add: I mean difficult in the most loving way possible. We found her quirks so charming and she made us laugh regularly.

 

[kingshellie]

@beautifultruth I lost my dog in December of 2019... it was numbing. I was so overcome with grief that (out of my nature) I located a Texas Heeler at a shelter and brought her home. I named her Petra... she will never replace my beautiful Pearl but it was a serious distraction from unavoidable grief. Note: I just located a herding class in San Diego and will bring her to school this coming Saturday. Looks like new adventures await me and my husband

 

[beautifultruth]

@kingshellie hi, I know this conversation is quite old but we've recently been discussing adopting again. I went to a blue heeler rescue and just looking at the pictures made me cry all over again. I'm not sure if rescuing another heeler would be helpful or not.

How did you know it would help you to go with another heeler?

 

[kingshellie]

@beautifultruth There was only one criteria... it wouldn't work if it looked like the dog I lost. So... I ended up with a predominantly white-red Texas heeler. She looks and acts entirely different from my best girl Pearl. Note: when I was looking at new pups, it made me cry when I saw any that looked like Pearl.

 

[chithanh295]

@beautifultruth My heart goes out to you.....I've had a lot of dogs and pets in my lifetime, but none like my ACD. They are one of a kind, for sure .. .my boy herds us to bed also. Usually quite early. And I don't argue

 

[beautifultruth]

@chithanh295 My mother has been looking for a dog. She wants a companion but has had trouble finding one to fit her. Finally, after a long conversation one night, she finally came to the realization Dot had spoiled her (mind you, my mother has never lived with Dot). My mother is fiercely independent and wants a dog to be the same with her. She wants a dog to co-exist not co-depend. She wants a Dot. We joked Dot was our cat and Maisey was our dog. Dot very much had more cat-like tenancies. She loved us, clearly and very much, but she knew what she wanted and how.

Thank you for "listening" to me talk about her. She's been on my mind quite a bit lately.

 

[lizdirect]

@beautifultruth I’m so sorry for your loss! She was a beauty. There’s something a about cattle dogs.

 

[mathetes66]

@beautifultruth She sounds so cute and self-possessed and unique. I think you were both lucky to have each other. It's so sad to think of losing them, I think its sweet that you miss her and wanted to tell us about her. RIP to your sweet girl.