|
 |
 |
| Name: |
Atira
|
Age: |
Eight years old
|
| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
German Shepherd, Border Collie
|
| Home: |
Indiana, USA |
I
adopted Atira when she was just six weeks old. There is a no-kill animal
shelter about a block from my house, and one day as I was walking by I
noticed a cage outside full of puppies. They were all so cute and
energetic, all but one. There was a small puppy in the back sleeping. She
was about half the size of all her brothers and sisters and very
lethargic. I decided to go in and asked the lady at the desk what was
wrong with the puppy outside. She told me that she had heart worms and
they could not afford to treat her unless someone adopted her. Obviously
the next thing out of my mouth was "How much?"
I have to admit that almost eight years later it was the best $25 I have
ever spent. I walked out holding a palm sized fluff ball and took her back
daily over the next two weeks for her treatments. Aside from some minor
scrapes and a twisted paw, Atira has been healthy ever since!
Atira, or Ati, is the most gentle and caring dog I have ever met. She has
a way about her that lets you know she is concerned. For most of Ati's
life she lived in a downtown area. She was content to be tied up outside
of a bank or coffee shop with me and helped me run all of my errands. One
day when we were about to go out she took off running down the street. She
only ran about one block and when I caught up with her I noticed she had
her front feet up on a man's lap who was in a suit outside on a bench.
This man happened to be crying outside of a funeral home. I bent down and
Ati walked up to me slowly. The man said "Thank you, I really needed
that." Her concern is also present when babies cry and when people jump
into water she goes in to find them. To this day she is known all through
downtown. We get dog bones at the bank, water at the bakery, and cheese
(her favorite) at the coffee shop.
Atira's favorite thing in the whole world is her frisbee. She is such an
amazing frisbee dog. She will play until she can't. As she ages there are
less and less throws between breaks, but she still catches most of them
and gets youthfully excited when I ask her to go get her frisbee. Since
Ati is aging and tired more quickly, I decided to give her another way to
feel important and like she is working. We go to a nursing home and visit
once a month. She loves it! It is the sweetest thing when she walks up to
someone and licks their hand then sits by their feet. It is like she knows
that is what she is supposed to do.
I don't know if you can say a dog has an old soul, but whatever it is
Atira is very special. She has a gentleness and a way about her that is
more than you could think a dog could have. Her whole life I have been
able to talk to her like a person and she understands what she needs to
do. Atira has other animal house mates that are her best friends and her
concern is extended to them as well. Her best friend is my English Shepherd, Jaya.
I hope Ati lives many more years so she can touch the hearts of many more people.
See more images of Atira!
|
|
|
|
|
