Liz P Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 In 1994 I decided that I wanted a Border Collie. I had always wanted a medium to large dog that was smart and could be my partner in crime. My mother's aunt had owned a very special Border Collie named Duncan. I grew up hearing stories about the amazing dog who made her life whole. I decided that a Border Collie was the dog for me. Duncan and Flyboy, skijoring in 2000 I sent in a deposit on a pup from a litter of working bred Border Collies. They were born on Valentine's Day 1995. The breeder put the phone right in with the puppies so I could hear them crying. I will never forget how excited I was! Two months later I picked up my puppy at the airport. I had never met a Border Collie puppy, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. What I thought was a rather ugly little tri color emerged from the crate, looked up at me and decided I was his human for life. Duncan in lead, fall 2003 Duncan really was a funny looking pup. His head was too big for his body, his legs too long, he had funny brindle points instead of the clean black and white pattern I had imagined and he had one prick ear and one that looked like an airplane wing. He was not the perfect looking Border Collie I had imagined. Oh, but he was so loyal! I didn't care what he looked like because I KNEW that no harm would ever come to me when I was with him. He let me lean on him while I hobbled home after dislocating my knee. He guarded our house from a man who broke in while my sister was home alone. He led me back to safety when I got lost while hiking in the mountains of VT. He got in between me and a man at the park who later tried to kill someone in those very woods a few years later. He comforted me when I was sad and shared my joy. When I got rejected from Cornell undergrad he ate the letter. He came with me to college and often attended class with me. When I got my acceptance letters to vet school he was there at my side. When I graduated with honors from SUNY Binghamton I had a photo of him glued on the top of my cap. Hiking in the SUNY B Nature Preserve Duncan brought joy to other people's lives as well. He read people's emotions like a book, so I thought he would be a natural therapy dog. He made a child laugh and his mother cry. He convinced a woman with MS to save a bit of her dinner for him every week so she could reward him for doing tricks for her. He got a man who had not spoken to anyone in months to open up and talk with me. He made a man smile who had been unresponsive, and ignored by others, for a long time. Somehow he always knew what to do to make someone feel better. On July 27, 2006 I took Duncan in to have blood drawn to make sure his thyroid replacement hormone dose was adequate and to have a pre dental exam. The veterinarian found a heart murmur. I left him at the hospital so that the cardiologist could see him that day when he had a free moment. At 5 pm the cardiologist told me that Duncan had a massive tumor in his heart and mets in his lungs, liver and spleen and would be lucky to survive a few weeks. On August 6th, 2006 Duncan crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge while I held him in my arms. He took his last breath looking lovingly into my eyes, just the way he did when we had met 11 years earlier. I know my Duncan will always be watching over me; wherever I go and whatever I do my guardian angel is at my side. July 2006 Rest in peace my friend. You were one of a kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allie Oop Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Oh boy, your post made me weep. What a lovely boy Duncan was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anda Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Duncan was your special soul dog. I laughted reading When I got rejected from Cornell undergrad he ate the letter That's proof he understood you perfectly! Thanks for sharing his story and pictures with us! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smileyzookie Posted February 26, 2007 Report Share Posted February 26, 2007 Ok Im already having an emotional day, and that just made me cry so much. What a wonderful dog. Especially the part about him eating the rejection letter. Now THAT my friends is a loyal dog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G. Festerling Posted March 20, 2007 Report Share Posted March 20, 2007 Untill today I did not want to read any of the posts in this section. Every one of them made me cry. I certainly sounds like you also meant the world to him. What a loss and I am very sorry for you. But like you, I don't feel that they think their job of watching out for us is ever done! How fortunate are we to have been honored to have such wonderul souls in our lives! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz P Posted February 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 Happy Birthday to my Valentine's day boy. I miss you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleS. Posted February 14, 2010 Report Share Posted February 14, 2010 The 2000 skijoring picture is wonderful! How lucky the both of you were to be in each others' lives. Happy Birthday, Duncan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted February 15, 2010 Report Share Posted February 15, 2010 waranta putiya nayri nara taymi krakapaka waranta-tu manta waranta tunapri nara And their absence saddens us. But they will never be dead for us as long as we remember them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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