Sh-sh-sh-Shona

Today I had the pleasure of taking Miss Shona out for a long and relaxing afternoon walk. As soon as the shelter opened, I made my way for her kennel and knelt down to say 'hello'. Shona leaned into the door and wiggled with delight - 'Hurray! A walk!'

I placed a couple of soft, warm blankets in the back seat of my car and helped Shona climb in (her back legs have a mind of their own sometimes). The first thing I noticed while driving back to my apartment with her was that she wasn't trying to get in my lap....she wasn't jumping into the front seat or chewing the backseats or slobbering all over the window. Shona sat like a little lady in the backseat, right smack dab in the middle. She would occasionally sniff a little out the window, but the majority of her ride consisted of looking forward with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. So well-behaved!

When we arrived at my apartment, we picked up my boy friend, Derek, and headed out to lunch on College Ave. The walk to Crepevine from my apartment is a little less than a mile and a half and because of Shona's old age and hip injury, I wanted to take it slow. But Shona insisted on going at a brisk pace and I was more than happy to oblige her.

Along the way we were stopped by many pedestrians who wanted to "ooh" and "aaww" over her grace and beauty. Less well-behaved dogs barked and lunged at her and Miss Shona took no notice. Oblivious to any negative energy, Miss Shona is quite the happy dog. Merrily strolling along without a care in the world, Shona was disappointed when we arrived at our destination for lunch. However, she did perk up a little bit when a friendly waitress brought out a doggy treat and a big bowl of water for her. And she perked up even more when lots of little kids came over to pet her, scratch her behind the ears, and tell her how pretty she was. They offered her treats and she took them gratefully, but gently. During our lunch, Shona laid at my feet - never barking or stirring, content to be lying in the sun.

The walk back was more difficult for Shona, her legs were getting tired and she was ready to take a nice long nap. But with plenty of rest stops along the way back to my apartment, Shona finished the walk.

At one point during our lunch a man called to us from a few tables over.

"Is that dog really up for adoption?" He asked me as I bit into my yummy french toast. (Hey, it's Valentine's Day, I can eat french toast for lunch if I want!)

"Yes, she is," I told him. "She's from the Berkeley Shelter on 2nd St. And her name is Shona, would you like to meet her?" The man came over from his table and gently pat Shona on her back.

"I really like this dog," he said sincerely.

And who wouldn't? A sweet, friendly older lady who gets along with everyone and everything and doesn't have a care in the world and all she wants is to lay by your side for the rest of her life? She sounds marvelous! And believe me, ladies and gentlemen, she is.