Sad Sad Day

In front of our Seattle home, Doggies love the snow!

Shane...Jewish Dogs can wear red once in a while, ya?

Camping; Vicky & Sue's; Port Angeles, WA. Feb 07

Sunning herself on our front porch in Seattle. Lots of people going by, cool things to check out.

The last camping trip New Year's 09.

Back in the fall of 1997 I was visiting a friend in Winlock, Washington. We were sitting on her sofa drinking our morning coffee when I heard a dog cry a terrible cry. I went out to the porch to see this cute little puppy looking like she had been hit by a car. She had the sweetest look on her face as if to say help me I so need love. I picked up up, brought her into the house, I saw she had tags on that read Shasta and had a phone number. I tried that number all day, no one answered. I walked her around town (very small town) to see if anyone knew her, no one did. My friend owned a local bar there in Winlock surely someone would know this dog. My friend's niece a girl of about 10 finally said "Oh yes I know the family that owns that dog and they are mean people." Out of the mouths of babes. Late that evening the phone rang, the person on the other line said "You have that damn dog?" Well, in my usual fashion I had a few cocktails in me and replied "I don't know what you are talking about"

First thing the next morning I grabbed up "Shasta" who would not let me leave her side all night, and hit the road back home to Seattle. She was such a good girl in the car, we stopped at rest stops for her to do her thing. I didn't even have a leash for her but she was an angel.

I had been going threw a rough patch in my life to say the least. My father had died in an accident at age 55 that May. I had recently left the devil encarnet I had been living with, taken Rex (Shiba Inu) and moved in with my mom until the lease was up with the idiot who was renting my condo from me. The last thing I needed was another dog. I don't think I was even working then, being as my emotional and physical state was very shaky after months of abuse.

I called my mom, told her I was coming home and bringing someone with me. I was worried that Rex would not take to the new dog as he was quite the dick back then. And mom dealing with more of my antics was a concern as well.

I got back home, let "Shasta" and Rex meet, began the process of finding a new name for my baby girl. Shasta was just not going to work for me. I wanted something that would be similar as not to confuse her too much. Not sure how I came up with Shane but after bouncing some names around it just stuck. I was thinking of the movie Shane, an old western, at the end of the movie a little boy tells the main character "Shane come back Mom loves you too" It just fit.

I never knew exactly what breed Shane was but as a puppy she sure looked Rottweiler! What a love, Shane gave the best kisses of any dog I've ever known. I immediately took her to the vet to have her checked out, little did I know that would be the first of so many. She was in bad shape but with love she would recover her initial wounds. I was to find out within her 1st year with me that she was allergic to all types of grass, oy-vey, years of dealing with Shane's allergies was a chore. She is a stubborn girl and hated meds of any kind!

Rex, Shane & I moved out of mom's and back into my condo. My downstairs neighbor was not thrilled to have a rottweiler living above him but we managed, the condo was right on a river walk so lots of exercise was in order to me and my two pups. Rex & Shane dragged me when we walked, at the time I weighed a whopping 110 pounds if that! People always said to me "Who is walking who" I would hear that for years to come!

We didn't stay in the condo long, I bought a nice ranch house in Woodinville to be closer to my mom who at this time had come down with breast cancer. Life was sure testing me and my family. In true Julianne fashion I made my new house cozy, fenced the yard and got to work on many projects to make the house my own. Not too long after that I was at the driving range, hitting golf balls with an on again off again boyfriend when we saw a sign that read "Great Dane Puppies" Oh no, you know where this is going. I found Hannah there, she had already been named by the breeder who wanted to keep her but her husband did not. A week later we had a new addition to the family and that is how it remainded until last Thursday.

My mom passed October 2001, the cancer had spread throughout her body, she was 59.

I took my family of pooches and moved to Port Angeles, Washington where I built a beautiful (huge) cedar home right on the bluff over looking The Straight Of Juan de Fuca across to Victoria, Canada. I didn't know a soul, had just broken up with yet another boyfriend, my last musician! I immediately got a job at a little bar I had heard about when buying the light fixtures for my new home. I stayed at that bar tending job until I moved 3 years later. I made a few amazing friends in PA that I adore to this day. But small town wasn't my scence and I needed to move back to Seattle, Ballard to be exact. It was the place I had lived the longest as an adult and I missed its quirkiness with a passion. I found my house on Sunset Hill on Halloween, packed up the PA house and left with a WOOHOO!

Our new house had a large fenced in yard, huge by Seattle standards. I added a waterfall to the backyard and we were home for the next 3 years. The dogs loved being back in Seattle, we had the best neighborhood for walking and soon we were known all over. Shane even went to the local wine bar with me and sat under my bar stool from time to time (we could walk there). Every morning we did a two mile walk around the places I had grown up, Hiram Locks, Shilshole Bay and downtown Ballard. We were happy until the weather got to me, all that walking in the rain got depressing.

In March 2007 I packed up once again and moved my family to Surprise, Arizona where we are today. Once again I didn't know a soul but nearly two years later I have an amazing group of friends. I believe this is where I am meant to be at this piont in my life.

The loss of Shane after so many adventures is huge. She is missed every time I go to the cookie jar! I still grab 3 not 2 but its only been a few days.

I know Shane is waiting for us to join her, I told her we would see her again soon, until then she has a lot of my family with her.