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MISTRAL COLLESS

2.3.99 - 19.2.13

WHEN WE FIRST SAW MISTRAL, IT WAS PICKING HER UP FROM A RESCUE COORDINATOR FROM CANBERRA WHO HAD PICKED HER UP FROM QUEANBEYAN COUNCIL WHERE SHE WAS ON ‘DEATH-ROW’ AND DUE TO BE PUT DOWN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE. SHE WAS ONLY NINE MONTHS OLD. WE NEVER LEARNED HOW SHE GOT THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

WE WERE PART OF ‘BORDER COLLIE RESCUE’ AT THAT STAGE AND HAD TRAVELLED FROM SYDNEY TO MARULAN TO FOSTER HER.

DURING THE TIME WE HAD HER, WE DISCOVERED SHE WAS A ‘YARD’ DOG. A SHORT-HAIRED BORDER COLLIE WHO WAS MORE KELPIE-SIZE. NIMBLE, AGILE AND QUICK, SHE WAS USED TO CLIMBING ON THE BACKS OF SHEEP TO MOVE THEM ALONG THE PENS WHEN IT WAS ‘DRENCHING’ TIME.

IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL AND AWE-INSPIRING SIGHT TO WATCH AS SHE ROUNDED UP A FLOCK OF 15 SHEEP THEN WENT INTO A ‘DROP’ TO KEEP THEM PENNED. I WAS STUNNED ALONG WITH THE GENTLEMAN FROM THE ‘WORKING DOG CLUB’ WHO GAVE HER THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW HER METTLE.

WE ENDED UP ADOPTING HER AND SHE WAS ‘DADDY’S GIRL’ FROM THE START.

SHE WOULDN’T HAVE A BAR OF ME FOR QUITE A WHILE. SO I DID THE ONLY SENSIBLE THING AND THAT WAS TO FEED AND WATER HER WITH OCCASIONAL PATS BUT NEVER MORE THAN THAT.

WITH HUBBY, IT WAS A DIFFERENT THING ALTOGETHER. SHE ABSOLUTELY ADORED HIM AND BEING SMALL AND NIMBLE (SHE WAS LIKE A ‘KID’), SHE WOULD CLIMB ON TOP OF THE SOFA BACK AND DRAPE HERSELF AROUND HIS NECK AND SHOULDERS.

SHE ALSO LOVED SPIRIT, ONE OF OUR OTHER TWO BORDER COLLIES. SHE IGNORED TRAKA ALTOGETHER. SPIRIT AT FIRST DIDN’T WANT TO KNOW HER BUT GRADUALLY WAS WON OVER AND THEY WOULD HAPPILY PLAY TUG OF WAR WITH THE SOFT FRISBEE TOY OR EYE OFF THE SOFT RED BALL WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO THROW OR KICK IT.

I KNEW THAT SHE FINALLY ACCEPTED ME WHEN SHE GAVE ME A ‘KISS’ LICK AND THERE WAS NO GOING BACK.

SHE LOVED PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY CHILDREN AND WOULD WHINE IN THE HOPE OF GETTING A CARESS. SHE LOVED WALKS AND CAR RIDES AND WOULD BARK AT COWS AND HORSES ALONG THE WAY. SHE WAS TERRIFIED WHEN WE USED THE HOSE BUT EVENTUALLY GREW TO ‘PLAY’ WITH US BY SKIPPING NIMBLY AWAY AND BARKING AT IT WHEN WE TRIED TO SPRAY HER ON VERY HOT DAYS.

SHE WAS OUR LITTLE ‘GIRLY GIRLY’ AND SHE KNEW IT. SHE WOULD DROP INTO A ‘CAST’ TO PLAY ROUND-UP WITH THE OTHER DOGS SINCE WE DIDN’T HAVE SHEEP. SHE WAS GREAT AT OBEDIENCE AND WAS A VERY INTELLIGENT DOG.

WHEN SHE DEVELOPED DIABETES AT AGE 12, SHE’D WAIT PATIENTLY WHILE I INJECTED HER, EVEN THOUGH SHE DISLIKED IT IMMENSELY. THIS HAD TO BE DONE TWICE A DAY AFTER FEEDING. IT WENT ON FOR 2 YEARS AND WHEN SHE DEVELOPED KIDNEY PROBLEMS DUE TO THE DIABETES, WE KNEW WE’D LOSE HER. IT WAS THE HARDEST DECISION TO MAKE TO RELEASE HER BUT THE RIGHT ONE AS HER QUALITY OF LIFE WAS NOT WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN. SHE WAS BRAVE TO THE LAST, BRAVER THAN US, AND LET US KNOW HERSELF WHEN SHE HAD HAD ENOUGH AND IT WAS TIME TO REST FOREVER. WE MISS HER AND WILL ALWAYS LOVE MISTRAL AND HER MEMORIES WILL STAY WITH US TILL WE ARE REUNITED WITH HER.

W & J COLLESS