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Rahab was the first of her clan to adopt a family with people in it. She came from a feral mother who had birthed a large litter in somebody's barn on Dec 23, 2005, Christmas-Eve eve. She moved-in with us at 5 weeks, 5 days of age -- so she never really knew her canine family, nor did we. Her mother appeared to be related to a German Shepherd, and her father must have been related to a Black Lab, and somewhere in the family tree there must have a bird dog and a hound dog and a kangaroo because Rahab was black with white markings, she could track a rabbit through mud, and she could jump over a fence without any effort, or thought. When asked what kind of dog she was, we would say that she was a GermanLabBirdHoundGaroo; but Rahab didn't care -- she was a Sheppard now. She was a terrible puppy, destructive and deaf to "NO"; but when she reached her second year -- and it seemed almost overnight -- she changed and became a loving, protective friend and a joy to be with. She had a favorite toy, a blue corn cob; and if you threw it, she would fetch it, bring it back to you and then play keep-away with it, until you could take it from her and throw it again. And she loved to ride in the back of her truck and speak to everybody -- every. body. She took special joy in riding in her truck to our local small rural airport at 7AM for her Morning Stretch, every day, rain or shine, hot or freezing, standard-time or saving-time. And she would run and run and chase the birds and the rabbits and the occasional deer... she loved it so... and she was so graceful and beautiful and fast when she ran... and OH! she had so much fun. She and I went to that airport every. single. day. And if for some reason I was out of town overnight, she expected to go as soon as I got back... and we would. And then she reached another stage. Her heredity caught up with her, and she began to lose the ability to get into her truck, and she developed stiffness that prevented her from enjoying runs, and her eyesight began to fail. She bravely soldiered on and remained dedicated to her family, but she could not escape Mother Nature and Father Time. She -- and we -- could see that she was at the foot of Rainbow Bridge, and on the last Friday of 2016, New-Years-Eve eve, she crossed. We loved her. She was my bestest and favoritest friend. ever. ...and she loved us right back.
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