Four years ago my wife said, "Our kids are all grown up and gone from the nest. We should get a puppy." I was not very enthusiastic because I was busy with a career in Real Estate and knew how much work a dog can be. Undaunted, my wife said that she would do most of the care for the animal. I knew that she meant what she said. I began to soften.
One day our daughter called and got my wife on the phone. She said, "Mom, you have to see the picture of a little Australian Shepherd puppy on the BuySell.com website. This is what my wfe saw.....
Well, who could resist such a cute pet? It turns out that several people were after this little female ball of fur. My wife, being very skillful at making her point, managed to sway the breeder our way. Next thing I knew we were boarding a ferry early one morning, leaving Vancouver Island and heading for the mainland of British Columbia to pick up the pup. When we arrived at the breeder's, the puppy was all over us. Her official purebred name was Cloe.
I was given the honor of renaming her, and there was only one name for such a dog. I had always liked the name Tessa. It just seemed fitting for this dog.
We have found that she has a healthy respect for other dogs, sizing them up quickly, playing with them if they reciprocate in play, but leaving them alone if they are too aggressive with her. Tessa, being a herding dog, demonstrates, at times, her 'alpha' side and does a little playful 'herding'.
Tessa needs a lot of exercise, so she gets two walks on most days. Her favorite activity is going for runs at the beach or in the woods and running after things: sticks, balls, and on occasion, squirrels and jack rabbits when whe sees them in the woods. She's never caught one. They are too fast for her, and of course, they can go to places where she cannot. Above is a picture of her playing--stick in mouth--at her favorite place, the beach.
We have had several dogs in our lifetime, but Tessa is the champion of them all when it comes to being just a fun companion. They say that if you have a 50 acre farm and let an Australian Shepherd out on the farm, it will be only a few minutes before the dog will be at the back door wanting to come in and mix with the people. She certainly craves our company. And we crave hers! She's just a lot of fun. Oh, and by the way, you may have noticed, Aussies have no tails.
If you are looking for an attractive, active, highly intelligent canine companion, consider an Australian Shepherd.
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