ranch of Kemmerer, WY for their hay contribution.
I'd Like to Introduce you to Short Stop!
Short Stop is a corgi-heeler cross puppy that was given to us during our stop in Sterling, CO. We really hadn't planned on acquiring a dog on our trip across the country but she was a special gift. A lot of dog in a little body. She immediately won our hearts and those of everyone she came in contact with. Initially, she thought chasing after the spurs was just her thing but she soon switched to chasing after grasshoppers, bees, flyies, butterflies-pretty much anything that moved. As she got more familiar with the boys she liked to spend time with them. She particularly kept a very close eye on Jet-he was her teacher. She soon started sharing their hay and feed. She always seemed right at the top of her world when she was anywhere near them.
When the weather started getting warm, Short Stop was suffering from the heat just like everyone else but she soon found that by getting into her water pan she could cool off. It was somewhere in our trip through Missouri that we found that she had a liking for peanuts-the salted roasted kind in a shell-but we had to shell them for her. Then as the acorns started falling in Virginia, she would chew on them.
Short Stop never met a stranger and she was always ready to go when we started loading up the trailer. When the panels were hung and the horse(s) loaded she would be right there at the pickup door waiting to get in. She knew we were on the trail again. She had a love of exploring, she liked water, tall weeds, and the wide open spaces. She would go with us when we did the laundry and we watched her grow from not being able to get over a five inch pipe to being able to jump into the front of the pickup. She liked to test the waters, but she wasn't fond of deep water. When something got close to camp, be it human or animal, she would let us know. She worried when the horses were getting after each other and when it got dark, she was ready for bed. She would set on the step at the door and wait until you let her in, then she would go in and curl up in her bed until it was time to start the new day.
Our little girl is sorely missed, but she has a good resting place, she has her two favorite toys, a giraffe that an older couple from Charleston, WV gave her and a cow hoof that Phil had gotten her in Kentucky. She has my chair that she took over as her place in the mornings and she has the horses at Run Around Ranch to watch over and the bees and butterflies that visit the butterfly bush that was planted for her so she'll never run out of insects to chase. May everyone in this world be so lucky to have had a friend like our Short Stop.
Please take a minute and check out the short video.
My wish is that all people have the opportunity to become a friend to a pet as delightful as Short Stop was, meet other people who are as caring as the people that we met and have the opportunity to help others. God Bless all of you!
