For those of you who keep in touch regularly, you know that we have a wonderful dog named Landry. Landry is of somewhat unknown lineage. She came from a "breeder" and is definitely out of an Australian Shepherd, however we have reason to suspect that she is not 100% Aussie, but rather a 50/50 of Aussie and Border Collie. Regardless, we love her none the less. As often times dogs do, Landry has left an indelible mark on our lives and our hearts.
Her arrival in April of 2003, marked the beginning of our family. Dave was a little uncertain about having a pet of any kind. He already knew that I was sincerely interested in horses, however I don't think he realized what a package deal I was. But I am how I am. I nearly went to vet school, so animals were absolutely going to be a part of my life. At the time, we were living on the west side of Indianapolis. We spent a good deal of time with our dear friends, Jay and Lesia, who were very much into dogs, specifically Australian Shepherds. We frequently visited their country home and I was enamored with there two dogs. I never hesitated to get down on their level, looking directly into their deep eyes. Both dogs quickly learned that I was a sucker for a game of frisbee and would almost imediately show up with a frisbee for me to toss. They were also fiercely loyal to their people and I was amazed that no fences or leashes were needed for these two beautiful Aussies who simply just wanted to be with their humans. Oh yeah...and chase and retrieve the frisbee for hours at a time.
Let me set the stage for a moment here because I think its important to clarify that the dog I remember spending the most time with as a child was Lucy, a registered Basset Hound. Lucy was about 3 feet long and not more than 3 inches off the ground. She had an ear span of nearly 18 inches, which meant her ears dragged ground where ever she went -- and smelled like it. And go she did. While she didn't have a mean bone in her body, she didn't have a loyal one either. Our fenced in back yard kept her contained for the most part ... until the fence gait was left open. Thirty seconds of the gait being open and Lucy was outta there. She could be found regularly wandering the neighborhood in search of her next meal, which invariably came from a trash can. It was as though she were a dog possessed. She was, after all, a hound -- a scent dog, and she simply couldn't resist the urge to follow the trail, where ever it led. And so, while Lucy was a kind dog, she was a bit aloof and not the sort of dog that was a kid's best friend.
And so, in early March of that year, when Lesia called to tell us that they would be fostering 2 or 3 Aussie puppies until they found homes, my mind immediately started to scheme as to how I could obtain one of these dogs. Dave, on the other hand, was not so sure that he wanted a dog. He had not grown up with one, so wasn't all that thrilled or entirely sure what to expect. Lesia and Jay ended up fostering two puppies and to make matters worse for Dave, they emailed me photos of the puppies when they arrived. They had to be the cutest things I had ever seen. Tri-color fur balls not much bigger than the length of your fore arm. Of the two images, one just struck me and I knew that this pup -- the trouble maker, as Lesia called her -- had to be mine.
I went out to visit the pups on a fairly regular basis and enjoyed seeing the two sisters play with each other. I even came up with the name Landry and began to call the larger of the two pups - the one whose picture caught my eye - by this name. All the while, Dave was still unsure of the whole puppy thing. Towards the end of March, we took a ski trip to Colorado to celebrate Dave's 30th birthday. I had brought pictures and information on Australian Shepherds along on the trip, reading everything I could find about the breed. I even went so far as to tell our friends and travel companions that we would be getting the dog when we got home. Dave sort of rolled his eyes and nodded his head in pseudo-agreement at the thought of getting a dog, but I wouldn't relent. However, it wasn't until we returned home from the ski trip that Dave realized how serious I was. Because it was then that he received a piece of mail addressed to him with Landry's dog tag in it. It was then that he asked "Who is Landry?" To which I casually replied, "Oh yeah, Landry is the puppy that we're getting from Jay and Lesia. Didn't I tell you?" And so it was later that week that we picked her up and so started our life with Landry.
Her arrival in April of 2003, marked the beginning of our family. Dave was a little uncertain about having a pet of any kind. He already knew that I was sincerely interested in horses, however I don't think he realized what a package deal I was. But I am how I am. I nearly went to vet school, so animals were absolutely going to be a part of my life. At the time, we were living on the west side of Indianapolis. We spent a good deal of time with our dear friends, Jay and Lesia, who were very much into dogs, specifically Australian Shepherds. We frequently visited their country home and I was enamored with there two dogs. I never hesitated to get down on their level, looking directly into their deep eyes. Both dogs quickly learned that I was a sucker for a game of frisbee and would almost imediately show up with a frisbee for me to toss. They were also fiercely loyal to their people and I was amazed that no fences or leashes were needed for these two beautiful Aussies who simply just wanted to be with their humans. Oh yeah...and chase and retrieve the frisbee for hours at a time.
Let me set the stage for a moment here because I think its important to clarify that the dog I remember spending the most time with as a child was Lucy, a registered Basset Hound. Lucy was about 3 feet long and not more than 3 inches off the ground. She had an ear span of nearly 18 inches, which meant her ears dragged ground where ever she went -- and smelled like it. And go she did. While she didn't have a mean bone in her body, she didn't have a loyal one either. Our fenced in back yard kept her contained for the most part ... until the fence gait was left open. Thirty seconds of the gait being open and Lucy was outta there. She could be found regularly wandering the neighborhood in search of her next meal, which invariably came from a trash can. It was as though she were a dog possessed. She was, after all, a hound -- a scent dog, and she simply couldn't resist the urge to follow the trail, where ever it led. And so, while Lucy was a kind dog, she was a bit aloof and not the sort of dog that was a kid's best friend.
And so, in early March of that year, when Lesia called to tell us that they would be fostering 2 or 3 Aussie puppies until they found homes, my mind immediately started to scheme as to how I could obtain one of these dogs. Dave, on the other hand, was not so sure that he wanted a dog. He had not grown up with one, so wasn't all that thrilled or entirely sure what to expect. Lesia and Jay ended up fostering two puppies and to make matters worse for Dave, they emailed me photos of the puppies when they arrived. They had to be the cutest things I had ever seen. Tri-color fur balls not much bigger than the length of your fore arm. Of the two images, one just struck me and I knew that this pup -- the trouble maker, as Lesia called her -- had to be mine.
I went out to visit the pups on a fairly regular basis and enjoyed seeing the two sisters play with each other. I even came up with the name Landry and began to call the larger of the two pups - the one whose picture caught my eye - by this name. All the while, Dave was still unsure of the whole puppy thing. Towards the end of March, we took a ski trip to Colorado to celebrate Dave's 30th birthday. I had brought pictures and information on Australian Shepherds along on the trip, reading everything I could find about the breed. I even went so far as to tell our friends and travel companions that we would be getting the dog when we got home. Dave sort of rolled his eyes and nodded his head in pseudo-agreement at the thought of getting a dog, but I wouldn't relent. However, it wasn't until we returned home from the ski trip that Dave realized how serious I was. Because it was then that he received a piece of mail addressed to him with Landry's dog tag in it. It was then that he asked "Who is Landry?" To which I casually replied, "Oh yeah, Landry is the puppy that we're getting from Jay and Lesia. Didn't I tell you?" And so it was later that week that we picked her up and so started our life with Landry.
The picture that started it all.
Landry at 5 years old.
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