Sheba the old dog
Sheba
was turned into Animal Control in Libby, Montana. Her family
said they'd had her since she was 5 weeks old. Now,
at 13 years of age, she was too much trouble.
Volunteers who monitor the shelter for animals most in danger of being euthanized spotted Sheba and pulled her out so she'd be safe. Then they called us.
At first Sheba was confused by her new environment. Quickly she gained confidence. Then she became, well, demanding.
She likes to give orders. As in, “hurry up with my dinner.” Or, “open the door for me.” And her favorite, “pay attention to me!”
Sheba communicates all these commands with a unique method. She sits up on her hind legs and paddles her front legs furiously, up and down together in unison. Frequently she'll bark as she paddles her legs, looking straight at us.
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Other times she'll just sit up and paddle without barking. We call this the “silent paddle.”
And when she's feeling lazy but still demanding, Sheba will lay on her side and paddle. We call this the “sidestroke paddle.”
You go, girl.
With her energy and zest, there are times when we wonder whether she really is 13. She bounds out of the dog cottage in the morning and runs around the yard, acting not like an old lady at all.
At night-time, when she's ready for bed, she'll sit outside the cottage door and … paddle. Pumping her front legs, barking like mad, she'll look at us, then at the door, and back at us, paddling away.
Okay, okay, we get the message!
