Shana: The Ugly Duckling Who Stole Our Hearts:
My daughter, Robyn, fell in love when she was nine
The First Meeting:
There she sat, the ugly duckling amongst the beautiful ones.
Her mom was a gorgeous poodle, and her siblings inherited her looks. Everyone who came to fetch a puppy ooh’ed and ahh’ed the moment they laid eyes on the fluffy, white-haired bundles.
Then they would see her: her skinny body, huge eyes and scraggly hair. Her hair seemed confused. It was as if it was undecided whether to be straight or curly, thick or thin, so she was “crowned” with patches of everything as only Mother Nature does.
The beautiful puppies were already eagerly adopted! They were hastily snatched away and taken to various homes, ready to begin their lives, while she remained with the last, adorably cute, woolly brother.
At the time, Robyn, who was nine years old, knelt beside the basket, and the cute, woolly one immediately wagged his tail- coming forward to smell her hand, boasting about his cuteness. She, the ugly duckling, remained behind, reticent to move forward. Robyn held her hand out to her, and she growled.
The growl spoke volumes.
The growl said, “Leave me alone! Do NOT pretend you will choose me over him!”
Robyn fell in love:
Laughingly delighted, Robyn picked her up and immediately named her Shana.
Shana became a loved part of our family. She had her favorites, though. She spent nights huddled under the blanket at my husband’s feet or in Robyn’s room.
Shana may not have had the gorgeous looks her siblings inherited, but she made up for it in personality.
I had never seen a dog smile before we had her. I would hear her pitter-patter down the passage and say, “Shana, get inside,” she would then smile, showing off her little teeth.
She would slip out of the yard and, remaining undetected, follow Robyn to the shops.
Shana was the guard dog who would fiercely yap (I can’t call it barking because it never sounded like it) and alert our other dogs to any “Stranger Danger.”
She was intelligent and learned new tricks, which she would proudly show off to us as she walked around the house.
We had three dogs and one cat, but they all feared her. She was the Lady of the Manor.
She spent years with the family, but as with anyone, as my children got older, so did she and her movements slowed down.
Shana’s Passing:
Robyn was in high school when the vet advised us to prepare for her passing. There was nothing wrong with her besides her age.
The day she passed, it was bright and sunny, but the mood in the house was sombre. The children went to school, and I wrapped Shana in a blanket and placed her in the basket. My husband seemed choked up as he said his final goodbye to Shana. He spoke softly, telling her it was okay to go and thanking her for the time with us.
It was early morning, and she weakly lifted her head from the pillow to faintly smile at him. Each family member, including my late Mother, came to say goodbye.
By mid-morning, flies had started circling her like greedy vultures in the desert waiting to swoop on a carcass. We swatted them away, but they kept returning. The Shana we knew would have fought them off, but she had no strength to lift her head.
Her eyes closed, and her breathing was shallow, yet she held on, clinging to the little life she had left.
By that afternoon, she had lapsed into a coma. My husband fetched the children from school. My son said goodbye and wished her well, and Robyn dropped to her knees alongside Shana’s basket, crying and talking to her.
The moment Shana heard her voice, her eyes weakly opened, and she smiled at her, then gently closed them and passed on.
Shana waited for hours, in pain, clinging to life so she could say goodbye to Robyn.
It has been years since her passing, but she remains lovingly remembered by all of us, especially my husband and Robyn.
