Cowgirl Commentaries: GYPSY, THE STORY OF A DOG

I never thought I would be one of those "Dog people." The type of person that talks to their dog and truly believes she understands what you are saying. The type of person to let the dog sleep on the couch or bed, to generally treat the dog like one of their children. Well, I became that person. Don't judge me. Seriously, I quit caring.

Gypsy, is a miniature Australian Shepherd. She also goes by G-dog or a host of other ridiculous pet names that I have concocted. Her hobbies include sleeping, laying on the couch, chasing rabbits, and following Matt or I around. Now, her breeding would indicate that her talents lie in the cattle-herding area. This is not the case. No matter how much we wish she did herd cattle, she has no interest in this field. This could partially be due to our poor dog-training skills, or her general lack of interest in anything other than lounging. Nonetheless, she is the most faithful canine companion either Matt or I have had. She is also the most polite dog that I have encountered.

The story of how she came to live with us is actually very cute. Several years ago, we had different dog named Barbie that was killed when one of the feed pickups ran over her. Now that part of the story is not cute, it was actually quite sad. Our sadness over the loss of Barbie was noticed by our neighbor's young son. His grandmother raised Australian Shepherd pups that she was quite proud of. He convinced his grandma that he wanted a pup. She finally parted with one as a gift to him. Much to everyone's dismay, he then, headed straight to our house and gave the pup to us with all the sweetness that only an eight-year-old possesses.

We named her Gypsy. What a cute puppy! I can only imagine why we took this picture, but obviously it didn't make the Christmas card cut.

The winter we got her was particularly bitter cold, so she stayed in the house much of the time. It was then that she quickly found her new favorite hobby...lounging on the couch. Thus a pattern was set for the rest of her life. Occasionally, she does get off the couch.

Sometimes she will Foxtrot with me. Surprisingly, for as much as she is sedentary, she is an extremely athletic dog. She has a shockingly high vertical jump that she does when she gets excited.

She unabashedly likes to ride horseback too. No matter how much ridicule she receives from the other dogs. She doesn't care.

This picture is testament to her zeal for cattle in general. While all the other dogs are behind the herd, nipping at the lollygaggers' heels, Gypsy is tracking behind a horse with her tongue out, waiting for a rabbit to jump up.