Seeing this thread for the first time.
Bonnie, my black faced beauty, my smart, funny, opinionated, joyful girl, made it easy to love unconditionally. And when she gradually lost more and more backend function, as so many shepherds do, she did all she could with what she had left. Caring for her during those months was physically tiring, but never in any other way.
She was already in decline when, unexpectedly, my first sighthound, whippet Rickie, came to me. Her patience was a marvel - he bit her nose one night shortly after his arrival, and she didn't flinch. There are pictures from a few weeks later of him resting with his head on her legs. There was just something about her.
I believe she sent me Arlie, my big, beautiful greyhound girl. As different as they are outwardly, there is something about Arlie that evokes some of Bonnie's pet names, and surprisingly, I don't hesitate, it feels oddly right.