My Three Sons: A Once in a Lifetime Dog

Blacktop Shirley vonGirley Pearly Rosen
September 23, 1994 - April 8, 2010.

Always loved, forever missed.

Blacktop Shirley vonGirley Pearly Rosen was a once in a lifetime dog. She spoke when we told her too, she knew how to problem solve and find things when asked, she talked to us when we woke up in the morning and when we came home from being away during the day.

We got Shirley (as I liked to call her) when she was just a tiny puppy. She came from the pound. We saw Border Collies at a sheep herding event while on vacation. From then on I knew I wanted a Border Collie. (Little did I know what that meant!) I dreamed about her. In my dreams she spoke to me. She told her her name was Blacktop. I told Allen about my dream. We started talking about Blacktop as if she was already a member of our family. When they day finally came to go look at the pound, it only took one trip, there she was. She was in a pen with about six other puppies that were all Chows. I didn't want a Chow, I wanted a Border Collie. Allen spotted her. He said, "Look there's one that's different." And that was that. She was ours. She weighed about 3 pounds and fit in the crook of my elbow. It was love at first sight.

We brought her home. She was so little and so smart. She was house trained immediately and so full of life. She played and played and grew and grew. After we got her we bought our first house and moved her in. She was very happy.

In her younger days, when Allen and I both worked full time, she loved nothing more then going to the church parking lot and running at top speed between Allen & I with the biggest smile on her face. She proudly walked with her tail held up high and had a spring in her step on every single one of the 5,000 + miles of walking she took in her 15 1/2 years of life. She loved to walk. She was so smart, she knew when we were going on a walk based on what we were wearing! When she was younger she would find a pine cone and carry it with her on every walk we went on. Her biggest joy was running up and down the hills thru the ivy and looking back to see if we were watching.

She despised the pool but *LOVED* the duck pond. She would swim after any duck in the pond if she got the chance!

She lived to steal food off our plates. No matter what we tried including rat traps and Tabasco sandwiches it did not matter ... she would go in for the steal given the chance. She would much rather grab human food then her boring kibble. She loved most vegetables especially iceberg lettuce. She hated romaine lettuce. A girl after my own heart! She was always so great about cleaning up the mess on the floor when the kids were small. I never had to worry about crumbs being left under the highchair!

She loved to go on car rides. One time when we were going to the beach Allen decided to take a shortcut to the beach on a windy, windy road. It was terrible. She got car sick and so did I. That didn't stop the smile on her face though; as long as the wind was in her face and she was going somewhere she was happy. She loved to go to the dog park too. Funniest thing about the dog park - I really think she didn't think she was a dog. She never interacted with the other dogs, she would walk the perimeter of the park and try to drink out of the human water fountain and then would be ready to go. She was not a dog. She was definitely something more then a dog.

She knew the way to Gramma & Papa's house. As soon as we got off the freeway on the road to their house she would start going nuts. She would jump around in the car and howl and couldn't wait to get out of the car. She would run right in and find Papa and give him all sorts of kisses all over. She loved to see Papa. When Papa died she knew something had happened. She was very sad. She looked all over for him and then took refuge in Papa's chair. She was not happy knowing that he was not around. The biggest joy in knowing that Blacktop is no longer living is knowing that Papa and Blacktop are together. I am sure Papa was there waiting for her wondering what she has been up to for the last five years.

Once our boys arrived she seemed to mellow out and turn into an amazing member of our family. Josh adored Blacktop from the very beginning. She always watched out for Joshua and was ever so gentle with him. She loved Ben and Daniel too but there was something special between Josh & Blackie. He called her "Flicka - ba" ... she knew him and he knew her. A once in a lifetime dog. That is what Josh declared. I have to say, he is right.