Katie

Katie, Princess Kate of Colombine, was our Keeshond. Melissa and I bought her 12 years ago as an 8 month old puppy. She was the last thing we had left of the life in Burlington.
One day when Katie was about a year old and Melissa was about 9, we were at the lake outside of Flagler. Katie was off the leash running around. All of a sudden Katie was in front of Melissa barking at a rattle snake. It was late fall and we really didn't expect to see a rattler out. The snake struck at Katie but her chest fur was so thick and dense that it didn't make contact. That's why when we moved to the Springs, Katie was one of the two dogs we brought with us. The other being Cory the Cocker spaniel.
Katie spent her last years as a country dog, barking at the horses and goats. She wasn't a house dog, hated cats and Danny the beagle. Katie had a nice doghouse but sometimes she'd sleep out in the snow. We couldn't let Katie run loose as she'd go down the road and jump in the cattle tank and that was nasty smelling.
Yesterday morning I was out watering the dogs and found Katie lying in her pen. Peter buried her out next to our old mare, Aunt B.