Just who was Lady Jane?

If we are lucky once in our lifetime we will be fortunate to have a canine as devoted as Lady Jane was to us.
She was found tied to the entrance of Racebrook Nature Preserve with a piece of rope around her neck. And she was VERY pregnant. We were volunteering at the animal shelter at the time when Animal Control brought her in. She was frightened to death and snarling at everyone who came into her view. Although she was pregnant, it was obvious she had not had a good meal in some time.
During her tenure at the shelter it became obvious that she had no tolerance for felines. In fact we learned she was to be put down because of this intolerance. And thankfully, the animal control officer let us rescue Lady Jane. We hoped to find her a home as we had a feline, Prudence, who already ruled our lives.
For the next seven years, we kept Lady (AKA Border) and Prudy apart. Each taking their turn at ruling the house. During the day Lady Jane enjoyed her downstairs condo while Prudy had the run of the house. In the evenings, it was just the opposite.
Lady blossomed living with us. She developed a beautiful silky coat that was hard to keep your hands off of. And she was defiantly loyal. Constantly looking out for us.
One time when out for a car ride we went into New Haven for some reason. We left her in the car while we ran an errand. When I approached the car and put the key in the lock I heard, before I saw her, a deep warning growl. It was not until I alerted her it was me that she gave me an apologetic lick, as if saying “Sorry Ma, I was just protecting.”
Over the years, there were many such episodes, always with Lady Jane having our best interest at heart.
And then one day, when her dark muzzle had turned grey she developed a lump on the top of her head. After learning from a biopsy that the lump was indeed cancerous we opted to keep her as comfortable as possible. She was grateful I think that we didn’t put her through the chemotherapy regime. Eventually the day came when I had to carry her into Dr. Kim’s office. As her suffering was coming to an end I stroked her beautiful silky coat and thanked her for coming into our lives. She taught us much and constantly showered us with her love and devotion.
To her, and the many creatures that have been part of my life I dedicate this blog.