Perhaps the first thing you would notice about Rosie was her obvious sharp intelligence, quickly followed by her deeply sweet, good nature and zest for life. That smartness, which led us to assume she was part Border Collie (until a DNA test showed that she was very much a mutt—no Border Collie but Australian Shephard, American Eskimo, and Yorkie to name a few—was on display from her very first puppy training class. With Rosie, it was never a question of could she learn to obey a command, instead she seemed to delight in obeying when she wanted and showing when she didn’t that she clearly understood what was wanted and had considered it before politely declining. Her intelligence led her to express agitation if she was not in the front row of the training class or not the object of the teacher’s attention. Never has a dog invited more anthropomorphizing! For 16 years, she had a great energy for walk and play, and when sated, a great capacity for love and snuggling. At 25 pounds, she was smaller as an adult than we had anticipated, but this fact ended up changing our concept of the perfect size for a dog. For three years, Rosie lived with us in Vienna, Austria – a city known for its love of dogs. She frequented many restaurants and businesses, and in one case, delightedly joined a restaurant hostess in seating customers—with seemingly a full understanding of her role. More than once vets commented on her strong heart (“the heart of an athlete”); near the end, her eyesight and hearing dimmed and with pain in her limbs, that strong heart beat on.