In early 2013, just before a huge snowstorm hit the DC area, my two little girls and I went to Stacy King’s house to look at her litter of rescued double merle Australian Shepherd puppies. There was a smaller one named Nikki trying to keep up and Stacy mentioned that she thought the dog was deaf. I didn’t know anything about double merles, deaf dogs or even Aussies, but she taught us! We named her Piper. For almost 15 years Piper was my Velcro, my shadow, my ball-obsessed, puzzle-solving, up-for-anything dog. She participated in flyball, agility, disc dog, treiball (herding yoga balls) and nose work when her body slowed down but her mind didn’t. She recognized more than 50 hand signs and signals and would watch my hands to see what I wanted or what was next. She slept on my feet in case I moved or by the door so she’d know if we left. She was featured in a kid’s magazine about dogs and how to teach them tricks. My brother credits her with saving his dog’s life when his dog escaped from our fenced yard. Instead of following him out the open gate, Piper alerted us with her “something’s wrong” bark and we were able to catch him before he ran into the busy street. She barked when our other dog was waiting at the door to be let in, to be let out, or was doing something he “shouldn’t”. With her strong recall and desire to check in with me often, she enjoyed a lifetime of off-leash woodsy and beachy adventures, something we’ve never been able to offer our hearing dogs. In her last week of life and with cancer throughout her body, she continued to jump over logs, roll in the grass of her favorite meadow, and wade in what will forever be known as “Piper’s Creek.” She brought us a lifetime of joy, fun, laughter, intelligence and pure love. Piper gave me her final gift moments before she passed when she lifted her head and licked my face–her sign for “it will be all right, Mom.” Thank you AFH for the privilege of adopting Piper and Stacy for fostering her and her littermates. Fly free sweet girl.
Kate, Lorrie, Claire and Annie