What stands out the most is my family dog when I was a kid. I lived in a house that resembled a 19th century plantation house on top of a hill. She was always there on the front patio between the two center pilers when I left and when I came home standing guard with no fences, chains, or anything to contain her. She was the most obedient dog I have ever known and she did everything asked of her with no hesitation. Many years later she was old and was pretty limited because of arthritis.
Not long before we had her put down, she performed her last duty. I was riding my bike on the road and two Doberman's were coming after me. She came down the hill faster then any dog I had ever seen and chased both dogs off with their tail between their legs. She hobbled back up the hill and sat down in her usual spot. She was a German Shepherd/Collie mix; my parents got her as a puppy a year before I was born. I guess it was two or three months later she wasn't there when I came home from school, and I found out she had been put down. It was a pretty hard time for the family; I still feel for my mom because she had to make the decision and do it on her own.
