Aquila von Schneegrenze (Vedor vom Wildsteiger Land x Danzia Jaxayn von Berguntahl) was born 26 May 1998. We got Shadow in the fall of 2000, when he was 2 and 1/2 years old. He had been returned to his breeder in Washington state because his owner had died. We saw his handsome photo on an email list, and contacted the breeder, and he was shipped to Newark Airport. Unfortunately due to a hard drive crash in 2005, I don't have those early photos any more.
Shadow was a wonderful dog. He was crazy about chasing sticks, and if you picked up a stick around him, you'd better watch your hand! He would fetch sticks from the river or the creek as long as you would throw them. He was also very enthusiastic about fetching his kong, and Mert used to throw his kong down the driveway, and he'd would fetch it and run back uphill, and got lots of exercise that way.
When we got Viva as a puppy, in early 2001, Shadow took her under his wing, and was always wonderful and gentle with her, and let her take his toys and bones, and put up with lots of scheming from her when she was young.
For years Shadow has been a dignified, cooperative companion, who accompanied us several times to Maine for vacation, and enjoyed walks to the river, or lying under the cedar chewing a nice fresh bone.
As he aged, he got arthritis, so the past year or two he had slowed down quite a bit, especially after a bout of anaplasmosis last year. When Truffle came in November 2007, she really revived some youth in him, and she could do no wrong in his eyes. He would lie and play with her for long periods, and would push Viva away from Truffle if he thought Viva was getting too enthusiastic in her play.
In his old age he had some medical complaints, but we had no idea he had cancer, and the last crisis developed in just a day or two, as a mass on his spleen started bleeding into his abdominal cavity. He even ate his supper the day before he died, so we are thankful that he didn't have a long period of suffering.
Here are just a few pictures of Shadow. Click on them to enlarge, click BACK to return.
