My Missy girl, she has been at my side since I was 25 and her 12-16 weeks old..GSD X Chow mix (mostly GSD) She was my first rescue (she actually rescued me) Found her as a pup about beat to death by teenagers on the Murchison rd in Fayetteville, tied to a tree with wire..a very bad area in Fayetteville. I took her home and bathed her and she collapsed so I took her to the emergency vet at midnight, maxed a cc out and cleaned out my savings..but it was the best money I could have ever spent. She has been with me ever since, you could not separate us. I drove dump trucks at that time in my life and she rode with me everyday at work, and when I went to dispatch she was my protector. When I traveled home to IA she... was with me.. Only dog I could not contain in the yard when I left, she'd clear any fence to be with me..When I rode away on horse back she'd be with me, understood traffic and when I'd reach town she'd heal to the horse's left rear.. SMARTEST girl I've ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with, saved my life two times (and that's no joke).Not until she could no longer jump the fence or make it more than a couple of miles did she start staying home in the comforts of the house. I had no choice cause she'd would have hurt herself trying to keep up with me. Now to see her a shell of what she use to be, feeble, thin, and her spark gone...well its ripping my heart out. I know other people have been thru this as well...but she's my first and my best friend. I have 5 other girls that live with us now, all have a trait of her...but none will ever replace my Missy girl..God blessed me with a guardian angle and now its time for me to send her home..RIP my dear friend, 12/22/10