Credit to Drew Johnson and Chase Pray

She was our fur-faced-fluffin’-barker with a wigger-wagger.

At least, that’s what my dad and I called her after hearing the phrase in a book. She was the kind of dog to bark at the wind. She would be the culprit behind my family stepping on chewed up Nylabones that would feel like stepping on Legos. Long bat ears and all, Holly was my first dog and greatest protector.

We picked her out of a litter of German Shepherds. Holly’s jet-black coat and lovable face made her a stand-out to be the perfect choice for a family of three with a five-year- old daughter. She was a guard-dog first and foremost. She didn’t like cuddles, wouldn’t lay down with you and certainly wouldn’t let you have friends over without scaring them a little first. Her territorial behavior often made me wonder why I couldn’t have a dog that liked people or cuddles.

Holly enjoyed many typical dog activities like going for walks, playing with her ball and getting covered in mud from the creek in our backyard. We would go for long walks and bike rides with her on the Katy Trail and she loved hamburgers from McDonald’s.

However, she couldn’t keep up with us forever and soon her light and energy began to fade. Like what happens to many German Shepherds, she developed hip and elbow Dysplasia which limited her ability to walk, run, sit and get back up. Eventually, she couldn’t control her bladder and we would wake up to messes in the morning. She became confined to the hardwood-floored kitchen where her messes would be easier to clean up. She couldn’t enjoy doing the things she loved to do and her quality of life was deteriorating.

It was a rainy day in June when we went for our last McDonald’s hamburger. I cried as I handed the cashier my money knowing we had made the decision to put her down the next day. I sat on the porch of my house watching her enjoy the meal she loved most. Holly barked at a couple walking past our house and I wondered how I could have ever wanted anything other than my guard dog. She always protected me and while I always wanted her to have been more affectionate, I learned that her way of showing affection was by protecting her family.

On her last day, Holly hopped around the yard the best she could, basking in the temperate weather. We held her paw when it was her time and we reminisced about our favorite memories together over the past 12 years. I only wished I could have let her protect me a little while longer.