On March 7th 2010 we lost one of our darlings girls - Miranda.

Miranda came into our lives in 2003 through South Texas Aussie Rescue. Having been hit by a car, it is guessed that Miranda roamed the streets with a shattered shoulder and leg for three months before someone picked her up
and took her to the vet. With now three legs and through several months of love, attention, and therapy, Miranda found herself ready for adoption. While I told myself we were going to foster her, I knew within minutes of
meeting her that I would never let her go.

Suffering from blunt force trauma most likely due to her accident, Miranda never exhibited what you would call normal Aussie behavior. She was missing most of her teeth on the side she was hit. She was a little slow - most of
the time a show of excitement meant her little Aussie tail moving back and forth in two to three second intervals instead of the blur of the standard Aussie butt. She would also snort or sneeze if she got excited during play.

We always called our Miranda the bouncer or security guard. Whenever two of the other dogs got into an argument (usually over a bone or toy), Miranda would jump up and hop right over and split the others up.

She also had a knack of wanting to be right in the middle of things. Cooking in the kitchen? Miranda would always lie down in the prime path from the sink to the fridge. Working in the yard? Miranda would find the choicest spot where she could see all the action - too bad if it was in your direct
line from the tool shed to the garage. When I got ready for work every morning, Miranda would lie in the door way of my bathroom.

One my favorite memories will always be Miranda lying in front of my box fan and kicking her three legs in the air and she stretched and scratched her back on the floor. She would also sleep on the sofa with her legs propped up
against the pillows.

Starting on Friday evening, Miranda's started exhibiting signs of not feeling well and on Saturday afternoon I took her to the vet.

After a series of xrays, blood work, and ultrasounds, a large mass on her spleen was found to be bleeding into her abdominal cavity. Given her age (we're guessing 14 or 15 years old) and a host of other physical challenges (her spine was struggling with proper weight distribution), we decided to help her cross over.

Miranda brought so much joy into our lives. She was a treasure, my sweet girl, and we will miss her very much.