Memento Mori


Shining coat of brown and white
Eyes of compassion and paws of flight
Bred by ages to tend the sheep
His bond with horses just as deep

A puppy bumbling over his feet
With gentle nature and trust so sweet
Became a dog that ran on air
Preventing all from every scare

Hero's heart within his chest
Many cuts above the rest
Guardian Angel of the farm
A noble beast with strength and charm

More valiant a dog shall never be
Triumphant in all battles, he
Fought off puma, stray dog, wolf and bull
Yet in winter had children in sleds to pull

Gentle, noble, sweet, and true
Loved all life both old and new
Sweeter personality never found
His clasic bark so sweet the sound

Until the age of 20, with his muzzle turning gray
He carried joy to many with the dawning of each day
One night in December, as the fire turned to ash
Bumblee's spirit faded and the collie breathed his last

Now he runs a ghost
With the dogs who stood by fast
Sammy, Jake and Cody,
Lucy joining last

As stars and clouds cover the sky
And sunlight fights for a last breath
Recall memento mori
A reminder of death

The above poem is dedicated to Bumblee, the best collie ever to exist on the earth. He was heroic, brave, and sweet.

Bumblee was bought long ago as a 6-month old puppy. Even at this age, he often tripped over his large clumsy front paws, which sent him tumbling and bumbling over the floor. Because of this, he was named "Bumblee." (Or "Bum!") At a year old, however, he grew into his paws with a long rangy body and great athleticism. He showed early smarts; he was perfectly well trained and ALWAYS listened when he was told to "come," "heel," or "stay." We trained him to herd the sheep and cows in at night, but before long he took to rounding up all the mares and geldings in the main pasture and driving them towards the gate when asked.

He got along best with the stallions, often visiting them in their pens and spending time with each one, lying in the grass. Thunderwith and Clipper were his best buds. He also got along well with Thunder Warrior. Bumblee was also a favorite with the cats and other dogs. Naturally, he loved people too - everyone that came by had to come see him, and when people didn't come often enough he'd hop in the truck with me and see the people I went to.

The sole regret we have is that he was neutered at a young age, like all of our dogs (before he did any heroic rescues), and so we don't have any direct descendants. However, he did do a wonderful job of training his replacements, Dollar and Lira. Some facts at a glance:

General Stats: Bumblee, sable and white (w/ some black on head) male Rough Collie
Age Died: 21 (peacefully, in his sleep)
Big Events: Here's what really set him apart from other dogs - all of the animals he drove away from our horses.