To say that Shelby was a huge part of our family is such a gigantic understatement. Shelby completed our family. Shel was an Australian Shepherd. She was raised on a farm, and loved to herd anything that moved – cows, cats, kids. Anything that ran from her was fair game. She helped feed cows every morning, and often rode in the combine, truck, tractors, etc. with her dad. Her favorite toys were tennis balls and her squeaky rubber pigs. She would squeak one or the other when someone would visit, or when the vacuum started, or when someone would clang the pots and pans in the kitchen..or at one of the cats if they walked past her.

Shel was lucky enough to go on many vacations. She visited Tennessee, the Outerbanks twice, and multiple times to Minnesota after our son (Shel’s brother) moved there. She enjoyed shorter car rides, and many family get-togethers and holidays. She did everything with us. I retired 3 years ago, and at that time, Shel became “my dog”. She had arthritis in her hips, but still managed a short walk with me every day. She was so dedicated to me and protective of me always. She was always so happy to see me when I walked in from outside or just from another room. She had the Aussie butt wiggle into her very last day.

On November 7, 2025 we received the devastating news, Shelby had Osteosarcoma in her back right hip. Because of the location, she wasn’t a candidate for amputation. Our local vet treated her with steroids and pain management, and referred us to Veterinary Oncology & Referral in Milford, OH. We met with Dr. Lewis on November 26, 2025. We opted for infusions every 3 weeks to help rebuild the bone that the tumor was destroying, followed later with chemotherapy. Shelby had some really good days with some really bad moments. I am so grateful to Dr. Lewis and her team for helping us have a couple good months with our girl.

On January 29, 2026 is when things changed. Shelby’s breathing became very labored, and she was obviously very uncomfortable. Our local vet came to the house, and we said good-bye to Shelby at 2:00 p.m. This was probably the hardest decision I have ever had to make. Shel was my best friend, my constant companion, my travel buddy, and the BEST GIRL. She is missed terribly by so many, but mostly by me.  Shelby 3/29/2014 – 1/29/2026.