Saber

February 1984 - February 17, 1999

Once in a while a really super dog comes along. And if you are lucky, he or she will choose you to live with. We are so lucky in that we had one of these wonderful companions. His name was Saber.

Saber came into our lives as a scared, sick, 6 month old pup. Sheri was driving down a four land highway in Austin, Texas in a driving rain storm. As she came around a corner, this young dog dashed across the road in front of her. As it ran, it looked up at her through her windshield. Sheri took one look into that baby's eyes and knew he was lost and scared.

Without a second thought, she turned the car around and turned down the street he had dashed down. She quickly spotted him, standing bewildered in the center of the street.

Sheri pulled the car over and got out. The idea that this dog may be mean or vicious or sick never crossed her mind. She called to him and he looked at her. Then she knelt down and called, and immediately had a 6 month old, 80 pound Rottweiler in her lap. She put him in the car and took him home.

When she got him home, she put him in a kennel while she tried to figure out what to do with him. He promptly had diarrhea all over the kennel. Horrified, she tossed him into a crate, sterilized the kennel, then hussled him to the vet.

The vet diagnosed an extreme infestation of ghiarrdia. Sheri knew she couldn't have that in the kennel, so she left him at the vet's for 5 days while he was treated.

In the mean time, she put an ad in the local paper. Finally after 3 months of advertising and a hefty vet bill, she realized no one was going to claim the boy. She settled to the idea that he was there to stay.

But what an animal to find! He was already housebroken, knew the commands sit and down, and was as polite as could be.

For the next 14 1/2 years he was a fixture at Silvar Kennels. An excellent puppy sitter, he would play with the little ones for hours. A staunch guard dog, he backed many an unexpected visitor off the front porch (good thing they couldn't see his tale wagging crazily in back!) and during some of the dark times he patiently sat while Sheri hugged his neck and cried.

When he got older he slowed down a bit. He didn't tolerate the young ones as well, their rough housing hurts his hips. And while he kept the hot air balloons and trash trucks out of the back yard, he was content to lay on his cushion by the bed with his people.

A more wonderful companion we couldn't have asked for. His passing left a hole in our hearts that will never be filled. We love you, Sabre.