Shela the Highwayhound LOVES to ride
"She" is a Humane Society rescue dog - part Lab and part Smooth Collie - extremely intelligent, and highly sensitive to verbal and body language.
She's been riding with me for more than 9 years now, ever since the day I picked her up from the Humane Society. The first thing she did was jump into the driver's seat, sit down, put her paws on the steering wheel spokes, turn and look at me as if to say -- "Ok, I'm ready, git in and lets go!" She acted real disappointed when I indicated she wasn't going to git to drive the rig.
Nowadays, whenever she perceives the SAR rig being readied for a search loop, she eagerly presents herself to be strapped in to her shotgun seat. Then she grins from ear to ear and displays her "I'm happy" body language as we pull out of quarters.
On October 19 2004, Shela was an invited guest in the Viper Room on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood for the first annual Mammoth Mountain Forum members season starter shindig -- met a lot of folks, made a lot of friends.
More routinely, her presence and character helps to calm accident victims and families. Once her perceptiveness saved the SAR rig from being stolen, I believe, as she took violent exception to an individual who had approached it late at night beside the interstate whilst my back was turned and I was occupied with an incident.
She is friendly towards most folks, so those she isn't friendly towards -- well -- I TRUST her instinct!
EL CAJON, CA
