This is Micah. Micah was a shelter dog.  A German Shepherd/Sheltie mix. 
Smaller than a shepherd with the long hair, speed and herding mentality of a Sheltie.

Loved people. Indifferent to other dogs.

From day one, always stayed in our yard. Instinctively knew where the borders were.  Let him out, he would roam the perimeter, do his duty and come back to the door. 

And promptly sit expecting a treat.  Loved his treats.

In freezing weather his trick was; go out the door two steps, turn around come back in, sit, expecting a treat.

Hated baths. Tolerated getting brushed. Would rather roll around in his own poop.

He always knew when the kids bus was coming.  Early, late. Let him out, he would trot to then end of the driveway and patiently sit til the kids got to him. 

Every night he took over my youngest daughters bed.  75% bed space for Micah. “Why don’t you kick him off?”  Reply “I can’t do that, he’s so comfy”. 

Micah had 3 peculiarities.

He was terrified of the basement stairs.  
Second floor stairs, no problem.  Basement stairs, Hell no.

He barked incessantly at the garage door opener or when the doorbell rang. 
Got annoying really fast. Only stopped when he became deaf. 

He peed like a female dog.  

Which naturally led people to refer to him as “she” or “her”.  Like dressing your infant boy in pink.  Or letting your toddler boys hair grow until it curled, as my wife did with our youngest because “I love his curls” but finally relented and lopped them off when the phrase “cute little girl” was repeated once too often.

1/20/2019 12:15 am.  Micah died.  It wasn’t a romanticized, dreamy, slowly drifting off end. It was a drawn out, ugly, frightened eyes wide open fight for every breath til his final “Aaaack!”. 

Wasn’t the end I was expecting for a 15 year family member.  

– Bryan Kennedy