Dakota

Our lives have changed again. God has sent us another dog. Last week when we went to pick up Feathers' ashes from the veterinarian in Hot Springs who had treated her, we mentioned that Nickie and Lucky Dog missed Feathers and that we were considering adopting another dog. The vet gave our name to a family with a dog that needed a home and four days later they called to see if we could take their dog. Yesterday we bumped along a muddy country road to meet a bundle of wiggles and licks who stole our hearts. She will never replace our Feathers, but we hope she will become a companion to Nickie and Lucky Dog, and that they will serve as "big sisters" to her.

Called "Zavada" by her original owner, she is a tricolor Australian Shepherd or Aussie mix about 9-10 months old. After being adopted by a college student who gave her up when she moved, this young dog was taken in by a family that lives on a large ranch outside of Buffalo Gap, SD.  It sounded like a perfect situation for her, but unfortunately the puppy showed a remarkable interest in, and ability to catch, birds. After killing three wild pheasants (the State Bird of South Dakota) and almost doing in one of the family chickens, the family realized that she needed to be somewhere where her attraction to fowl was not a problem. (Since the family raises laying hens, staying with them was not an option!)

So......this beautiful young dog has joined the Bagley Pack. We have given her a new name....Dakota, or Kota for short, because this is where we found her (or she found us) and because we love South Dakota. We look forward to having her with us for many years, and hope that Lucky Dog and Nickie will soon accept her as a member of their pack.