My Dog Shiloh

Shiloh burst into our lives in November 07. We had been fostering dogs for a rescue called Dogs in Distress that was taking dogs from the pound rather than see them put to sleep. We already had 2 german shepherds, also rescues, Kim and Jess, two 6 year old girls. We were asked to foster Shiloh because she was desperately unhappy in the pound. My wife went to collect her and Shiloh was a pitiful sight when she picked her up. She was told that Shiloh had been found on some enclosed land that she couldn't escape from. She had been living in there for about 2 months and was being fed by some people that worked in a nearby factory until someone reported her and she was taken to the pound.  Her coat was terrible, she was very thin, she was smelly and the tip of her tail was bald. She wouldn't settle in my wife's car and almost caused an accident on the way home.
I got to meet her when she came home and as I approached she backed off and began barking and growling and looked quite aggressive. After a while she calmed down a bit and I was able to take her for a walk around the garden on the leash. Soon she was allowing me to pet her and later I was even allowed to wash and brush her.
My wife had to go out that evening and I stupidly allowed Shiloh out in the garden without a leash after feeding her. I could see immediately that she was not coming back to me. We live in a rural area and there are no street lights. It was a cold pitch black November night and Shiloh jumped the front wall onto road that runs by our house. I jumped in the car and went in the direction she had gone and I soon caught up with her. I tried coaxing her into the car but she was intent on freedom. A car coming in the opposite direction saw her in the headlights and stopped, she stopped, and I stopped. She was between the two cars. I got out and tried talking softly to her and calling her to me but she looked terrified and wanted to get away from. She ran between the headlights of my car and straight into the grille which left her with a very sore looking snout later. But when it happened she quickly recovered and went sprinting in the opposite direction towards a main road. I turned the car and caught up with her again and again tried talking softly to her while I drove with hazard lights on hoping I wouldn't meet any cars on the road. After about a mile Shiloh stopped, I opened the passenger door and she got into the car. I couldn't believe it, I was sure she was going to be killed on the road. So began our adventure with Shiloh. She was trouble with a capital T. She wasn't house trained. She was a great escapologist and could easily escape from the 5 foot high enclosure that we had for the other dogs. We bought a roofed pen made from chainlink, it took us best part of a day to assemble and within 5 minutes Shiloh had pulled it assunder. We decided that we couldn't foster her because we were not properly equipped for such a talented escapologist. Both myself and my wife have full time jobs so we needed to keep her in an enclosure for her own safety while we weren't there. I was told to bring her to kennels by the rescue until they could find another fosterer. I left her in and she went crazy when I left and I could hear her barking, crying and scratching as I was driving away, which broke my heart. The next day I got a call from the kennels to tell me that she had eaten a hole in the door and asked to remove her. I was asked by the rescue to bring her to another kennel and once again I had to endure the racket she kicked up when I left her and once again my heart was broken. That night my wife and I had a talk and decided that because Shiloh was being so difficult she would be very difficult to home and would probably be put to sleep. We decided to adopt her. I think we had already fallen in love with her at that stage.
We spent a lot of money on a heavy steel mesh pen which proved to be Shiloh proof. That didn't stop her trying to escape and she would climb around the mesh like a monkey. Her separation anxiety at the start was dreadful and who could blame her after living alone for so long in a field, but she gradually improved when she realised that every evening we let her out and she could chase balls in the garden or go for a walk. She became very attached to me and was forever by my side. My wife began calling her my little shadow. She didn't like me leaving her behind in the house and would sit at the door waiting for my return. She trotted behind the mower supervising my work when I cut the grass so we called her the foreman. She guarded us and our home from the dangers of stray cats, postmen and the shadows in the garden.
She had the fluffiest head and a tiny mohawk and it was impossible to walk past her without ruffling it. In return she would lower her head and place it against your leg in a Shiloh hug. After such a bad start to her life we were delighted she learned to trust people again and we felt privileged that she allowed us into her affections. She had an impish glint in her eye and was always at the centre of any mischief but it was impossible not to smile at her antics. She was forever competing with Kim and would fit as many balls in her mouth as she could to prevent Kim getting them. Her record was 2 tennis balls and a peach, and on another occasion 2 footballs.
Unfortunately and I believe because of malnourishment she had health problems. Soon after we got her we could see she was having problems with her hips and after xrays the vet said it was the worst case of hip dysplasia he had ever seen. Her teeth were poor and she never really seemed to build muscle on her bones, especially on her hips. Earlier this year she had a stomach torsion and we spotted it and got her to the vet in time and her life was saved. It was a big operation and it took its toll on her. Over the past couple of months her hips have been getting worse and worse and she couldn't do a lot of the things she could do only a few months ago. We expected that soon the problems with her hips would cause her poor quality of life and would mean we would have to make a very difficult decision. However, last night the stomach torsion happened again and we decided that putting her through severe surgery again only to have her suffer with hip problems afterwards was too much for her and we had to let her go. We got her to the vet just in time before the pain got too bad and she died while being held and comforted by the people that loved her.
We buried her in the garden where she ran and played, under a Magnolia tree which we hope will bloom as bright and beautiful as she did. That was our sweet Shiloh.