Harrop Black Jack x Stormley Sally Brown at Shandalmar

April 10, 1995 ~ November 1st, 2006

Lahtee came to us when she was retired from a breeding program at the age of 6. When I got Lahtee home, my daughter took one look at her and immediately called her Square Bear - and the name stuck. Lahtee quickly took over as the alpha and queen of the back yard. Her sweet face and laid back demeanour completely belied her determination to keep the backyard free from four legged intruders - from chipmunks to the neighbours’ GSD who she used to chase up and down the fence line. She would go from movement reminiscent of molasses to being just a brown flash across the yard. She kept this up even after she went blind at the age of 9. It was hilarious to see her go tearing off across the yard completely in the opposite direction of the other dogs - hair on her back up, barking away - certain she had just saved us from invasion.
Lahtee set the standard for me for colour in chocolates. Her coat was a rich deep brown and her eyes were a brown which wouldn't have looked out of place on a black dog. After a lengthy illness, Lahtee passed peacefully and quickly lying on her own bed with rays of sunlight pouring in on her. It only occurred to me after she had gone that the day was All Saints Day - a perfect day for my brown angel to find her way to their arms.