Shaman

Shaman (Sha-men) n.1. A shaman is a medicine man or woman. Shaman are spiritual beings with the ability to heal, work with energies and ‘see’ visions.

Shaman was our first Entlebucher and the world’s best dog!  She came to us as an 8 week old puppy in August of 1995. I will never forget when we finally got her home from the airport and let her out of her kennel. She was so happy to see us! She ran between Gina and me and was the epitome of joy! And from that moment she brought joy to so many people. She knew just how to react to each person she met. She knew that each person was unique and who needed special attention. After she finished having 3 litters of puppies (who were awesome), she and Kathy enrolled in the national Delta Society Program. We achieved a score of Complex (the highest rating) and we became Pet Therapy Partners. We visited nursing homes, kids at cancer camps, and high risk kids in need. Unfortunately, Shaman was diagnosed with PRA at 6 years old after all her puppies were born. But Eagleheart and Shaman’s puppies were big contributors to the efforts that identified the genetic test that is now available. No Entlebucher puppy should ever be born with the PRA eye disease that causes blindness. Shaman’s blindness was very gradual and most people never realized she was blind. She could still play and do her pet therapy. In fact, she excelled at the R.E.A.D program where we went to libraries and after school programs where children would read to her. She really enjoyed that a lot.

Shaman passed in January of 2008 and we miss her everyday but we see her special traits in Ammo and Zendo. Please hear Kathy’s song she wrote about her,  Kathy Marshall – Shaman’s Song

We have left what we wrote about her on our original website because it really captures her and our Entlebuchers today.

“This breed is very intelligent as you will see. Shaman learned to sit at 9 weeks (one week after she joined our family), she aced the obedience class, got bored at agility class (she wasn’t afraid of any of the obstacles) and she learned how to herd after sheep herding classes. Now, she herds our Pygmy goats and two cows.

At present Shaman knows over 80 words and phrases. She knows most of her toys by name: fuzzy, ball, tweedy, boodha, elephant, etc. When we introduce her to people by name, she will go back to that person later when we say, ” Where’s John?” If we mention her best friend’s name (Meesha, a Newfie Lab mix) she goes crazy and wants to go see her. So we have to whisper or spell her name.

She loves people and especially children. When she was seven months old she let an eight month old baby boy pull her ears and patty cake her stomach. She would kiss his face and make him laugh. She only kisses children. The vet says that dogs recognize children as another species and Shaman proves that. When my niece and nephew visited me Shaman would go to their room at 7:00 each morning and wake them up because it was time to play!

She loves to be doing things; working and especially playing. When we got a kitty, Tarzan, from the Humane Society, it was love at first sight. They play constantly and even cuddle together. Shaman is his big sister and he misses her when she goes away. Most of the time Tarzan sleeps with Shaman at night instead of us. They even play with the same toys at the same time.

See what I mean about her being the world’s best dog? There are many things I have left out, like the fact that she is an excellent watch dog. We live in the country and we taught her to bark when cars drive up, so we know when someone is coming. The only time she barks is when she hears someone coming or hears a strange noise outside. She is truly a guardian. Her command to bark is “Go see” and that she does.

And did I mention she loves to go places. She doesn’t like to be left at home alone. We took her camping last year and she slept in the tent with us. We made her a little bed and said “In your bed” and she slept through the entire night. What a dog!”