Daisy came into this world on or about Valentines Day, 1988 in some unknown place and from some unknown parents.  Our paths first crossed at the Orange County Animal Shelter in Orange, CA on Saturday, November 12th of that year.  It wasn't love at first sight as she seemed a litte docile and reserved.  Little did I know that she was faking it.  After writing a check for $51.87 and promising to take good care of her she just about yanked my arm out of it's socket on the way to the parking lot.  Her papers say X-Terrier which I took to mean eXtreme.  The pound suggested that she was an Australian Sheppard-Terrier mix of some kind. She just looked like a daisy and so she became one.

Her first days at home were somewhat traumatic.  The first time she was left alone inside for a few hours she shredded the cushions and backs of all four dining room chairs.  We reached an stern understanding after that and she never chewed much else including cloth soft toys. 

Although she was an inside dog, I built a house for her in the backyard.  Not knowing doghouse do's and don'ts I overengineered a house big enough for two german sheppards complete with a shake roof that matched our house.  The house got very little use especially after Daisy was scratched on the nose by the neighbor's cat who was sleeping inside. 

Who said only cats climb trees?  Here's daisy about 8' off the ground.

One of Daisy's early past-times was playing king of the hill.  She climbed on anything and everything from the pool heater to the picnic table.  Her favorite vantage point was high up in a peach tree that grew near the backyard fence.  Once on a rainy day the back neighbor knocked at the door with Daisy on a leash.  She had fallen out of the tree into his muddy backyard and wasn't able to get back over the fence.  The tree died and I cut it down and I'm convinced Daisy never forgave me for that. 

Daisy goes after a rock tossed into the Colorado River.

Swimming was Daisy's favorite sport.  Not so much pools or jacuzzis but lakes rivers and oceans.  One of her most unique talents was to chase a rock into the water, bring it out and stack it up in a pile.  She would do this for hours on end at Lake Mohave taking care to shake off excess water on whoever was watching. 

Rock in mouth, Daisy brings a big one onto the shore of Lake Tahoe.

Judging from the number of rock it looks like she's been working hard.

Daisy was the "studio dog" at Heliotrope Studos, my business for about ten years.

Every morning she'd wait at the back door at home waiting for me to take her leash off the dryer and hook her up for the trip to the office.  There she'd spend the day lying in wait at the front door for unsuspecting fedex, ups or mailmen.  Her bark was much larger than her bite.  Delivery men often jumped back when the door opened expecting a huge german sheppard.  Clients and friends in the edit room found that Daisy would come up and put her nose in their lap expecting attention for the duration of their project at Heliotrope.

Daisy on duty at her lookout post.  Her motto: "let no delivery person go unbarked" 

The UPS man was her nemesis.  She knew the sound of the truck and would start barking when she heard the clunk of the break pedal as he rounded the corner.