Dakota

Dakota

1999-2009

8" x 8" Framing Mat

Tapestry, Wool and Cotton and Dakota's Hair

Dakota came to us at about 4 months old. His teeth were broken out, he was covered in ticks and was terrified of our 10 pound Shih-Tzu. He quickly took to his new home where he played with the cat and played tricks on the dog. He loved to run and go anywhere. He always surprised us by throwing his head back and singing or even having to tell us all about his day when we got home. It took years before we began to suspect he had been hit by a car at 4 months. He developed neurological disorders. We chose the route of pain management and even went so far as to get into laser treatments. There is no telling how much pain he was in. He never truly let on. True to his species of German Shepherd, he took the happiest, most forgiving view on life he could. After he was gone, I wished I had collected hair from him to be spun into yarn. It became important enough to me that all was collected from every corner and every garment we could find. A friend miraculously spun the yarn and it was used to create the fuzzy neutral stripe about 1/4 of the distance from the top of the mat. The piece is well cherished for the sight of him, the ability to "touch" a bit of him and for the many memories.