10/09/2025
An ode to Austin, our second Aussie. Today was to be Austin’s 12th birthday. Sadly August 7th we bid his sweet soul goodbye, after a painful few months of congestive heart failure that hit him suddenly.
Although many of you have been to the farm, and met the many animals, few had met Austin. We rescued him ten years ago, from Portland. He was the sweetest and most protective of souls, but always troubled by unknown abuse he went through at the hand of his original owners, that he endured his first 2 years.
He changed our lives irrevocably. Mostly for good, however our entire life somewhat shifted around him, none of which we would take back.
His nervous and defensive (of us) behavior led him to nip people, and after nipping 4 behavioral specialists, we decided to give Austin the very best life we could, knowing it would impose a few restrictions on all of us. And thus if you visited the farm, he was in a crate. He did bond with a few people, including Karen’s Dad, whom he would sit in the rocking chair and kiss his face; our dear and much missed Julia, former house sitter Havah, and a few others.
Despite all his perceived fierceness, which was really just protecting us, he was the biggest teddy bear. He would snuggle in your neck and sleep, and loved to sit in Karen’s lap.
In his heart of hearts, Austin secretly wanted to be a kitty kat, and never tired of trying to socialize with them, and make them think he was one of them, though they would never translate ass sniffing well.
His favorite game of all was fetching balls, something he would do endlessly in the vineyard, and the house for hours. It was heartbreakingly hard to restrict him from that his last month.
I did one last fetch for him here on video, before we took him to the vet, which we did on a country drive, windows open, his ear flapping in the wind, with an ear to ear smile one last time.
We are forever grateful and indebted to Dr Sheehy, Northern, Susan, and the team for the special care they provided.
Dearest Austin, we still miss you daily, cry often, and know you are at peace, forever chasing balls in a big vineyard in doggy heaven. Our love forever ❤️🩹
