Hannah is a Border Collie mix. I have no idea what she is mixed with, you will have to be the judge of that. We brought Hannah home from the Ames Animal Shelter on February 19, 1995. She had been in and out of so many homes that we became Hannah's fourth family. An impressive number considering that she was only eight months old! To this day I can't figure out why someone would be willing to give her up. She has been a wonderful dog.

 Hannah is obsessed with playing fetch. She would chase any moving object to her death if I allowed her. We do our best to keep her busy. Anyone who has ever owned a border collie will tell you that they will wreck your house and drive you nuts if you don't give them a "job". I guess Hannah believes life is nothing without a ball to chase. If that is all it takes to make her happy, I'll keep throwing the ball for her.

 I have assembled a few pictures of Hannah's life with us.

This is Hannah waiting by the back door. She has learned that this is a strategic place to rest. Any time a person walks by, all she has to do is jump to her feet and beg to go out. She loves to be outside but hates to be alone, so she tolerates the house. Needless to say, I spend a lot of time in the yard!
 
 

This is what Hannah would look like if she were a classically marked border collie. Actually, this is how she looks all winter long! Fetch in the snow means one must stuff their head into the occasional snow bank.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Here Hannah demonstrates the perfect method of catching a snow ball. We have abandoned this practice because she choked on a snowball that got jammed down her throat!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Life in the fast lane has some risks. Here Hannah shows off her fetch related injury. On Christmas day 1995, Hannah slid into a tree stake while chasing a ball. It peeled her open like a banana. Hence the nick name "Hannah Banana". Incredibly, she healed up in no time and I can't even find a scar.
 
 
 
 
 

When I decided to remove a tree from the back yard, Hannah insisted that she "help". If there is one thing a border collie can do well it is digging. A big problem with this breed is that they will dig up your yard if they are bored.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

All summer long Hannah and her friend Harlan from next door play in water. We tried to teach both of them to use their own pools, but eventually gave up. Thank goodness for understanding neighbors!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

If the temperature is much above 75F, odds are I have a wet dog!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Despite being a "working" breed, Hannah is very much a family pet. This role requires putting up with humiliating stunts like this Halloween costume. She likes the cape because she has associated it with people coming to the house for a visit.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hannah made it into our Christmas cards for 1995. We received many letters back from friends who know Hannah wanting to know how we got her to sit still long enough to take this picture. The answer is simple, we set the shutter speed to 1/128 of a second!