We fostered Sapphire as a puppy in 2008. We soon realized we were going to join a group of people called ‘foster failures’. We just couldn’t part with her and we will be forever grateful that MN Sheltie Rescue let her join our family. Sapphire was a double merle sheltie. She was born deaf, however she didn’t know it. She was so intuitive that at times we would test to see if she really was deaf. I always felt she could hear with her heart.

She was timid around strangers and therefore more of a homebody. When a stranger would come to the house, we would laugh because she would run to the bedroom and bark at them from there. As shy as she was around strangers she definitely was not with her family. We loved her and she loved us back just as much. 

When we adopted her we were told, because she was deaf, it was good we had other dogs in the house because they could show her the ropes. Quite the opposite was true. It didn’t take long for us to realize that she was the princess of our house. We continued to foster dogs for MN Sheltie Rescue and Sapphire would always be the first to playfully greet them, wanting to play ‘chase me’! She loved sharing her home with other pups waiting for their forever homes.

We are heartbroken that our sweet Sapphire (Saffy) crossed the rainbow bridge today. She was 15 1/2 years young. Although we are grieving, we know in a beautiful field somewhere over the rainbow bridge, she has met up with her brofur, D.O.G. and sisfurs, Lucy and Sadie and they are so happy to be together again, playing, running and barking like crazy. Saffy, we will miss you and will always love you.