Star

Australian Shepherd

In 2013, the last thing Wildworks needed was another dog! We already had three. Hopi, our older Australian shepherd who had worked for Wildworks for over 15 years performing in programs and mothering foxes and bobcats. Then there was Macfly, an 8-year-old blind and curly-coated border collie who liked to herd coyotes. Number three was our smallest and cutest, a Papillion mix named Patty--aka “the cat that barks”.

So acquiring another canine was not at the top of my list. Then it happened. On July 1, Second Chance Rescue in San Diego emailed me a photo and something happened when I saw it. Some might call it “chemistry” but it was like an invisible force drew me in. Enter a petite, chocolate and white little girl Aussie/border collie whose owner had just been killed in a car crash. On July 3rd I drove down to see her thinking, as I suffered through the major holiday traffic, “Why am I doing this?” Then the house was hard to find. The traffic nightmare had me just about ready to scream when I looked ahead and caught a glimpse of her. As she bounded out the door behind her foster human, I jumped out of the car and announced “That’s my dog!” and that was that.

At Wildworks she was a bit scared a first, and understandably. But when she stepped into the house and both house cats walked right up to her, rubbing affectionately on her face, I knew it wouldn’t take long. As I got to know her, I christened her “Star” for obvious reasons. For many years this smart and talented dog was the “Star of the Show” performing routinely in our outreach educational programs. Now, retired from showbiz, Star greets the visitors at our Wildlife Center and plays with her favorite fox, Cory, and her new dog friends Swifty and Emma.

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