Collie

This is Cadence and she is a beautiful collie. Her lineage can be traced back to the original Lassie TV series as one of the stunt Collies used in place of the star dog. For me, however, Collies have always been what Flicka was to Fury--great TV heroes, but just not tough enough to match their counterparts. For me it was Rin Tin Tin or the dog of 'The Littlest Hobo" series.

Even so, Lassie has ingrained within my mind an image of the Collie as a heroic dog, fearless and courageous. And never has this been truer than in the case of Cadence. She appears to have the ability to sense a highly explosive situation, but she doesn't stop there. She will actually perform feats to try and minimize that explosive situation.

It was her quick and intuitive thinking that saved a young boy from being kidnapped. The incident happened at the Rochester Train Station. A stranger grabbed a toddler out of his stroller. He ran with the child and attempted to board the train. Cadence sensed the volatile situation, and grabbed the man's coattail. By doing this she not only prevented the assailant from boarding the train, but she wouldn't let go of him until the police arrived.

Her intelligence along with her loyalty matches well with her courage and independent nature.. She may look somewhat feminine with her long mane but she is as tough as they come. Cadence has the mental awareness to use her intellect rather than brawn. Give her the circumstance to be a hero and she will come through every time. Now that is really the essence of a hero, or should I say heroine?