On Nov. 28, I lost a good friend. She was 12 years old and the sweetest but best watchdog around.

Bessie could read people — the good the bad and the ugly — giving out a friendly welcoming bark or one that cautioned the unwelcome stranger. It just depended on who was there and what they were doing.

My loyal friend was a mini Aussie Shepherd/English Collie mix, with purebred parents.

On rare occasions, she would follow the edge of the fence line to the corner, but other than that short jaunt, she stayed at the edge of the property.

This particular evening, Bessie greeted me at the gate and, when it was open, stayed just inside the imaginary barrier line between the gate posts. I unloaded groceries and went into the house.

Why she ventured into traffic will be a gut-wrenching mystery. My grandson went out to check on her and came back to the front door panicked about a commotion on the road in front of the house.

For some reason, Bessie had crossed the road lured by something or someone.

It’s a tough thing to lose such an animal or any pet, for that matter, but this was one special dog. She talked to me when I came home from work with her “woo, woo” vocabulary that I had learned to understand meant “I’m glad you’re home!” but with unconditional devotion.

Then there were the special tricks, high fives and roll over to play dead that my grandson taught her.

Animals are so forgiving, so undemanding; only wanting our love and care.

It was a sad Christmas with one stocking missing and just not seeing Bessie at the gate or playing in the yard. We made sure that her photo will be on the Christmas tree for years to come. She won’t be forgotten by her family or the friends that knew her.

Bessie’s buddy, Sophie, a smaller Australian Cattle Dog mix, spent each day romping with Bessie. I brought Sophie home as a 4 month old puppy about 4 years ago. Sophie will miss the playing and rolling in the leaves with Bessie.

I just hope she can eventually acclimate to the fact she will be alone outside for the first time.

At least Sophie has Kirby the cat that loves to play indoors with his canine friend. They are buddies and for now I hope that can take up some slack and help her adjust.

I was talked into taking Bessie home from a horse show in March 2000. She was a ball of fur, fluffy and lovable, but smarter than I ever thought of being.

Training her was a snap. She caught on to everything we worked on, leash, stay, sit, down, wait (for crossing the road). She wasn’t eager to swim, until we went on a cattle drive that took us through fast-moving water east of Anderson.

The horses made it through there with little effort, but the swift water took Bessie and my friend’s dog downstream a bit before they made it to the other side. There was no way either dog was going to be left behind and soon they joined up with us again.

Working stock dogs are sometimes hard-headed, but once they get what they learn down pat, they don’t forget it and they will work as if there is no tomorrow.

Until Bessie came along, I’ve always had cats and horses so I hadn’t had much experience with dogs. Since then, I have a genuine appreciation for our canine friends.

Sadly, too many of them end up in shelters looking for that caring family to give them the love and appreciation they deserve.

I had some great years with Bessie. She didn’t give me much grief other than pursuing a ground squirrel in the yard on occasion.

She uprooted a mole once and I haven’t seen any since, but now and then she would pin a squirrel to a hole near the Sycamore tree.

Oh, sure there are a few holes near a planter here and there where she tried to retrieve a varmint, but those holes will be a reminder of how dedicated that dog really was as a loyal guardian of her home.

I couldn’t even put my spurs on without her knowing exactly what was about to take place — that dog literally lived for a long horseback ride.

Good bye, Bess. I promise that you will always be with us on the rides as I picture you darting here and there along the trail.