Astraea joined her beloved
Thunder in the Rose Garden in May 2004. Edward held her while she
went to sleep - she had claimed him and commandeered his bedroom as her own
for many years. Astraea was always such a character - doing things a little
different than anyone else. My favorite show dog recollection was her
walking with me past the Akita specialty ring, and, looking down, seeing
that she had nimbly leaped onto their trophy table and was threading her way
along so that she didn't have to look any of these giants in the face - then
gracefully returning to the ground like nothing was out of the ordinary when
we reached the end of the table. Astraea followed in her mother's pawsteps
as a producer of champions, and was awarded Register of Merit in both AKC
and UKC.
