Astraea joined her beloved Thunder in the Rose Garden this past 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 speciality 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 retuning 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.