Shiloh's Matoaka Pocahantas
August 19. 1988 - October 19, 2001

sire: Shiloh's Easy Rider | dam: Shiloh's Hope of Eternity

During the Christmas season of 1994, Poca came to us. I had been in upstate New York for the day and as I was getting ready to leave, Poca's beautiful dark eyes followed me everywhere. When I left, Poca was with me. When we got home, she needed to be shaved down and bathed several times, but by morning, Poca was a lovely clean girl and very happy to be inside.

She was bred to Lobo in the spring of 1995 and produced 7 lovely babies, my first litter. Before that, she had produced some of our most famous Shilohs... Windsong's Katrinka D'Shiloh, Shiloh's Grand Elizzabeth, Joan's Northstar Of Zion, Chateau De Chief's Thor and of course, my beautiful Tawnee.

Poca could float around the ring, even in her older years. When she came to our shows, everyone surrounded her and of course, she held court as the grand old Dam...

In her later years, Poca lived with Steve and Marie Suter, very good friends of mine who cherished Poca's every moment. She died quietly in her home and was buried under a large flowering cherry tree on Suter's property. She was a tough girl who lived well and died knowing that for the last half of her life, she was loved, honored and well cared for as she deserved to be.

-Judy Vaneman
CJ's Shiloh Shepherds

FOR POCA

I'm Steve, my wife is Marie, and we have Bo's grandma, Poca. I've been sitting here quietly and I just felt like it was time for me to share now because on this coming Sunday Poca will be 13 years old! I'm sure that this is good news for lots of you out there who want to enjoy your dogs for every moment you can, that they come from long-lived stock. I've had to carry her up the stairs for the past two months, but it's not quite her time yet. So her birthday seems like a good occasion to share with all of you.
Unexpected things to be thankful for ...

I never expected, when we took in a 7 year old dog, to have her to enjoy for this long. How thankful I am to see her sweet smile every day.

Poca had panus and I never expected that her eyesight would not worsen with age. What a blessing that she can still see!

I never expected that Poca would enter her first dog show at age 9-3/4, and when winning, would leave the judge crying as she handed us the ribbon, or that my wife would hear people in the crowd crying and berating themselves at the same time with "You're not supposed to cry at dog shows!" Running with her that day, I couldn't see what she looked like but she felt like she was just floating along beside me.

I never expected that we were getting a mother that investigated every baby's cry to make sure that they were okay, or that would bark an alarm when any kid in the neighborhood screamed.

I didn't expect Judy and Carl to be so gracious as to take Poca for us each year when we went on vacation, no matter how many dogs were in the house at the time. So many thanks, too, to Judy's mom, who was always willing to be on hand to look after her!

I had no idea that we had a dog who people were so excited to see at the dog show, & I would lie to you if I didn't say that my wife and I were greatly amused by excited people coming up to ask us if they could take a picture of her! But we were also secretly pleased that our sweet girl led a secret, double life of great fame that we were unaware of.

How happy I am that the second half of Poca's life is now longer than the first half, a half of a life that some of you are aware of how horrible it was. There is a God in heaven who knows when the sparrows fall from the nest, and somehow I think that these last seven years in Poca's life please Him.

But the real joy is one that comes every day, when your dog picks up its ears at the sound of your footsteps, or comes up wanting that special scratch, or just slowly follows you around the house, lying down near wherever you are, just to be near you. May all of you have your unexpected things to be thankful for AND your everyday joys for years to come!

- Steve and Marie Suter