Sinkyone lived to almost 12 years old. It's a sad fact that he lost track of his parents at a very early age, though his best guess is that one was a Border Collie and the other a Husky. He had the coloring of a Border Collie and the facial and tail characteristics of a Husky or Malamute. He had a double coat, so he was EXTREMELY hairy.
Sinkyone was found in the Northern California wilderness of the same name. The original inhabitants of the place now known as the Sinkyone Tribal Wilderness were native Americans, but nowadays you'll generally find only wildlife and a few desperate campers.
Sinkyone was very smart, like most sheepdogs. He was also very strong, like huskies. He had a large vocabulary, mostly connected with things he wanted, such as food or "walkies". Our family learned what a lot of his sounds and signals meant. He also understood a lot of human words, ranging from games like "roll over" to the word he feared most: "B.A.T.H.". We had to spell it otherwise he would run and hide! If you don't think dogs are smart consider this: Sinkyone would play "Hide and Seek" with humans. He could "seek" perfectly, of course, but he also enjoyed hiding and being discovered, just like you and me. He could probably understand and react to more than seventy words and he seemed to understand our emotions better than us at times.
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