Bon voyage, skydog

A beloved companion who could light up a room with her smile and instill fear in the same hot, ankle-biting breath, Skydog died peacefully on Jan. 5, 2015, surrounded by her family. She was 13.

The spry Australian shepherd was known for her lightning speed, high-flying Frisbee-catching acrobatics and signature swivel hips, which she wagged in lieu of her missing tail.

Born “Sierra Skyy” in Ocala, Fla., Oct. 20, 2002, the feisty runt of the litter quickly dropped the second ‘y’ in her name and went by Skydog or just Sky-diggity.

She spent her formative years frolicking in the shadow of the Tanner family’s (“Full House”) house on San Francisco’s Alamo Square. And though disciplined enough to stroll leash-less through the busy streets of the Lower Haight, her nose for mischief landed her on Animal Planet’s “Animal Cops,” after she jumped out of a second story window and was later captured & returned by animal control.  

She made that leap a second time – with the cast from the first jump still fresh on her right leg – after a larger neighbor dog helped her pry open the window.

These Houdini-like skills were tested and strengthened in every place in which she lived, as she methodically defeated backyard fences, bedrooms, kennels and basements in her insatiable quest to be free.

With these epic escapes came an even more impressive list of damages her family was obliged to pay. Experts estimate the total to be somewhere in the ballpark of several thousand dollars, including most notably a 1,000 euro set of custom blinds, a Turkish cleaner’s faux designer jeans and two metal crates that she systematically dismantled over the course of several weeks.

These costs paled in comparison to the joy she brought her family through her robust personality and indomitable will.

The memories she left behind, just like the bite marks, tufts of fur, and scattered bits of cereal, are everywhere she was and will not soon be forgotten.