A woman’s routine pond maintenance took an unexpected turn when her Velcro dog, Shae, followed her too closely during an algae‑treatment application—she was not ready for what happened next.
Allison Fasching, who lives on 40 acres in rural Kansas with her two miniature Australian shepherds, Jack and Shae, told Newsweek that in a matter of seconds, the dog, who kept following her way too closely, turned almost entirely blue.
“I didn’t even realize she was out,” she said, adding that both dogs rarely leave her side, but they couldn’t be any more different from each other in terms of behavior.
Jack is a quiet and anxious 3‑year‑old born without a tail, who typically keeps a cautious distance even when following her. However, Shae is the total opposite, and the definition of a Velcro dog. The 18‑month‑old with boundless energy, is known for her high jumps, constant motion, and habit of herding the family through the house.
The pair of dogs love nothing more than spending their days trailing behind their owner during outdoor chores, including the regular treatment of the property’s small pond, which on this occasion, ended up causing a hilarious accident—now turned into one of her favorite core memories.
On the day of the incident, Fasching noticed that the jug of dog-safe pond dye treatment was leaking, so she placed it inside a plastic bag to avoid staining her shoes. What she didn’t realize was that the bag was also leaking—and that Shae was walking directly behind her, stepping onto every single drop of dye that hit the grass.
When she turned around, Shae’s fur was covered in blue, while Jack, who had kept his distance, remained untouched.
“I froze. Shae was blue. Everywhere the dye had dripped onto the grass, she had stepped directly into it, following me the entire time,” she said. Immediately, Fasching took Shae inside the house to wash the dye off of her, only to discover it was oil‑based.
“The more I scrubbed, the more it spread,” she said. “Shampoo didn’t help. Water didn’t help. Eventually, I climbed into the shower with her—fully clothed to avoid scratches.
“With the very first spray of water, Shae somehow forced the shower door open and shook, flinging blue pond dye across my bathroom walls, floor, and myself. I managed to get her back into the shower and shampooed her five times. By the end, the worst of the dye was gone—but both of us were still faintly blue.”
Believing the ordeal was over, Fasching let Shae outside—where the dog immediately located a pile of dirt and rolled in it, covering herself in mud from head to tail.
Despite the chaos, Fasching insists that life with her two shepherds is worth every unpredictable moment.
“It wasn’t how I planned to spend my afternoon, but it was a lesson learned: even dog-safe products can lead to unforgettable chaos—especially when you live with a shepherd who insists on following you everywhere,” she said.
“By the end of the day, I was exhausted, my bathroom was stained, and my dog was muddy, but I wouldn’t trade life with these two Velcro shepherds for anything!”
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