Tracy was born Andy Altája on November 29, 2011 to her mother Luisa “Loreen” Acabo Czech, sired by Elvis Taien. She had been with us for 12½ years, dying on April 27, 2024. During this time we took thousands of photos. The best of them are exhibited on this page. Scroll down or go directly to year 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 or 2024.
Mother Loreen with her litter. The pups are about a month old. Hard to say which one is Tracy. Before we chose her name, the breeder called her Two Dots in reference to the markings on her back used to keep track of the individual pups.
Tracy socializing with her prospective owner three weeks later.
Tracy's first photo from her new home.
Tracy on her first trip to the nearby Ore Mountains. We were lucky as we had beautiful powder snow with sunny weather. Tracy always loved snow.
Tracy was well-adjusted dog from day one. She never barked or whined, not even in the first night at home.
Back to the mountains!
We sleep a lot and we're a cute polar bear cub when we're at it!
Tracy in the kitchen with her new flat-mates, a black tom Čert and ginger female cat Sluníčko.
Back to having fun in the snow!
Tracy (left) with her sister Axi. Mother Loreen can be seen in the background.
Tracy with her litter-mates. She is the third one from the left. There were nine pups in the litter. Photo from a get-together of the A-litter pup owners.
Tracy also loved water. It took some time to gain confidence, but eventually she learned to swim and whenever we were around any body of water, she wanted in.
Tracy introduces herself to Adam, a fellow White Swiss Shepherd.
Tracy with Meggie, my parents' Golden Retriever.
Vacation with Tracy in rented house in Kopec near NP Bohemian Switzerland.
Tracy next to a conciliation cross from 1666 near the village of Nové Křečany.
Tracy with her new pal Avi, a female Dobermann.
Magical moments in mountain fog. The brightening in the center is a fragment of a fogbow.
Rejoice, it's winter again! Let's have fun in the snow.
The Life Aquatic with Tracy.
Tracy enjoyed jumping on hay bales.
Tracy swimming with Avi. It is her stick!
Tracy with her sister Axi and mother Loreen.
Tracy with Sluníčko.
The first visit to the Černá louka (literally Black Meadow) nature monument. This will become one of Tracy's favorite locations, especially as there is a cute little stream to wade in.
Tracy on a foot bridge over the D8 motorway.
Tracy at Děčínský Sněžník, a prominent mesa near north Bohemian town of Děčín.
Tracy running along the notorious railway known as Kozí dráha (Goat railway). It was disused at the time.
Frozen.
Tracy in Modravský potok in the Bohemian Forest
Tracy with her new canine friend, Beauceron Candy.
Oh jeez, so many hay bales. Tracy is thrilled!
Tracy with Sebinka.
Somehow, wild daffodils started blooming at our favorite spot at Černá louka. They were there ever since and we always went to see them with Tracy.
Tracy at Děčínský Sněžník, a prominent mesa in the north Bohemia.
Tracy on a rock overhang at Děčínský Sněžník.
We found this pocket of snow in mid May. Tracy was of course thrilled with the find. She probably thought there's always some snow somewhere, it's just that we refuse to take her to it because we are mean to her.
Tracy with the panorama of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains. Děčínský Sněžník is the prominent mesa on the left.
So far, Tracy was a very healthy dog. But in 2022 worrying signs started to appear: She would become more and more picky with food, experience periods of inexplicable panting in the evening or night very likely caused by pain with tell-tale signs of some sort of locomotory issues. We visited the vet more than once, but the root cause was not found and we spent latter part of the year trying to manage the symptoms.
Tracy at lake Milada.
Tracy in the forest near Kristin Hrádek.
Christmas Eve in 2022.
Tracy had been experiencing a loss of appetite and periods of inexplicable discomfort for the latter part of the previous year. After multiple unsuccessful vet visits, we requested an orthopedy specialist to see her. And sure enough, without missing a beat he diagnosed a cauda equina syndrome, a nerve damage in lower back. Finally, we had an actionable diagnosis.
Tracy again visiting the wild daffodils at the Black Meadow, a designated nature monument.
Tracy wading in Černý potok (Black Stream). She wasn't feeling very well, but couldn't resist anyway.
In May Tracy was diagnosed with cauda equina syndrome and we started to explore our options.
Tracy at a local familial oak. It is about 200 years old and was planted at a farmstead. The farmstead no longer exists and the whole area that used to be fields and orchards is now built up. This same tree can be seen in several later photos on this page.
In June 2023, following a MRI scan, Tracy underwent laminectomy, a type of spine surgery, to fix a herniated disc and alleviate the problems it was causing. Tracy passed this trying time with flying colours and the operation was a success and the subsequent reconvalescence went well.
By mid-August, Tracy was well enough for trips to the mountains again.
This beech forest had been our favorite for many years. This November visit was one the last.
Tracy could no longer be safely helped into the car, so she needed to use this ramp.
Tracy with Border Collie Daisy. Daisy was preoccupied with her toys most of the time and rarely interacted with Tracy except for a fleeting sniff.
Coincidentally, this is also Daisy, but a Spitz Dog.
Baloo the Samoyed, another latter day acquaintance. He was quite fond of Tracy.
Tracy on the Střížovice Hill. This used to be very frequent place to out Tracy, but as time progressed we started to prefer the mountains. This was Tracy's last visit to the place.
Trip to see the wild daffodils at Černá louka. This was Tracy's last trip to the mountains.
Border Collie Daisy. Yes, I had Daisy's tennis ball.
Tracy with fallen cherry blossom petals.
Tracy died on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at her home after a short illness.