Tuesday, June 29, 2010

celebrating the long life of our sweet Sadie.


14 years ago, we were driving down a busy road when we noticed a huge, pot belly-looking, black dog running down the street. We pulled over and put her in our car. I told Johnny "this dog is pregnant". He said "let's put up some lost dog signs and get her back to where she belongs". Our kids were small {8 mos. and 3 yrs.}. We weren't looking for a dog. I had my hand full. After two days, I went and took all the signs down. I could tell this dog had been abused. She would cringe every time you raised your hand above your waist. There was no way I was going to give her back. I didn't tell Johnny that I had taken the signs down, I just told him, that I wanted to keep her as no one had called {little did I know, he had placed an ad in the paper...still no one had called to claim her}. Alex, then 3, named her Sadie. A week after we found her, the day after Christmas, she delivered 8 gorgeous puppies in the kid's Little Tikes log cabin playhouse. 2 white labs, 3 black labs, 2 rottwilers/shepherds, 1 black and white spotted cattle dog mix. In a week, our whole life had changed. Unable to feed all the puppies herself, I bottle fed tiny, fluffy puppies formula and nursed, my then 8 month old, baby girl every few hours, I was as close to a farm girl as I've ever been. I scooped up puppy droppings, cuddled and loved puppies, and was in heaven with the tiny dogs and new mama dog in our lives. Alex loved the idea that you could drive down the street, find a dog, and then have 9 new pets within a week. We put leashes and dog bones in the car and he started asking us to pullover every time we saw a loose dog or a cat
{something we still do today}. Sometimes, even asking us to grab animals that obviously belonged to others. {We keep our animals indoors, so cats sitting on hoods of cars or loose dogs in their own yards are 'free' pets in his mind-still today}.

After 10 weeks of being the most popular house in our neighborhood, we eventually found homes for all the darling puppies, fixed Sadie so she wouldn't get into anymore trouble, and welcomed her into our growing family...two babies, two old cats and now, a beautiful, loyal, black dog.

Time has passed, too quickly, we eventually put the two cats down, rescued three more demanding siamese  and adopted my Tipper, a sweet Chihuahua. Our kids are teenagers {14 and 17} and our Sadie is nearing the end.

My heart breaks today as we make the painful decision today, tomorrow, this week, to let her go to Heaven now...feeling ever so grateful for that day 14 years ago, when we were lucky enough to drive down that busy road, changing our lives forever and filling our hearts with love...we love you sweet Sadie!