I had barely finished transplanting the last of the day lily roots when I heard a vehicle pull up to the curb. I turned to find my husband and one of his coworkers getting out of the truck.
"Look what we rescued in Wyoming," my husband announced as his employee winked at me.
"Seriously?" I asked. "I thought we were getting a puppy in a few months."
Someone had stolen our little dash hound out of our backyard, leaving us and the children devastated. Our friends' dog was expecting puppies in two months and we'd put our name on the waiting list in the hopes of getting one of the puppies.
This dog was full grown and judging from the gray around her snout, she was no spring chicken.
Wiping my hands on my pants, …show more content…
Leaping from the truck she, immediately met me, licking my hands and face. I had the baby sitting on a blanket on the lawn and I worried that the excited dog might knock him over, but she gently sniffed him and sat down by his side. By this time my other two children had come outside to see what all the excitement was about.
"Can we keep her?" they pleaded. My son suggested we call her Pepper since the spots on her fur looked as if someone had sprinkled her with pepper.
I was married to my first husband at that time who worked out of town and was rarely home. We'd had our share of marital problems and lately no matter how hard I'd tried to lift myself up, my spirits had plummeted. Pepper not only offered a distraction and playmate for the children, but I found she also filled a void for me. Her entrance was perfectly timed and I felt that heaven had sent her. This dog seemed to sense that I needed a partner, following me and the children every step of the way. Instead of a dog, she was more like a mother hen, hovering and fussing over us and I'll admit, with her in the house, I felt safe, watched over, and not so …show more content…
In the same way I'd nursed my children when they'd gotten sick, I held her in my arms as if she were a baby, cuddling and soothing her through her illness. Low and behold after several weeks her body healed itself and Pepper gained her strength back. I felt so relieved.
Unfortunately, weeks later, on another chilly, dreary day, Pepper grew ill. I tried feeding her broth, but she was too weak to lap any of it up. She did, find comfort, cuddled in my lap with her head nestled against my shoulder.
The following morning we headed back to the vet. "Unfortunately distemper is a cruel disease," he informed me. "Many animals make it through the initial illness only to have the disease come back with a vengeance. Your dog is suffering and and will not make it this time. The kindest thing you can do is to put her out of her misery."
Uncontrollable sobs shook my body as Pepper eternally closed her eyes. All I could think about was how cruel it was to bring her into our lives for such a short time only to take her away again. I felt a huge hole in my heart as anger and bitterness seeped though
"Look what we rescued in Wyoming," my husband announced as his employee winked at me.
"Seriously?" I asked. "I thought we were getting a puppy in a few months."
Someone had stolen our little dash hound out of our backyard, leaving us and the children devastated. Our friends' dog was expecting puppies in two months and we'd put our name on the waiting list in the hopes of getting one of the puppies.
This dog was full grown and judging from the gray around her snout, she was no spring chicken.
Wiping my hands on my pants, …show more content…
Leaping from the truck she, immediately met me, licking my hands and face. I had the baby sitting on a blanket on the lawn and I worried that the excited dog might knock him over, but she gently sniffed him and sat down by his side. By this time my other two children had come outside to see what all the excitement was about.
"Can we keep her?" they pleaded. My son suggested we call her Pepper since the spots on her fur looked as if someone had sprinkled her with pepper.
I was married to my first husband at that time who worked out of town and was rarely home. We'd had our share of marital problems and lately no matter how hard I'd tried to lift myself up, my spirits had plummeted. Pepper not only offered a distraction and playmate for the children, but I found she also filled a void for me. Her entrance was perfectly timed and I felt that heaven had sent her. This dog seemed to sense that I needed a partner, following me and the children every step of the way. Instead of a dog, she was more like a mother hen, hovering and fussing over us and I'll admit, with her in the house, I felt safe, watched over, and not so …show more content…
In the same way I'd nursed my children when they'd gotten sick, I held her in my arms as if she were a baby, cuddling and soothing her through her illness. Low and behold after several weeks her body healed itself and Pepper gained her strength back. I felt so relieved.
Unfortunately, weeks later, on another chilly, dreary day, Pepper grew ill. I tried feeding her broth, but she was too weak to lap any of it up. She did, find comfort, cuddled in my lap with her head nestled against my shoulder.
The following morning we headed back to the vet. "Unfortunately distemper is a cruel disease," he informed me. "Many animals make it through the initial illness only to have the disease come back with a vengeance. Your dog is suffering and and will not make it this time. The kindest thing you can do is to put her out of her misery."
Uncontrollable sobs shook my body as Pepper eternally closed her eyes. All I could think about was how cruel it was to bring her into our lives for such a short time only to take her away again. I felt a huge hole in my heart as anger and bitterness seeped though