Sassy - Such a sweet dog, deserved much better.

Jul 07, 2011 06:01

 When I was 13 my mom wanted a dog.  I kept saying we shouldn't get a dog. I knew it was a lot of work and I would be responsible for cleaning up after it if it decided to potty in the house.

I asked her to until we know if we were going to be staying in the house we just moved into.

The beginning of my Freshman year of high school my mom got a phone call from her friend saying that one of their friend's Chihuahuas just gave birth to a litter. My mom rushed over and fell in love with one while I was in school. She told me that we were getting one. Part of me was annoyed at the added responsibility, the other part was happy to have a pet again.

One month later, September 1996 we brought home a four week old Chihuahua.  My mom promptly named her Sassy after the cat in Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey.



She was a fiesty little thing.
   She was running everywhere.
   She was loving on us all.
   She was everything you could want in a puppy.

But she was not normal. 
   She refused to eat.
   No matter what we put in front of her, she wouldn't even bother.
   We tried giving her table scraps. Nothing.

Four nights into it we decided we were going to take her to the vet.
   That night we were eating take out McDonald's.
   She was whimpering for our food.
   She ate the french fries.
   She ate the nuggets.
   She ate everything we gave her.

That moment on we realized we had picky eater.
   She ate dog foods, but most of her diet consisted of turkey and chicken.
   And the occasional bites off of our food.

Over the years she was a great loyal dog. 
   We would leave for 8 hours or more, we'd come home. 
   She would be waiting for us in the window. Her food untouched all day.

We would take her to get baths and nails trimmed.
    She would cry when we left her there.
    But when we picked her up an hour later she was so happy to go.

She was a great bed buddy.
She would lay between your legs. Lay by your side.
Lay on your head.  As long as she was touching you when she fell asleep.

Through the years she was my best friend.  

When my mom was in the hospital, she was there with me at night.
When the car crashed into our house she was right there with me. Just as scared.
When my mom had to leave for TN to get cancer treatment, Sassy was there with me.
Every night my mom would say "Take care of Sassy for me" and I told her "I do"

Sassy's health started going downhill. She was having difficulty breathing so I took her to the vet. She had tracheal collapse. Expensive to treat and they said she a bit old for the treatments to be effective. By this time Sassy was 13.


When I got the news my mom died, Sassy was right here beside me. Snuggling with me through the tears. 
I feel I coped better with it all because I  had Sassy. My mom's dog who became mine.

I remember thinking I wouldn't be able to handle it if something happened to Sassy, but I talked myself into believing it would be okay because Chihuahuas can live up to 25 years. And at this time she was just 14 year and 3 months.

Sassy seemed happier at times, she loved going out for walks more. She had a new toy that became her favorite.


But her breathing became worse. She was sleeping around 18 hours a day. She would wake up gasping for air. I would look at her at times and she just had this sad look on her face. Permanent stains where tears fell from eyes. I felt that no one would help me make the decision that I was being drawn to making.

I  never wanted it to happen. It hurt so much. If anyone can ever avoid it, they should. I felt and still do feel extremely guilty.
I felt it wasn't my choice to make. I can still hear her whimpers. I still feel her in my arms. But I do know she's no longer choking for air. No longer gagging just trying to breathe.

I love you Sassy. I miss you. And I wish things would've been different. But at the same time, I appreciate and cherish what we did have.

Sassy Bogart 
 

lonely, mylife, serious, mom, sassy, sad

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