Pound Puppy

I've been thinking about my Mom a lot lately and on my way home yesterday another memory came to me.

I was exiting the 105 freeway at Garfield and remembered the day that I took my Mom to the nearby animal shelter to get her newest "fur baby."

A few months prior, her "best girl," "Sarah" passed away. Sarah was about 14 years old and a total "lap dog." Wherever my Mom was, there would be Sarah.

My Mom had another sweety-pooched named "Lazarus." He was about as old, and my Mom loved him just as much. There was just something special about Sarah though.

So yeah...Sarah eventually took her last breath and my Mom was HEARTBROKEN. We couldn't even SPEAK of Sarah without my Mom breaking into tears. So we tried our best not to mention her.

One day, I asked my Mom if she wanted another dog. At first she said no, because no one could ever replace her Sarah. That was understandable, yet there had to be SOMETHING that would relieve her sadness.

A few days later my Mom decided that she did want another dog. So we went online and viewed pics of adoptable doggies at the local shelters. We looked through picture after picture after picture.

Finally, my Mom saw one that caught her eye and said, "Let's go get her."

So the next day, we headed to the shelter to get my Mom's newest "fur baby."

We arrived at the shelter, went up and down the aisles peeking into the kennels until we found the one we'd come for. My Mom asked, "Is that her?"

I said, "Yep."

My Mom asked, "Why does she look different? She doesn't look like her picture."

I didn't have an answer to that one.

Then my Mom noticed that the pooch was on medication for Parvo.

Once my Mom saw that she decided that she didn't want to adopt that particular dog because she didn't want Lazarus to catch it. So...up and down we went, through the aisles once again to find a new pooch.

We spotted one.

A tiny little chihuahua (my Mom LOVED chihuahuas. ALL of her dogs had been chihuahuas). Contrary to what so many folks think, not ALL chihuahuas are "yappy." Every one that my Mom had (and she had MANY), were very sweet and loving...not "yappy" at all.

So...we asked to see the pup and got a chance to hold him. What a sweety he was, calmly laying his head on my should as if to say, "If you take me home I'll love you forever." How could we say no to that?

My Mom decided that he was the one.

She named him "Sammy", we signed the papers, and off we went.

He sat so calmly in my Mom's lap on the way home and we were sure that we'd made the right decision. Yep...that's what we thought.

We got home, carried him inside, sat him down on the floor, and like LIGHTNING...HE TOOK OFF!

He was EVERYWHERE! Moving so fast, we couldn't keep up with him.

What we very quickly discovered was that this 11 week old PUPPY was not a suitable replacement for a 13 YEAR old mature DOG.

My Mom was in over her head. Sammy was on the move ALL day, and only shut off at night for a few hours to sleep. He was exhausting. My Mom loved him, but he was exhausting. He would've been perfect for a family with small children, but not for a woman in her 60s.

Shortly after my Mom got Sammy, she had an accident that resulted in her being hospitalized, never to return home to her beloved "fur babies."

She missed them, and they missed her. Lazarus took her absence especially hard. I'd never witnessed an animal go through depression until I saw Lazarus become deeply depressed over my Mom.

He became a hermit, a recluse.

I'd go over and coax him out of his "lonely place." Would give him as much love as I could during my visits, but it didn't seem to help. He'd go right back to where he was before I arrived.

So much sadness.

Now, they're ALL gone. My Mom is in Heaven, and I have no idea where the dogs are. Both Sammy and Lazarus got loose, never to return. They've both been chipped so if anyone had found them it wouldn't be difficult to find their owners. Over a year has passed though, and that hasn't happened yet.

I've never been to Heaven, yet I sure look forward to getting there one day. When it comes to animals in Heaven, I'm not sure if they're there or not. I sure hope so though. That would let me know that my Mom is having a grand ol' time, because when it came to "fur babies," they made her happier than ANYTHING on Earth (that included her human babies). Her "fur babies" gave her joy that nothing, or no ONE else could match. That's how much she LOVED them.

By the way...Sammy is the one in the photo. Can't even begin to tell you how tough it was to get him to sit still long enough for the pic.

Now, let the DIALOGUE begin: When was the last time you visited an animal shelter? Did you adopt a pet while you were there?

Talk to me!

Til next time...