In Memory of Sweet Pea
Spring 1990 - Palm Sunday 2004
.gif "Paw bullets")
I found Sweet Pea in a lemon orchard on my way home from work one night. She was about 4 months old, frightened, thin, and covered with fleas. She was sitting under a tree with very 'old' eyes full of despair; waiting for the car that had dumped her to come back. She would have been coyote chow if I hadn't stopped and lured her into the car with the smell of my lunch sack.
She was so traumatized that she wretched every time I put her into the car to go for a ride, and then cried pitifully and struggled when it was time to get out again.
But that was long ago, and she was always the sweetest thing. She liked all people, all animals, and always played with new dogs.
You should have seen this girl RUN in her youth. It was like she floated and the angels sang with joy at the beauty of her. Over the years she had a few medical challenges, including a two eye conditions, "doggie ACL" knee surgery at about 8 years due to years of playing "grab the leg" with her brother Dufey, fused vertebrae at about 9 years from the toll of long distance running that she absolutely lived to do, and a heart murmer at the age of 12 due to a frayed valve leading out of the atrium. Her condition was monitored by a fine doggie cardiologist and managed with medication for another 2 years.
This next story is an example of how awesome this little girl was. At the age of 10, despite all the medical challenges she had so far overcome, she took off for an early morning mountain run in an October snow storm with the 2 year old Chow boy, Rolli Polli, in pursuit. She was gone for so long that all the nervous mother things were going through my head. So I put on all my winter gear for deep snow hiking and went out to look. After about an hour of calling and whistling and slogging through deep snow, she came galloping up to me, smiling, happy, and not even breathing hard. About 10 minutes later, the big, strong, 2 year old Chow boy dragged his butt in, exhausted and breathing hard. They had been gone, running, for almost 5 hours.
On Palm Sunday, 2004, we all went out for our morning walk and run. She was a bit tired and my heart sank. I had been warned that there was no "cure" for her heart condition since there currently was no artificial valve for doggies. I was also advised that when that valve finally gave, it would be very quick. She stayed with me until late that evening. I held her until she passed. I still miss her dreadfully. But I keep seeing images of her running in enormous circles with her happy grin, almost like she's telling me that she's happy and not to be sad.
She was so traumatized that she wretched every time I put her into the car to go for a ride, and then cried pitifully and struggled when it was time to get out again.
But that was long ago, and she was always the sweetest thing. She liked all people, all animals, and always played with new dogs.
You should have seen this girl RUN in her youth. It was like she floated and the angels sang with joy at the beauty of her. Over the years she had a few medical challenges, including a two eye conditions, "doggie ACL" knee surgery at about 8 years due to years of playing "grab the leg" with her brother Dufey, fused vertebrae at about 9 years from the toll of long distance running that she absolutely lived to do, and a heart murmer at the age of 12 due to a frayed valve leading out of the atrium. Her condition was monitored by a fine doggie cardiologist and managed with medication for another 2 years.
This next story is an example of how awesome this little girl was. At the age of 10, despite all the medical challenges she had so far overcome, she took off for an early morning mountain run in an October snow storm with the 2 year old Chow boy, Rolli Polli, in pursuit. She was gone for so long that all the nervous mother things were going through my head. So I put on all my winter gear for deep snow hiking and went out to look. After about an hour of calling and whistling and slogging through deep snow, she came galloping up to me, smiling, happy, and not even breathing hard. About 10 minutes later, the big, strong, 2 year old Chow boy dragged his butt in, exhausted and breathing hard. They had been gone, running, for almost 5 hours.
On Palm Sunday, 2004, we all went out for our morning walk and run. She was a bit tired and my heart sank. I had been warned that there was no "cure" for her heart condition since there currently was no artificial valve for doggies. I was also advised that when that valve finally gave, it would be very quick. She stayed with me until late that evening. I held her until she passed. I still miss her dreadfully. But I keep seeing images of her running in enormous circles with her happy grin, almost like she's telling me that she's happy and not to be sad.