" Prissy" Sizemore
1951 -- 1969
The first time I saw this rat of a dog was at my grandmother's house.
I was about six maybe younger. There were several puppies in a box.
Even to a small skinny girl they seemed so small.
They were probably 5 weeks old. With my mother's help
I picked her from the group. The white fluffy one was
so much cuter but as always my cousin got first choice and
that one was spoken for. What happened to their tails?
As I looked closer there was only a scabby stump where I had
always seen tails on dogs. Aunt Ruth cut their
tails off with a razor blade!!!
I pictured that gory scene in my mind and just as quickly
came back to the sounds and smells of the box.
I must be the only person in the world who loves to smell puppy breath.
Aunt Ruth was a tough lady and I was afraid of her from then on.
The time between that day and adult doghood is but a blue in my memory.
The years that came are so vivid. The dresses I put on her.
The cat we had that I put side by side with Prissy in my doll bed
and fed them both milk from a doll baby bottle. The fleas!
The baths! How she ran around the living room after
I bathed her stopping at intervals to roll on the carpet.
A personality that most people lack Prissy was a real charmer.
She begged cheese from my Daddy by crawling on her
belly and throwing her head back and "laughing".
This dog had a real sense of humor.
The seizures. There were times through the 18 years I knew Prissy
that I wasn't sure if she would make it through the seizures.
In those days animals either lived or died.
I guess my parents couldn't afford to take her to the vet.
My Daddy held her close so she wouldn't hurt herself.
Prissy's eyes were glassed over and something was coming
from her mouth. She couldn't walk. I cried.
Then Daddy would announce the "spell" was over and Prissy
lived to love another day. Eighteen years is a long time.
When a pet is with a family that long inside where all life goes on
it's hard to say good-bye.
Frail blind and deaf Prissy could only crawl into the hallway that morning.
She had made her way to the bathroom for years to lay at
Daddy's feet while he shaved.
It was strange that after being bedridden for weeks
she crawled to him unable to hear or see. How did she Know?
As my mother and I cam back from the vet after saying an emotional
good-bye to a loyal friend and family member we cried.
In the years since I still have that emptiness inside when I think of her.
That was almost 30 years ago. I hope dogs go to heaven.
I would so love to hold that little thing in my arms again.
I would so love to see her laugh again.
I need a good laugh.
| Prissy |
| Sizemore |