1990 —- Sept. 25 2000
Pure Mutt
People always confused our two dogs because of their names:
Sarge was the little dog and Teddy Bear was the big dog but
no one could keep their names straight.
Then when we explained it to them they thought we were nuts.
But we were not nuts because Sarge was named appropriately.
He was a tough old man he was the one in charge and he definitely
earned his stripes. Eight years ago we saved him from the
SPCA mobile unit a last effort at adoption.
All the others were barking and jumping around but not Sarge.
He just sat there with his biggest marketing tool: those big sad brown eyes.
He may have had “little dog syndrome” but he never knew he was little.
I remember when he bit a Rottweiler in the head because he thought
the dog was going to attack me. Thank God the dog was so shocked by
Sarge’s attack that he sat there stunned enough so we could get away.
Sarge was my first dog my baby. He got me through some really tough times
including when my mom was dying. He licked my tears as I cried and then he
cried with me. When I was stuck at the hospital for 24 hours he wouldn’t
even have an accident in the kitchen but waited all that time for
me to come home. He was just so loving and so unique that everyone
fell in love with him. People would come up to us all the time wanting to
know what kind of dog he was. We were never sure so we told them
he was “pure mutt” or a “gas chamber dog.”
Once a lady even pulled over in her car to ask us.
Then she opened her car door to show us that she had a dog that looked
just like him and she wanted to know because she didn’t know what kind
of dog she had. Sarge tore a ligament in his right rear leg four weeks ago.
We then found out he had a heart murmur and an enlarged heart as well
as a super-low thyroid. Right before we scheduled his surgery,
his right front leg became paralyzed probably from nerve damage
caused by a distended disk in his neck.
There was nothing more we could do for him. I stayed with him and he
fought until the end even scaring the vet who dropped the needle.
When he was gone he didn’t look like he was gone.
He looked so peaceful finally.
I never thought you would leave such a hole in my heart Sarge.
I will always love you and miss you.
Teddy misses you too.
He’s so lost without his commanding officer.
Angela
Sarge |