A dog. My mom did not want us to have one at all. I was probably about 10 and my sister was 12. After much begging, she finally let us ‘just go look’ at a dog someone was giving away. The night we went to meet her… oh I remember like it was yesterday. We all instantly fell in love with the most gentle and friendly creature you could ever meet. She listened so well, she was so friendly and loving. We decided we had to take her home. We left her there that night so they could all say their goodbyes to her, a couple days later they brought her to move in to her new home with us. She was nervous at first, but she got used to it quickly. She had a mean bark, but she would lick you to death before ever thinking about biting. She was a very particular animal.
If it was raining, she would not go outside. She would not have an accident all day waiting for it to stop raining. She loved jumping in the snow. She instantly became like a sister to my sisters and I. When we would be fighting and wrestling, she would join in by barking and pawing at us to stop. We moved to our new house a few years later. She was like the neighborhood dog. They all knew her and loved her. The neighbor across the street would have dog treats in his truck for her. She always ran over to his front porch to ‘hang out’ with him.
When I was about 18 I was playing with her one day. I noticed she had a unusual bump in her throat. I told my mom and said that I knew something was wrong. Sure enough something really was. The next morning her throat swelled up like a balloon. My mom took her to the vet immediately. They took tests and found out she had a tumor in her esophagus. It was inoperable and they said it was just going to end up basically suffocating her, there was nothing they could do. A day later, after coming home for about a day, she had to be put to sleep. She was getting worse really fast. She was no longer in any pain or discomfort.
I wish everyone could have met Gretchen. Anyone who did loved her. She was the most well behaved dog I have ever been around. If you wanted to leave your plate of food in the middle of the floor, you could. She would look, but never ever got up to touch it unless you told her too. I miss her, and I will never find another ‘sister’ like her. We all love and miss you. We will never forget you. I know your walking in the shadows with me.
We love you and will never forget you!
Love all of us...
| Gretchen |
| Kristen Heilman |