When I first heard your mama, Shasta was pregnant, I asked her master if I could have one of her babies. To our surprise you were the ONLY one! And you almost killed your mama. You were a big puppy. Her owner said you looked like a badger, so ‘Badger’ became your name. The first time I saw you I fell in love. Time went by, you grew and so did your hair! Wow! The poodle had come out in you. I asked your mamas’ owner, “Where’s the puppy I saw 2 months ago?” When you were 3 1/2 months old, they gave you your last bath at their home and put a beautiful big red bow around your neck!
You were going to be a 6 yr old boys’ birthday present! There were pictures taken of your bath, leaving your mama, and getting ready to make a little boy grin from ear to ear! At first, you shared our apartment with us, but then we found a house with a big backyard for you to run & play in. There was, also, a sweet little 2 year old girl for you to follow around & play with while her brother was at school. She called you ‘Badgie’. We even put up a doggy door for you! You really thought you had it made then! There was a few really loud people that you didn’t like at all. You’d bark and after I’d tell you, everything was alright, you’d relax & hide behind my chair. They couldn’t get to you back there! Too many times to count, you’d climb the chain link fence to find a girlfriend.
When I’d go looking for you, I guess you always knew because you’d be waiting for me on the front porch when I returned with your tail wagging! I’d get so worried about you. I’d want to hug you & spank you at the same time. Once you did this and got caught by the big bad dog catcher! It was the New Years Eve, he put you in this jail type of place.
That was a long night for you and for us. You got into a fight and another dog cut your eyelid. After that, we let you stay inside. That really made you happy because then you could sleep next to Theresa. Y’all would sleep back to back. You always got a special haircut for the holidays and a stocking of your own. Santa would always leave you various sizes of rawhide bones. That was the only thing I could ever get you to fetch! You developed a prostate problem, when you were 9, and the vet recommended giving you the ‘snip’. You were healthy again after that until you got to be 13.
Your heart was getting a little tired. Off to the vet again for some tests & daily medications. You would always lean against me while standing on that cold table to the point if I’d taken a step back, you’d have fallen off. In 2002, it seems like everything caught up with you. You started having a hard time seeing, would get mixed up about when to potty, and would look for me at different times by barking. And the other dog, Kinky would sometimes be mean to you for no apparent reason. She sensed it too.
We would pray each night that God would send an angel for you, but that’s not want he had planned for either of us. I cried all the way to the vet. I didn’t want to give you up. None of us did, but we knew
we had to let you go.
Now, you can see to run & play with your mama and get your back scratched by Mamaw, Papaw, Morris and Jimmy. We’ll be together again someday, my sweet Badger Radger. I love you.
In our hearts forever,
| Badger |
| Carol Windham |