On April 4, 1995, my nephew was at Pet Smart, and they kept announcing over the loud speaker, will the owner of the black and white Shih Tzu please return to the Vet’s counter. This went on and on, and finally my nephew went and checked. He saw a poor skinny matted dirty black and white shih tzu. He told them, that if no one claimed her, he would be glad to take her. He left the store, did some other errands. When he got home, the phone rang, and it was Pet Smart, they said no one had claimed the Shih Tzu. So, my nephew went and picked her up, got all her shots, and then took her to be groomed, thinking his pregnant wife would be as thrilled with his find as he was…….
that was NOT the case.
She told him the already had a inside dog, inside cat, and outside dog, and did NOT need another dog. Everyone knows, call Karen if you have a extra dog, and here he came with this precious Shih Tzu, with her little pink tongue sticking out. Pet Smart said she had been used as breeding stock, and had apparently just weaned a litter.
hey said she was about 5 years old.
We chose to say she was born the day we got her. With her being 5 years old, I tried to call her every name I could think of to come up with her “real” name. She was housebroke, and had gone out, and I said Punkin are you ready to come in? She looked up, and seemed to answer to that name. I have no idea how many names I had called her. A couple days later, she had an accident in the kitchen, and it was orange, we took her straight to Pet Smart, and they took x-rays and discovered she had a bladder stone.
They agreed to split the cost of surgery since we “adopted” her. Her bladder stone was the size of the largest spoon in a silverware set. Whoever dumped her, had to be cold hearted. A couple years later, my son’s mother in law was at work, in the same shopping center, and someone from Pet Smart brought up the little Shih Tzu that someone just abandoned, and my son’s Mother In Law assured the Pet Smart lady that that dog now lived the life of a Queen!
The Pet Smart lady said she was so relieved to know that she found a good home. What are the chances of a Pet Smart employee just happening to mention it to someone who knew our Punkin?
slim to none?
She flourished after that, she was adored by me and my husband, she was the love of our life. She gave us joy and happiness. We had her groomed on a very regular basis, she had shots up to date, heart worm meds when due, she was treated like a Queen, but she made us feel like we were the luckiest two people in the world. She was afraid of storms, so we had to give her tranquilizers when it stormed, she was afraid of the dark, so we kept a nightlight on for her. Three years plus later, she wasn’t feeling well, we took her to a Vet (if you can call him that), and he said she was a little heavy, and that we should cut back on the treats, so that in a couple of years when she started getting older, it would benefit her, he put her on steroids for the condition I took her in for. The last of Aug. of 1998 I took her back in, and I said, she isn’t dying is she?
They looked at me with no feeling, and said, yes she is. I went to the floor, no one tried to comfort me, I finally made it home with her, and collapsed in my husbands arms. We contacted a personal friend who was a traveling vet, she came to the house, and took blood work, and the results showed that our precious Punkin’s entire systems were shutting down.
Doc came back with the news, and we knew our angel had to be put down, we took her in the bedroom, on the bed where she slept with us, and Doc gave her a shot, my husband & I held her until she breathed no more. We all sobbed. Hubby went and bought a pet casket, put her favorite pillow in it, placed her precious quiet body in it, put her favorite toy in with her, some treats, and a miniature flashlight, which we turned on, to help her find her way to heaven, and not be in the dark.
When we buried her in the backyard, my hubby turned her head to the South so the cold North winds would not blow on her in the Winter. We went out every night for 9 months to say good night, and turned on the side outside house light on, so she wouldn’t be in the dark.
n May 3, 1999, we were hit by the worst tornado in US history, and it broke out the light on the outside of the house. We then bought a solar light, and placed it on her grave,
so she is never in the dark.
This is the story of our Punkin, who stole our hearts. We have a oil painting of her at the foot of our bed, and we tell her good night every night. There will never be another Punkin. We have other Shih Tzu’s, but there was only ONE Punkin.
This is our story and I thank you for listening,
she was loved very very much,
and still is.
Love Always and Forever,
| Punkin |
| Karen & John Sebrant |