Over a decade ago, this dog entered my life. My husband and kids really wanted a dog. I was outvoted on this one. I had never had a dog and didn't want one.
They convinced me they could find a nice dog. One day it happened, they showed up with a black dog - named Sadie. They found her at the local pound and told me they had checked her out (for 3 days) to see if she fit in with the family. I thought that was interesting! Check out a dog like you check out a library book. Return it when you are finished.
Anyhow, they loved her. And she stayed. I was afraid to go out of the backdoor to the backyard because there was a big, black dog outside. It took me a long time to finally bond with her.
She had been abused as a puppy and had separation anxiety. We kept her outside and she cried for a couple of weeks. I did too. (Mostly because I couldn't believe we now had a family dog.)
As time went by, she calmed down. Realized we were not leaving her. I did too. I started to enjoy her company.
She went on almost every family vacation to the ocean and loved the beach as much as we did. We moved five times during the duration of our decade with her. She adapted to every new house, yard and neighborhood. She was just happy to be with us - no matter what.
She would chase my car down the road every time I left and in every time I came home. She is the only dog I've ever seen with a constant smile. She loved kids and was a member of our family. She wagged her tail and greeted us with enthusiasm every day.
Up until the very end, her big brown eyes were filled with love and acceptance. It was so very hard to say good bye to that sweet, old dog.
Thanks Sadie for all the memories. You were the best dog a family could ever dream of having.
I will miss you.
Just this morning as I pulled out of the garage, I imagined she was standing in the drive way bidding me good bye...
