In July of 1994 I and my four children moved back to California from Texas after my then husband was jailed for sexually abusing my oldest three children. To say the least it was a time of turbulence and upheaval and as a mother of four I was in great need of support from my family. My mother lived alone in the house I grew up in and offered to allow us to start life over again under her roof. She had a medium sized all black(except for a small patch of white on her chest and tip of her tail) female dog which she had adopted from a local SPCA shelter and her name was LIttle One. She became a wonderful friend to us all and was one of the greatest dogs I have ever had the priveledge to know. She had webbed toes so was a water dog but I never really knew her breed, only her temperment and personality. She adored us and was extremely playful while never jumping on anyone. She would run around and drop at your feet to get you to chase her. She didn’t care much for our cats but tolerated them.

She was a real lovebug who couldn’t get enough caresses or kisses but just didn’t want to share attention with other dogs or animals. When my mother suffered a heart attack a few years later, it became necessary for her to move in with my brother and sell her home. By this time, I and my kids had become more or less independent and were in a place of our own. Little One had to be kept alone in an area of their yard where she wouldn’t get into fights with their family dog and was literally starving for love. It really broke my heart whenever I went to visit and saw her languishing alone. I will always feel guilty for not trying to get Mom to let me have her but the $450 fee for keeping her in my apartment was more than I could afford at the time. One day I went over for a visit and was informed that she was suffering greatly from an infection in her head from wounding herself on the fence. Her head was blown up like a balloon and she was so weak she could barely walk.

She was obviously suffering and when my sister in law informed me they were going to euthenize her, I volunteered to be the one to take her, since she still knew me and my son who was with me. Even in this time of great pain, she still responded to our presence in a positive and loving way and the thought of someone else just dropping her off at the vet’s office to die was more than either of us could bear. We took her in and they allowed us both(my son and myself) to stay with her all the way through the procedure and we lovingly stroked her and told her how much we loved her while she died. It was so heartbreaking for us both and we shed lots of tears while doing so but wouldn’t trade those final moments for anything. At least she knew she wasn’t alone and that we were there to love her once more. Dogs are such special creatures and all they ask from us is our love. God bless all those who are willing to adopt and rescue these wonderful creatures and God bless you, Mark, for taking the time out of your busy life to share your wonderful Sprite with us.

Mary from CA