I was on my way to Pa.with my wife Elaine, to buy my third Norwich terrier puppy in one year,when I heard your conversation with Rush concerning “RESCUING SPRITE”.My kids, all daughters, Jean 48, Dinah 44 and Alison 42 gave me a copy for Christmas. I give you their ages to give you an idea of my vintage. After reading it I felt compelled to write you about my “EBE”. I have a 16 year old Norwich female named “A.J.” that these same daughters gave to us as a 4mo old puppy. I’m a practicing veterinarian in Blythewood S.C.and golf whenever I have the opportunity and A.J. is my constant sidekick. About a year ago it became obvious that I was going to lose my sidekick to the ravages of age and I couldn’t bear the thought of being without her at my side. My wife began a search and found a litter in Md. The breeder was an 86 year old practicing physician and her kennel was on Old Jerusalem rd. and the litters grandfather was “Jerusalem’s Ebenezer” and thus I named my little female “EBE” and we proudly drove home with her approximately 3 weeks before your “SPRITE” left you. A.J.and my wife’s sidekick “KELSEY” accepted EBE without even curling a lip and A.J. soon taught her golf ettiquette and I rode to work with two dogs in the passenger seat instead of one and two dogs on the golf cart instead of one.

She soon became my constant companion as A.J. had been, A.J. would sleep under my desk and EBE would accompany me into each examining room as if she was a quality control supervisor, when I went into the bathroom she would be in there before I was, when I was in the swimming pool she was at the edge as close to me as she could get. When I did my morning exercises she knew when I was on my last set and would grab the sleeve of my tee shirt in her teeth and tug until I got up and took her and the rest of the dogs out to get the morning newspaper. She woke us in the morning with her kisses and licked us good night before she snuggled between us at night. She had a personality that wouldn’t quit she loved everybody and trusted us implicitly.She was the perfect understudy of A.J..

In early July I had just pulled in to the parking lot of my other veterinary hospital in Lexington S.C. and I had Kelsey with me as well as A.J. and EBE. This clinic has a parking lot which fronts on two intersecting streets and serves for certain non law abiding drivers as the hypoteneuse of the triangle, Since many people were using this as a bypass of the traffic light at the intersection and cut through at a high rate of speed, I had told my office manager to get a price on having “speed bumps” installed.Unfortunately they were not yet in place and on that day in July when I parked and opened my door Kelsey and EBE bolted out of my car towards the back door of the hospital.I was helping A.J. out of the car (not 15 seconds had passed since I opened the car door) and I noticed an SUV that had just traversed the lot and saw EBE in the lot and she appeared to be sniffing something on the pavement. I yelled at her to get out of the road,and then my world suddenly collapsed around me, I realized that she wasn’t sniffing anything and that blood was pooling around her nose.I snatched her up, ran into the hospital with her and began CPR. There was no saving her. She did not have a mark on her, Her aorta had ruptured and she was dead before I got to her. As near as I can figure she must have run into the wheel of the SUV as it passed by .I’m sure the driver had no idea he or she had hit the dog. I managed to call Elaine and tell her and thanked god for sparing her Kelsey. I then drove home with my beloved friends (two thankfully alive and one mercifully dead.Mercifully because if God had to take her from me, he did it expeditiously and with no suffering) I had to stop 3 times on the 35 mile drive home because I was crying uncontrollably. We buried her in the same place that we had buried two wonderful feline friends ‘BEE’ AND “SIMBA”.

I was a basket case and I know Elaine and my daughters were very worried about me. For the next day and a half I saw EBE everywhere. She was in the bathroom when I went there , she was out at the Koi pond when I was feeding the fish , she was behind the examining table when I went into examine a patient.I would look at her grave and she was sitting on it with that peculiar sitting position all Norwich’s assume. It was as though she was hanging around to see if I was going to be allright. Midday the third day after EBE was killed, my youngest daughter called me and told me she had located a 5 month old Norwich puppy in Pensacola Florida. When I took the call EBE’s presence was particularily strong and I could almost feel her kissing me.I called the breeder in Pensacola.

After talking to her Elaine and I left for Pensacola the next morning, that evening we were the proud owners of ROXIE who has picked up where EBE left off. My reason for telling you my tale is that after talking to the breeder in Pensacola , EBE’s presence suddenly disappeared. It was as though she knew she had screwed up and was hanging around until she was sure that I was going to be O.K.. Elaine was very concerned, because she was afraid that because ROXIE was two&1/2 months older than EBE was when we got her, that she might not adjust as EBE had and might already be bonded to the breeder who had raised her in her home.I firmly believe that God and EBE handpicked Roxie. She did things such as riding on the golf cart and following me (actually preceding me) into the bathroom and sitting on my right knee while I was driving that EBE had done. I think EBE gave her a speed tutoring.

We get kisses in the morning and at night and A.J. and Kelsey accepted her immediately and she too has become a quality control supervisor when I go into an examining room. When God took my EBE there was nothing all my training and fancy sophisticated equipment could do to save her.She is with him and I know she is well and waits for me to return to her. God wanted me to have ROXIE, he works in ways we don’t understand, I miss her terribly but I love Roxie immensely.You were God’s caregiver and you may think you made the decision concerning SPRITE but I’m sure that God made the decision , it was time for Sprite to come to him and give him joy and it was time for you to give some of your love to another of his creatures and thus your new dog appeared as soon as he found a match for you. We have enjoyed EBE and then Roxie so much that the kids located another litter in Pa.and we decided to get another pup thus I heard your conversation with Rush on the way to get her.

Our newest addition “MILLEY” is alittle over 4 months old and A.J .and ROXIE have her in training. As a veterinarian who has been in practice for over 40 years I can tell you that putting animals to sleep to end needless suffering is a gift when used as intended. You were merely Gods instrument just as that SUV was in EBE;s case. Enjoy your furry friends and continue to deserve their love and trust.

Jonathan from SC