It was a sad time in my life when she arrived. My dad had passed
away (2000), and I was feeling so lost. Someone threw her away like
garage, she was lost too.
By the grace of God, she found our house. At first sight, I was as much
in love with her as she was me. I fed her for a few weeks, and made a
bed for her under my carport. I thought she would just eat a few meals,
then go on her way, as so many other dogs did. But she was different. I
could tell she didn\’t want to move on,,,,,,  She knew she was finally home.
I took her to the Vet, told him I thought she was grown, she weighed
31 pounds at the time. He looked at her teeth, sorta laughed and said,
\”No, she\’s about 4 months old.\” My daughter named her \”Sandy\”, because
of her sandy-red color. She finally stopped growing, and topped-out at
106. She wasn\’t fat,,,,,,just muscle and strength.
She owned the street. She thought she had to control every car and human
she came in contact with. A 5 foot fence separated her for any contact
with them, but that didn\’t seem to matter to Sandy. She had to let them
know that she was in control of this part of Woody Terrace.
I came home one day after a year or so of \”her owning me\”, LOL, and dis-
covered she had torn the drainpipe off the house. It was put up with concrete
nails, guess noone told Sandy she couldn\’t tear it off.
If noone was in the backyard, Sandy would play alone. She would take her ball,
throw it over, onto her back, and let it roll down, then grab it up, and push it
into the fence, so it would just stick there. She would walk by it, look at it
just stuck there, with such accomplishment on her face.
I loved the intense looks I received from her. Sometimes I felt she was looking
through my soul. She was so attentive, just loved being with us. That seemed to
be all she needed in life,,,,was us.
It was a trip taking her to the Vet for checkups. Toward her later years, I had
to have Roy go help me. I remember the first time Roy went with me. He acted
as though it was no big deal taking her, until he raised the hatchback of the Trail
Blazer in the parking lot of the Vet\’s and she leaped over him like a deer, knocking
him to the ground. I was almost scared to laugh, being afraid he was hurt, but it
was so funny too.
She was our \”BIG GIRL\”,,,,,,Unlike any dog I had ever had.
In April of 2007, I noticed the right side of her head was sunk in. I took her to
the Vet and he said she had either injured her head somewhere, or it was a tumor
at the base of her skull, on a nerve. They wanted to send her to Knoxville, Tenn-
essee and let them experiment on her. I talked to Roy and Kelly and we decided
no way. So we decided to just let her live her life at home, and have quality of life
and not quantity. As the months went by, I watched her carefully to try and see
any signs of decline. Everything seemed fine until the seventh month. She started
losing her motor skills, as the vet said she would if it was a tumor. Then on November
3rd, 2007, it was just too much. She seemed to not be able to focus on me, and she
couldn\’t walk without the assistance of the fence to keep her stable. I called the
Vet and they came out. I sat down and she laid beside me. I held my baby, telling
her she was loved, and rubbing her, while the Vet inserted the needle, filled with the
bright pink liquid. After a few seconds, she totally relaxed against my body. I kept
talking to her, telling her what a good girl she was, and I loved her.
By that time, Roy arrived. The Vet listened to her chest and told me she was gone,
then he and his assistant left. Roy went across the street and started up the backholt.
My mind was racing,,,,I felt I had made the decision to kill my Sandy, but on the other
hand, she was suffering and I had to make it stop. I loved her so much, the hurt had to
stop. I called Kelly, and told her to ask Michael to come over and help us, she was just
too heavy for me and Roy to handle.
I laid across her still warm body, reached over and held that huge foot I had shook so
many times, as a welcome to me coming home. I just wanted her back, but knew that
wasn\’t going to happen. I looked up at the foggy sky, and asked God for help. I wanted
to lie there forever. I could hear the sound of the backholt and knew what was coming.
All of a sudden, I felt Roy touching me, trying to get me up, and Michael was there.
They had the grave dug, and was ready to take her. They lifted her so carefully, placed
her in the wheel-barrow. I gave her one last kess on the side of her face, and they
rolled her to her resting place across the street to the field where she loved to run.
The rest is history. Not a day will go by I won\’t think of my Sandy.
My \”Big Girl\”, who gave me more love than I thought was possible.
\”Rest in Peace, my Girl\”
See you at Rainbow Bridge.

Mark, Sandy had what Sprite had. I loved your book. I too made the decision to do nothing, but let her live as long as she could. Take care,

Renee from GA