Where do I start to describe just how precious life is with all God’s creatures?  Having no family or children, I have always had yorkies in my life (so that I knew at least my life was not without love).  When Katie passed unexpectedly, Tara was still young (2 years) and was not used to being alone.  I had decided that Tara would be my last baby due to my age.  However, I work a minimum of 45 hrs. per week and after running errands, etc., some days  I am gone for 12 hours or more.  Tara was getting more depressed as time passed.  I decided to go thru the “puppy” thing again and started searching for a perfect playmate for Tara.  I found Dixie.  Dixie was a 1 pound ½ yorkie / ½ pomeranian ball of fur.  Most thought she was a kitten as she was such a tiny ball of fur.  Tara accepted her immediately into the family.  As she was so little, she wore a cat collar with a bell so that I could find her.  Of course the house had to be puppy proof to a greater degree as she could crawl under anything.  What a prize she was!!  She overflowed with personality and love.  She was the shining star at the vet’s office.  Every time we went for puppy shots, etc., the staff would fight on who was going to love on her first.  The neighbors around my home volunteered to keep an eye out for her and Tara during the day when I wasn’t home.  My friends would come on their day off to love on her.  She was a magnet for people.  When she turned 6 months old, I started noticing an occasional stumble in her walk. Then one day a friend stopped by and found her very listless.  As she perked up after eating, we thought it was because Tara had made a pig of herself and eaten her breakfast.  The following week I came home and found her not even able to sit up.  I fed her by hand, but she still was weak, so the next morning I took her to my vet.  They did tests and called me saying she was in critical condition and to rush her to the emergency vet clinic.  Further tests showed she had a liver shunt issue.  However, that may be fixable with surgery and meds.  However, after two days in ICU the vet still felt she was not responding properly.  More tests determined that she had several water spots on the brain.  This explained her occasional stumbling.  This complication was not fixable.  I picked her up from the vet on Thursday.  That night and Friday, her extended family all came to care and love her.  I made the last appointment for the day on Saturday so that I could spend as much time as I could before I sent her to visit and play at Rainbow Bridge.  I left the vet heavy hearted but knew I had made the right decision for that precious baby.  I could have been selfish and kept her with me and Tara for a while longer, but Dixie needed her peace, and finally she could rest.  I never had an animal that affected me or my friends the way this tiny baby did.  She may have only been with us on earth for a short while, but she left a lasting impression.  I often wonder what today would be like were she still here, but then I have to realize that is my being selfish.  Thank you for allowing me to share my brief time with this amazing little dog with such a big heart.

— Alice from Houston, TX