My thoughts about Sadie

Growing up, we did not have dogs, even though I wanted one. I guess I was not willing to take care of a pet; my dad made it abundantly clear that the first time the dog made a mess and we did not clean it up, the dog would be gone. I was not willing to take that chance.

When I was in college, my aunt got us our toy poodle Buster (my parents had divorced). I was at home only in the summers and a few weekends during the school year, so my time with him was limited. But I lived at home for two years after college, and that is when Buster and I became close. After we had a gas leak, I made sure Bus slept with me every night. In fact, the day I moved to Pittsburgh, that little 7.5 pound dog jumped into the trunk of my car; he obviously knew I was leaving, and I guess wanted to go with me.

Until the hub and I bought our first (and current) house, there was no way we could have a dog. But a few months after living in our new digs, we decided to take the plunge. We knew we wanted to adopt a shelter dog, to try to save a dog's life. The day we picked out Sadie, there (fortunately) were not many dogs there (maybe 20?). I thought quite a few were cute, but Sadie (then named Shortie) was stalking me, even though I did not realize it right away.

Sadie picked me out, and once I read that she was housebroken, I knew she was the dog for us, two FT-working pet parents. My friend Amy went with me the next day to pick her up, and Sadie has been with us ever since, for over 12 years. I did not know much about pit bulls at the time (we are not sure what Sadie is mixed with, though I don't necessarily think it is a shar pei as the vet thinks). But I have since learned they are (or can be, anyway) extremely affectionate and loving.

I just hope we can make the most of our time with Sadie during her short time left.

- TF