Please
help me celebrate the life of my dear old friend Sweet Pea who passed
away on Saturday, March 29. We spent a decade of our lives together.
Sweet Pea was a stray Boxer — thin,
full-grown, in-heat, scratched up and hand-shy — when she came
into my care. That was ten years ago and I had the best intentions of
finding her a loving home. And I guess I did because she weaseled her
way into my heart and never left my side.
The more time we spent together, the
more we bonded. We worked together through months and years of training.
And, now that I look back, I realize that she had trained me. She was
never the type of dog that I ever thought I "wanted." She
was food-aggressive and dog-aggressive ... She sent many of her former
playmates to the emergency room. Yet she was beautiful, athletic, snuggly
and full of life and love.
Anyone who ever met Sweetie, practically
forgot about the other 12 animals who share my home. She always stole
the show... she greeted each human with so much energy that she made
everyone feel as though they were the most important creature that ever
lived. She had that much charisma and charm. In her greeting process,
she chipped at least one tooth, peed on hundreds of shoes and pant legs
and snagged more than a few garments. But, to know Sweet Pea was to
love her.