Today I had to say good-bye to my dog - a beautiful Rhodesian Ridgeback. She came into our lives about 12 years ago and quickly made her way into our hearts. She was truly part of the family.
We had talked about getting a dog for awhile but had delayed because the boy was afraid of animals - not just a little nervous - but deathly afraid. The fear ruled his life - he wouldn't go for walks around the block because "there might be a dog or a cat". He would only go trick-or-treating to houses that he knew didn't have pets (which made for a very sparse Halloween haul). This was hard for me because I had always grown up around dogs and loved them and Dear Husband grew up around all sorts of animals - everything imaginable (except chickens).
So we figured that getting a puppy - a nice, small puppy - may be the way to get the boy over his irrational fear. I had grown up with a Ridgeback (not a full-blooded one, but mostly Ridgeback) and loved their personality. VacationGirl thought that it would be a perfect fit for a scared little boy.
I found a breeder - amazingly enough - about 5 minutes away. She was an eccentric little lady with an even more eccentric husband. They had at least 5 - 6 huge ridgebacks of their own - cages overruled their house. And where there wasn't a cage with a beautiful ridgeback in it, there were clocks - hundreds and hundreds of clocks.
It just so happened that she had a litter - one didn't have a ridge - the breed trademark. That didn't matter to us but it does to most breeders. If the pups are born ridgeless, most breeders will put them down. But this breeder sold her to us very cheaply - on the condition that we had her spayed so that the trait wouldn't be passed on.
We took Bubba to her house to see the pups - they were too small to come home yet - but he saw them and agreed that they were small enough that he would like her. (Of course, he stayed in her chair the whole time we were there and wouldn't get on the floor to play with her).
So a few weeks later, we went to pick her up - at 12 weeks old. She had grown quite a bit from the previous visit and all the boy could say was "Mom, she got big." He wanted absolutely nothing to do with her. I held her in the car on the way home and she was so scared - she just trembled.
We got her home and confined her to the family room where I spend most of my time. Unfortunately, the boy wouldn't come in the same room with her - he was too afraid. No matter what, he wouldn't come near her - he didn't like those little razor-sharp teeth. Well, this went on for almost 3 months. I thought for sure we would have to get rid of the pup. Then one day, magically, everything changed. One day, the almost 21-year old (he was only about 7 at the time) said "Mom, I'm going out back to play with Sha-Sha".
Well knock me over!
From that moment on, they became good friends and that friendship continued to grow and grow. Sha-Sha would barrel down the stairs when she heard the school bus each afternoon to greet him. When she heard the garage door open, as he got older and was driving, she came to the door to meet him. He grew to love her more than ever expected - and she helped him get over his fear of animals. She was a huge part of our family - and loved by us all. I believe she knew how much she was loved too.
But today, we had to make the tough decision to say good-bye. My girl was in obvious pain with every step she took. There is a huge part of me that now regrets the decision - I want her here with me tonight and I miss her horribly already - but in my heart, I know it was the best decision for her.
So Sha-Sha, please rest in peace and know that you will always live in our hearts. I will never forget you and the unconditional love that you gave to our family!
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