It was the start of Summer vacation and my mother had promised me a puppy this year, we have 3 cats but have never had a dog. She said it has to be a big dog because we live on our own and it can guard the house. I’ve looked at dog photos for months trying to pick a dog that would be cool, maybe a bulldog, or a boxer, those are tough looking! I bet my friends would think they were cool. My mom was reading the paper this morning and saw an ad for a litter of flat coated retrievers, there’s no photo but my mother wants us to go look at them. On the drive over I’m filled with thoughts about retrievers. There’s a movie with a basketball playing dog, he was a golden retriever and that old movie with the boy and his dog was also a retriever, those dogs could do all kinds of stuff! This puppy will be smart so I can teach it to play sports with me and do cool tricks for my friends. I get more excited as we get closer to the farm where the puppies are, I don’t know what a flat coat retriever is but I bet it’s awesome. When we get there the farmer takes us into a horse stall where the puppies are, there’s ten of them and they’re all black. These are not like the dogs in the movies…they’re even cooler! I picked up the first puppy that came over and immediately wanted it, I smile at my mom and she is just as taken by it. We pay the man and leave with the puppy in my arms. The whole card ride she sat in my lap with a big puppy grin. My mom asked what I wanted to name her, I hadn’t thought of that, of course it needs a name. I remember reading a book at school and it had a character named Agnes in it, I don’t know many girl names but that one fit the puppy pretty well. I hug the puppy to my chest I will call her Agnes.
It’s halfway through summer and Agnes is four months old now, she can sit, lay down and roll over. She loves our cats and they like her a lot too. They play and clean each other all the time. We walk Agnes in the morning and after lunch and once more after dinner everyday, if we don’t then she goes crazy and tries to eat our house. I laughed when she ate my mom’s slippers, and her houseplants, and pulled at her robe while she walked, but my mother didn’t find it funny so she told me to make sure the puppy got all her energy out. We play tag in the yard and chase in the house all day and she even sleeps next to me in bed, I am so glad my mom got me a puppy.
Summer is ending and I’m going back to school, my mom takes Agnes for a quick walk in the mornings now while I get ready and sometimes at lunch too, but usually she’s busy with work. Agnes has to play by herself while I’m school but it’s okay cause she’s almost six months old now. One day I came home and saw Agnes in a big cage in the kitchen whining, I rushed over and let her out, she was so happy to be able to run around with the cats again. Mom said she couldn’t watch the puppy and do her computer work, so she got her this crate. I promise to get up earlier and walk Agnes before school but my assignments get tougher and I stay up later studying for tests, I can’t take Agnes for early morning walks. Agnes’ first birthday is this weekend and we love her as much as the day we picked her up, but she is so much work. We didn’t know retrievers had so much energy and needed a lot if exercise to be happy. She barks at dogs that walk by our backyard, I think she wants to play with them but it’s distracting me from studying so I close the window and go back to work. Agnes woke my mom to go outside seven times last night, her stomach was sick and she had diarrhoea, I think she ate something out of the garbage.
Agnes is starting to chew on more things and jump on people when we are out walking, she pulls the leash and doesn’t listen. My mom tells me she can’t do it anymore and that Agnes needs a new home, I cry and tell her I’ll do better but the next day she took her to the pound.
The people at the shelter change Agnes's name to Sophie and put her photo on their website so people can adopt her. A family saw her online and came in to pick her up. The family has three children and both parents, Sophie will get lots of love and attention now. They put her through puppy training and teach her all sorts of commands, Sophie’s a fast learner and picks up quickly. She has lots of energy but they all take turns walking her and playing so she is happy and calm. Sophie can walk off leash now and come when called at the dog park, Sophie is five now and a good dog.
The family take Christmas photos with her and dress her up for Halloween, they even bring her to the cottage in the summer. One day Sophie gets sick though, she throws up and won’t eat, they notice a lump on her stomach, Sophie is ten now and the family love her so they take her to the vet. The doctor says she has cancer and it will be expensive to take the tumor out. The family talk about it but one parent is between jobs and one of the kids is at college so money is tight, they tell the doctor they don’t want Sophie anymore and leave her there. The doctor reaches out to a group that saves senior dogs, they take her right away. The rescue changes her name to Sadie and removes her tumor.
Sadie is eleven years old and surrounded by strangers, Sadie is scared and misses her family. My mom has a friend that works at a dog rescue, we aren’t looking for another dog but my mom is sad that this dog was abandoned, so she adopts her. Her name is Sadie and she is eleven years old, she hides under our table and shakes when we pet her. She doesn’t play with our other dog and hides when there’s a loud noise.
Sadie is twelve and a half and has cancer again, the rescue we got her from offers to pay for surgery, Sadie is cancer free and wearing a pair of boxer shorts with her tail through the hole, she’s also wearing a t-shirt with the bottom tied up. The cancer was worse this time but she pulls through with a loving family supporting her. Sadie is happy now and lies in the sun outside all day, she gets lots of treats and love. Sadie guards the house when my mom and I are alone and protects us from off leash dogs at the park. In the winter she sits outside with me in the snow, she doesn’t want me to get too cold so she stays close even if she is cold. She plays with our other dog and comes to family gatherings. Sadie is a great dog
Sadie's last family contacted the shelter and asked for the number of her new family, they want her back now that she’s healthy. They call our house asking for her back but my mom tells them no, we love our dog and will be her last family until the end. Sadie is an amazing dog.
Sadie is seventeen years old and can’t control her bladder or bowels anymore, she also has a lump on her side and her back, Sadie has lived a full life and has spent the last six years loving our family. We could not have asked for a better dog, she is loyal and kind. Sadie had three families, she was left by two of them and still had love to give. Sadie was seventeen years old, she was the best dog.
This is based off of a true story, my family was Sadie's forever family. This is an all too common occurrence with pets, especially seniors. Adopt a dog from your local shelter, all dogs need love.
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