Pet Memorial

June 14, 2008
July 26, 2022

Dearest Sarah Sadie, our baby girl, little mitten, mini tub,

Today your Mapa and your Mom are lost souls wondering around stores not understanding what turn of events took you away from us. We feel like broken souls who don’t want to go home to open the door to find you not there to greet us with that crazy little bark and the hip hop dance you performed every day when you got so excited for your frozen treats. As I tear up writing this, I know it’s going to be good not just for me but for someone, someday, to hear our story and know how very much you were loved.

From the moment we met you, it was love and it could not have been a more fitting day: February 14, 2009. Valentines Day! It was a big decision to bring this little fluff ball home, and it took us four hours and a visit from friends with a dog to make up our minds. We also had a cat, Chance, who we knew might not be very happy about it. And what the heck; we were only going to the SPCA to see if we were good volunteer candidates. But hey, we took a chance! We are so happy we did. You brought so much joy into our lives, and we could not have ever known just how much your little heart captured ours.

We had you trained and thought we did good, but not so much. You made sure we knew you thought you were boss. A little bite every now and then reminded us you were found on the streets alone, hungry and afraid – Who knew why? We never found out, but we were ready to do what we needed to, to keep you healthy and good. We learned fast that you were a little foodie, maybe a bit of a piglet. We thought it was cute and funny until we took you to the vet for a bad stomach and ended up with a $1,500.00 vet bill because you were so overweight. They told us, as pet parents, we were failing you, loving you too much with treats. We did what we were told: cut the treats, walked you more, played lots, and, more importantly, portion controlled your new low-fat gastrointestinal food. It was food; you couldn’t have cared less what kind it was.

We took care of the tick that grew on your little face for a bit from my niece Jaquies’ house. You were quite happy to have tried running away that day only to come back and walk the field with your Moms and the goats. We then took care of your bad lump in your mouth from playing to hard with your cloth toys. Uh oh, no more of that, but we found a new game: you chasing whatever it was I had to throw to the other side of the room for you to bring back to me always with a little  bit of hesitation. Sarah, when something was yours, it was forever yours and you always let us know that in no uncertain terms.

I remember taking you to PetSmart for play days and them telling me you were a wallflower. We were thrilled. It meant you were staying out of trouble and we had a safe place to leave you if we had to be out for the day. If that happened, we always had time on our minds, remembering a couple of times we could not get back in time to pick you up. My devastated heart always got your Mapa in trouble because, no matter what, I would always blame her. She was so kind and good to you. It’s no wonder you looked for her lap on the couch. I was the bossy one, the one that chastised you, the one that put your ear drops in twice a week, the one that made us go to the vets, the one that made you take your medicine, the one that tried to make you eat nicely, and the one that tried to stop some of your bad habits which, by the way, I would take right now in a heartbeat because I love you so much.

We miss our morning ritual of a group hug before work and our dances in the kitchen to Shawn Mendes, Wonder., Billy Idol, Mony Mony, or The Proclaimers’ “I Would Walk 500 Miles.” So much fun! Your Mapa would never hesitate to pick you up and carry you, and she would get mad at me if I was too tough on you because she loved you so, so very much, as do I.

I missed you before you got your angel wings, and I will miss you forever. Your little black furry body with the white crested chest and four little paws that were each one size smaller than the other, your little stalky stance that looked like you were a mini wrestler, and the crooked little way you cocked your head with one ear up and one down will be imprinted in our minds, hearts and souls forever. Rest in peace, my little Mitten, Our Sarah Sadie Girl xoxo.