I used to be afraid of dogs when I was younger, because I had been given a false impression of what a dog was. I was afraid of the dogs next door because they were being mistreated, so I thought dogs were bad. Now I know that all dogs are good and it's the humans who make dogs bad...
On a February afternoon when I was 8 years old, my dad took my family and me down to the local animal shelter with the idea of adopting a family dog. We went to the "puppy section" and saw a bunch of charming puppies. But out of all those puppies, two touched our hearts. In one of the kennels lay two puppies together. It was their last day... they were going to be put to sleep the next day if they weren't adopted. We took the two dogs into the "meeting room" where we decided they were the ones. (It was meant to be!) That day, we took Howdy and Daisy home.
Howdy and Daisy had been abused and then dumped on the side of a road before we saved them. There were a lot of things that frightened them- and a lot of things still do. For one thing, they were really afraid of little kids. They were even afraid of me and my sister at first... but that didn't last too long. We grew up together and we grew closer everyday.
I'll never forget the day Gypsy wandered into my life. She was my late birthday present when I was 12, because she showed up just a few days after my birthday. Gypsy was a stray who had been living out in the wild with a few other dogs in our old neighborhood. I think she enjoyed being out on her own at first, searching for food and doing as she pleased, but after a while I think she decided she wanted a family. And out of everyone there was to choose, she chose us! :D She left her dog friends and found her way into our backyard. My sister was the first to go and talk to her, and Gypsy jumped up on her and attacked her with kisses. She followed us up to our house and moved in!
Unfortunately, Gypsy somehow got it into her mind that she should get rid of Howdy and Daisy. That wasn't the greatest of ideas. She and Daisy used to get into fights, so my parents tried to find her a new home where she might be better off. That didn't work out so well either, so we kept her. Over the years, the dogs worked things out amongst themselves, and they never fight anymore. Now that Howdy is gone, Daisy and Gypsy kinda have to get along. I think that the two girls are becoming better friends. I even saw Daisy kiss Gypsy the other day!
Having Howdy, Daisy, and Gypsy in my life has been a blessing. I love them more and more everyday, and even though Howdy is gone, I will continue to love him more everyday as I remember what a completely wonderful dog he was. I will never forget the 8 precious years I spent with him, and the memories of him will live forever in my heart.
There are many photo pages to look at, so please take a look! Also, please feel free to sign my guestbook! :)
In Loving Memory of Howdy
All 3
Howdy
Daisy
Gypsy
Gypsy is Home
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