NEVER...EVER...GIVE UP HOPE : Dogs

Mercedez, Sades, Sader Bader, and most affectionately, Mama's Girl. When my daughter Rochelle was 14, I brought home a new puppy, Velma. Velma and her siblings had been dropped off at the dog pound when they were only two weeks old. They were far too young to be away from their mom, and when I saw her, it was instant love. She is half Black Labrador and half Dalmatian.

It was difficult to wait the two months before she was old enough to be released and adopted. Rochelle wanted to rename her as Velma just didn't seem to suit her. As we were driving I suggested Volvo, as a joke. Then Chevy, Ford, Honda. We parked the car and she noticed a Mercedes parked next to us and said "That's it, Mom. Mercedes -- but with a Z."

Rochelle had signed up for Hip Hip classes and met Shawna, who had just adopted a female puppy. Her pup was from the same litter and amazingly enough had named her dog, Sades. That was 14 years ago and the girls are still close friends. Coincidence?

Mercedez and Babe were Best Friends Forever

When Mercedez was living at the dog pound, a German Shepherd mothered the litter of pups. When we brought her home, she met Babe, our German Shepherd cross (from B is for Babe and Dying Hair) and latched onto her as her mom.

When Mercedez was a few months old, I gave them each a long rawhide to chew. The rawhide was about 10 inches long. About 15 minutes had passed and I noticed that Babe was still chewing her rawhide but the other one had mysteriously disappeared. A few hours later...... if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it. Mercedez brought the rawhide back up -- completely intact -- it was almost her entire body length.. How is that even possible? Now, 14 years later, she still has issues with swallowing as she must have hurt her esophagus. When they say that dogs inhale their food, they aren't kidding!

Dogs have a Sense of Knowing Danger

A few years ago, I was taking Babe and Mercedez for a walk, on their leashes, of course. It was a cold and icy January morning. A large dog was running down the road, off his leash, and my two spotted him. Before I could give the command or get control, they leaped toward the dog and it caught me off guard. I fell onto the pavement, and with the leashes wrapped around my wrists, I was dragged down the road on my BACK by these two strong dogs. I cannot begin to imagine what it must have looked like. Maybe a bit like Huskies pulling a dog sled?

Do any of you remember the story of the lady who claimed Babe bit her and wanted her put down? Remember we had to take unconventional methods to save our dog? Well, believe it or not, the dog running without a leash was THAT lady's dog. I think my two knew that and that's why they were on the offensive.

As the years progressed, Mercedez became Sades and when petting her, she was Sader Bader. Now that she is aging, she loves to be called Mama's Girl. You may recall in K is for Babe is Killed, that Mercedez grieved the loss of Babe for 6 weeks. When our cat Tony died, Mercedez grieved his passing the same way for about two weeks. She is a very sensitive, emotional dog and we have a very special bond. I sincerely believe she suffered from depression and now has an incredibly tender heart.

Whenever we watch TV and she sees an animal -- doesn't matter if it is in a show or a commercial, she sits up and watches it in its entirety. We have actually rented animal movies for her to watch. If it is a sad story or if an animal is hurt in any way, she will rush to the screen and cry. It is incredible to watch how she relates with their suffering.

Sades has always been very polite and will ask permission for anything she would like to do or to eat. Remember when Lily, the Intimidator, demanded the prawn and Sades willingly gave it to her? When they made Sades, they broke the mold. She is definitely Mama's Girl and I dread the day we will have to say our good-byes.

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