And They Call It Puppy Love

Nyssa and Dottie playing on the sandbox. (1988)

"Until one has loved an animal a part of one's soul remains unawakened" ~ Anatole France

Dottie was a rescue dog, a puppy we found at the ASPCA when our beagle Barney was killed by a car. She must have been hungry when they found her because she ate everything. Dottie would have eaten an entire bag of dog food at one sitting if you let her. She was not the greatest athlete; when Dottie was really overweight, my brother could out run her and all the squirrels in our yard taunted her, knowing full well they would easily get away. Dottie was a terrible watch dog; she had such a big heart and never met a person she didn't like. She was, however, a perfect time keeper; 5 PM meant supper and supper meant barking like a crazed demon until food was served. She never fetched, wouldn't roll over on command, never played with toys or learned to walk properly on a leash; but she always made you feel as if you were the greatest person on the face of the earth. For this alone, we loved her.

Dottie is gone now almost four years. She was 15 years old when the lung tumor developed and quickly spread. She lost her short fight but left us with a lot of memories. She returned our love tenfold all those years. Good luck with those squirrels Dot!

Submission for Thursday Challenge topic "love". (end of post)