Beware of the “Pup-a-razzi”.
Similar to the paparazzi, I travel with a camera in search of a good pet article. Everyone has a story, but we often do not realize that others are living through the pain of grief.
Following is a touching example
of what a chance meeting exposed about Myrna and her Maltese Princesses lives.
“My husband was hired to set up a computer system 700 miles north of our home,” said Myrna, “for a large llama ranch. When we walked into the llama barn, I stopped dead in my tracks by the sight of a hairless, one-year-old, one-pound, Maltese puppy.
I asked about the skinny pup and ‘they’ said ‘...it was not trainable, so she ended up in the
barn.
’Were they crazy? It was 30 degrees below zero outside! And here she was hairless and malnourished existing on llama’s afterbirths! She smelled as if she was sleeping curled up to the llamas for warmth.
“I paid $1200 for that dog!” said the rancher. “Do you want to buy her?”
I was appalled! He treated her like garbage, and then wanted money for her!
I said, “No”
while tucking the shivering-thin creature into my jacket for the rest of that day. I figured one day of warmth and love was better than none.
The next day, I drove home - alone.We had two Persian cats, bigger than the petite pup, and we did not think that they would get along with a canine. But’ the frigid weather and the sweet dog haunted my spirit. So, the next morning, I retraced the 700 miles back, paid the extortion fee, and returned home with
the shivering-weak dog on my lap.
Our vet took one look at her and said, “I cant promise she’ll last a week. Don’t let her walk because she is too weak.”
So I fashioned a t-shirt around my waist and ‘wore’ that dog for 1 ½ months. We bonded like glue and the only name that suited her was our little “Princess”.
Princess apparently trained through telepathy. She just instinctively always knew what to do! When I
flew to Europe, she went with me, and was the perfect pet. For 16 years, Princess was more angel than dog. When she passed, I cannot begin to describe how deep the pain was. My girlfriend understood my grief, so one day she phoned and said, ‘This is an emergency! Call this number! They have Maltese puppies!’
My husband and I went to ‘just look’. He said, ‘You don’t have to take the first dog you see.’ But when this nine ounce puppy wiggled over to
me, I knew that if I had to rob a bank to pay for her I would! Once I saw her, that was it, I would have soul’d my soul for that little doll-baby!
The pup was so lively. She immediately began running our lives! She can’t speak, but she knows exactly what and when she wants something.
Yes, this one too, is a Princess! Our first one was graceful, grateful and appreciative. This one? She is demanding like a real princess and we would
not have it any other way. She gives us joy during difficult times.
My husband has dialysis, three days a week, and when he arrives home he is tired. Princess always sleeps on his lap after his return. She literally went from abject poverty into the lap of luxury.
When we go to bed, I lift up our covers and she crawls in. When she gets hot, she crawls out and sleeps on our pillows. But we confess, we are the
spoiled ones!”
Apparently, the dog door swings both ways! During this interview, Princess barked from their bedroom and Myrna had to leave to hand Princess her pink-squeaky-piggy toy.
