When George and I were first married we made a sort of pact..when we adopted a pet it would be one that no one else wanted….an older dog or cat…maybe one with an illness. No baby animals for us. After all, everyone else seemed to want a cute little puppy or kitten. Those little guys had a chance at a home……..the older ones didn’t.

We both loved animals….we both had grown up with the same values, education…..music.

This song sums up how we felt, and still feel.

We only ever made one exception to our “older pet” rule. George was working a Nursing Home and someone had thrown a huge bag out of their truck as they rushed past the home in the middle of a night. George was outside taking a break and saw a bag being thrown………after the truck was gone he heard a sort of whimper and went to investigate.

There were five tiny puppies, far too small to leave their mother tied up in the bag. Four had died……George said he hoped that they had died before they were thrown out of a speeding vehicle, but didn’t know for sure. He brought the fifth (still living) puppy home. We adopted her. She met the “no one wants her” category.

She was so tiny. We fed her with a baby bottle and she seemed to thrive.  She grew into our most beloved pet.

Domino was a little bit dachshund (longggggg body, short-short legs) a little bit terrier, a little bit poodle (check out the curly hair) a whole lot of snuggle.

She became my companion and went everywhere with me. She could climb trees (just LOOK at where she is in the picture!) and would climb this ancient tree up onto the roof.  We only had the blessing of her in our life for six short years. She developed cancer and there was nothing anyone could do except keep her comfortable.

She died in my arms on December 7, 2009.  I still miss her.  I have had five older dogs and six older cats since she died, but none of them have been as close to my heart as my little girl.