At seven years old, I dreamt of one day having my own pet. Dog or cat, it didn’t matter, I loved all animals. That’s why on Christmas morning I couldn’t believe my eyes- my sister and I woke up to find a dog bed under the tree! There was a note from Santa attached that said we could go pick out a puppy at the SPCA!! We were beyond excited.
I remember the day we went to the pound clearly. All the bigger dogs were downstairs. It was so noisy that I made my Dad take me back upstairs. That’s when I saw her, the most precious puppy looking out at us through her cage. She was part terrier, part poodle, and all parts cute. Her name was Mitzy. We took Mitzy home that day and she settled into our family effortlessly. We would dress her up in doll dresses and she would do tricks. Everywhere I went Mitzy went.
One day Mitzy got really sick. She was vomiting, had diarrhea, and wouldn’t eat. When we took her to the vet they told us that Mitzy had “Parvo Virus.” She would have to stay in the hospital for treatment. Although I can’t remember how long she was at the hospital, I can remember the hospital visits. I remember looking at her paws, all of them were stained from vomit and she could hardly lift her little head up to look at us. Mitzy survived that awful disease and lived to be 17 years old.
Mitzy was there for my family through lots of happy times, but also sad times. During my father’s passing she helped me more than ever. Mitzy was the light of our family. The day she passed away I was 24 years old and 9 months pregnant with my first child. My mother called me to tell me she was taking Mitzy to the vet to be “put down.” Mom carried her into the vet wrapped in my baby blanket. I cried so hard I thought I would never stop. I still miss that precious dog today and know she is a huge part of why I decided to become a Veterinary Assistant.
