Where do I start in telling Sadie’s story? It seems like we had Sadie for forever! In reality, we only had her since she was 6 years, 8 months old. To backtrack a bit, I must tell you of Misty, my first dog and beautiful friend of 14 years. Misty was ¾ Lhasa Apso, ¼ poodle. As a small child, I was terrified of dogs because my granny’s Alaskan Husky had playfully knocked me to the concrete and caused (minor) bruising and scratching. From the time I was about 3 to age 9, I was petrified of dogs. My parents were very wise, and knew I could not live with this fear for the rest of my life. A colleague of theirs had 2 dogs who had puppies and one day in July 1985, my family and our dear neighbor’s family took a country drive for a big “surprise.” Wouldn’t you know it? My mom had tricked me into going to see the cutest little puppies in the world! And I got to pick which one would come home with us! I saw this adorable brown and white furball and she just seemed perfect, fearful though I was! I thought we should call her Mixie. But cooler heads prevailed, and the name Misty was chosen. Our neighbors picked out a white male dog and named him Eddie. What fun it would prove to have her brother and playmate right across the street! I still remember these precious pups playing in the back of our car on the ride home. They could fit right in your hand. And I’ll never forget my mom giving Misty a bath in our kitchen sink. I looked with wonder that first day, but I was still afraid. Moment by moment, my little mind was realizing that this little creature would never hurt me!
The next morning I awoke and went to the kitchen to check on our little friend. She wiggled through the hallway to meet me and stopped between my feet for me to greet her. In that moment, all my fear disappeared. That little creature cured in less than 24 hours what had been so controlling for years! I already loved her. Little did I know that for the next 14 years I would love her more with each passing day. She was always there for me. I married in 1993 and no longer saw Misty every day. She had a special bond with my husband and it was always a joy to spend time with her. When my parents would go out of town, we loved caring for her and keeping her with us. Over the years, her health was generally good, but she did have a heart murmur and sometimes fluid would build up in her lungs. But she lived a very full and spunky life! Her personality was very sweet and she was extremely friendly to strangers and playful with friends!
In 1998, my mother called to say Misty was not doing well. I could hardly believe her, because we’d just celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday and she was doing great. Nevertheless, Misty did not eat for 6 days. She was hospitalized and the vet told us she was experiencing kidney failure. He advised us to put her to sleep and said there was nothing he could do. I was heartbroken. My mom and I wanted to make sure the rest of the family could spend time with her over the weekend, so we told him we would bring her back on Monday. I felt like my heart was going to come out. My husband and I just cried and cried in each other’s arms. Our family developed a system of care so that Misty would not ever be left alone. My sister, who is an extremely caring person, wanted to do something special for Misty. She suggested we all have Sunday lunch together and just love on our little buddy. So we did. I took Misty outside after lunch and realized something was going on. I felt impressed to open up her mouth and when I did, to my unbelief, I discovered that part of her tongue had been cut off. She was spitting out the dead part. Thankfully, the majority was still left, which would enable her to function mostly normal. I had a mix of sadness, thinking what pain she must have endured; but yet joy that perhaps I wouldn’t be losing my little baby quite so soon! When we realized what was going on, it was as if Misty had new life breathed into her! Her eyes lit up and there was no quit in them! My little baby was going to live!
Her new vet was amazed and to this day, we do not know how the accident happened, nor why her first vet failed to discover this even though she was hospitalized! But we were so grateful to have her with us. From that moment on, we cherished every day spent with Misty. My husband and I split custody with my parents so that she was rarely alone. I would cuddle my precious friend each day and tell her, “Every day with you is a gift.”
June 1, 1999 we celebrated her 14th birthday, thanking God for the miracle of Misty! One week later, I left for youth camp where I served as a counselor. Later that day, my mother left a message for me to call her. I knew in my heart something was wrong. And it was. Unexpectedly, Misty had passed away. She just went to sleep and never awakened. She was in no pain and her kidneys were actually okay. She just went to sleep. I’m grateful she did not suffer. But still my heart was shattered to a million pieces. I felt so lost and so sad inside. Life would never be the same without my Misty.
Two months later I was surfing the internet looking for Lhasa Apso pictures. I happened upon the Lhasa Apso Rescue Association for my state. My husband suggested I call them to see if they had any puppies. So I did. And that’s when I learned about Sadie Moriah.
The next morning I awoke and went to the kitchen to check on our little friend. She wiggled through the hallway to meet me and stopped between my feet for me to greet her. In that moment, all my fear disappeared. That little creature cured in less than 24 hours what had been so controlling for years! I already loved her. Little did I know that for the next 14 years I would love her more with each passing day. She was always there for me. I married in 1993 and no longer saw Misty every day. She had a special bond with my husband and it was always a joy to spend time with her. When my parents would go out of town, we loved caring for her and keeping her with us. Over the years, her health was generally good, but she did have a heart murmur and sometimes fluid would build up in her lungs. But she lived a very full and spunky life! Her personality was very sweet and she was extremely friendly to strangers and playful with friends!
In 1998, my mother called to say Misty was not doing well. I could hardly believe her, because we’d just celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday and she was doing great. Nevertheless, Misty did not eat for 6 days. She was hospitalized and the vet told us she was experiencing kidney failure. He advised us to put her to sleep and said there was nothing he could do. I was heartbroken. My mom and I wanted to make sure the rest of the family could spend time with her over the weekend, so we told him we would bring her back on Monday. I felt like my heart was going to come out. My husband and I just cried and cried in each other’s arms. Our family developed a system of care so that Misty would not ever be left alone. My sister, who is an extremely caring person, wanted to do something special for Misty. She suggested we all have Sunday lunch together and just love on our little buddy. So we did. I took Misty outside after lunch and realized something was going on. I felt impressed to open up her mouth and when I did, to my unbelief, I discovered that part of her tongue had been cut off. She was spitting out the dead part. Thankfully, the majority was still left, which would enable her to function mostly normal. I had a mix of sadness, thinking what pain she must have endured; but yet joy that perhaps I wouldn’t be losing my little baby quite so soon! When we realized what was going on, it was as if Misty had new life breathed into her! Her eyes lit up and there was no quit in them! My little baby was going to live!
Her new vet was amazed and to this day, we do not know how the accident happened, nor why her first vet failed to discover this even though she was hospitalized! But we were so grateful to have her with us. From that moment on, we cherished every day spent with Misty. My husband and I split custody with my parents so that she was rarely alone. I would cuddle my precious friend each day and tell her, “Every day with you is a gift.”
June 1, 1999 we celebrated her 14th birthday, thanking God for the miracle of Misty! One week later, I left for youth camp where I served as a counselor. Later that day, my mother left a message for me to call her. I knew in my heart something was wrong. And it was. Unexpectedly, Misty had passed away. She just went to sleep and never awakened. She was in no pain and her kidneys were actually okay. She just went to sleep. I’m grateful she did not suffer. But still my heart was shattered to a million pieces. I felt so lost and so sad inside. Life would never be the same without my Misty.
Two months later I was surfing the internet looking for Lhasa Apso pictures. I happened upon the Lhasa Apso Rescue Association for my state. My husband suggested I call them to see if they had any puppies. So I did. And that’s when I learned about Sadie Moriah.
