Given the recently passed holiday season it is important to remember friends that are no longer around physically, but affect you every day of your life even if you don't realize it. That puppy was the best dog anyone could ask for as soon as she joined our family. She was too smart for her own good, and that was probably the end of her shortcomings.
It all started when I decided I wanted a black, white, grey and brown dog. My parents figured this was an impossible combination so they were off the hook. False. I saw another puppy from Matty's litter in the Home Depot one day and knew it was possible. My dad questioned the owner of that puppy as to the whereabouts of the rest of the litter, and that very night we hotfooted it up to Round Rock to find her. She was the last puppy from her litter there, so i picked her up, she passed out on my lap, and that was it. We had found my puppy.
It wasn't always picture perfect, Matty once ate a 30lb turkey all by herself and didn't even leave a bone. She ate that couch in the picture (in retrospect probably a good idea), and she got into trouble all over the place. I think I even called 9-1-1 on her once...my bad.
One day when she was 7 or 8 and I was 11 or so, she got really sick and we had to take her to the vet. They told us that she had diabetes, and that we were going to have to give her shots and monitor her blood sugar in order for her to survive. So we did. We gave her insulin before every meal, and tested her blood sugar many times daily. It wasn't always easy, and she would often have seizures because it was difficult to anticipate a dog's eating habits, and her blood sugar would get too low. It hurts me now to think about all the pain she went through and still managed to be an amazing dog.
A few years later, she began to go through many of the hardships that older dogs endure, but her body was so worn out from the diabetes induced seizures that she really wasn't the same anymore. It was time for us to say goodbye. I still remember that day like it was yesterday, and I think that's why I'm writing this now. I saw my best friend be defeated by a disease that I would be diagnosed with 3 years later. The transition was easier for me because I had helped her through it so many times, and with the support of my family--my life is normal.
I've never lost a person who was especially close to me for my entire childhood, but I can't expect they would have had as much of an influence on me as Matty did. Animals are made by God too, and their creation serves a purpose higher than we may realize.
Rob
