Third Place Winner
Congratulations!!
In 1990,Things were Very Bad for our Family; we had 2 Married Children and an 11 year Old Boy and 6-year-old Girl still at Home. My Husband Jim Came down with Ulcerative colitis In July of that year...He was off Work for almost 4 Months battling this disease.... Which almost took his Life when his Colon ruptured and emergency Surgery was his only Saving Grace. Christmas was looking Pretty Shabby for My Younger Children. Money was very tight and time for worrying about it was way past due with only a couple more days to go! I sat and cried as I wrapped some small trinkets for my Kids and some Mittens I crocheted. Never had Christmas been so badly for us, never had I Not Greeted it with Joy and smiles as I watched my kids tear through the Papers on their presents. My Older Kids would be over in the early morning to be with us and to go up to the Hospital to see their Daddy. I knew My Little Kids would be happy as Larks No matter what they got and they didn�t even ask for anything in particular that year.
A Few Hours later came a Knock on the door and in walks our second eldest daughter with this Little tiny Ball of Black Fur with this Huge Red Bow tied to his collar...I was Certain it was a Gift to her from Her Husband so I didn't give the Pup Much thought! His Name is Barracuda (Cudda for short) She said, and He asked Santa for a family this year...she Looked at My 6 year Old Maggie and said...Maggie I'm Santa�s helper this year! Do you think Cudda would like it here with you for his Home? To this day we can all remember the shrieks of that child and for 2 straight weeks I don't think that Puppy touched the floor! Daddy who was in the hospital had to Miss it all.... When Jim Came home Jan 18th.... He was filled with Love for this Fur ball, Sight unseen (Our First Dog ever) For having Filled His Santa shoes for His small Children ...and Having Cudda with us for almost 12 years now has made our lives so full of love and gratefulness. This Dog has been a Faithful Loving Member of our family and has never failed to amuse, Entertain and give love for all that he is worth. A True Gift Of Christmas Spirit! For this we are Forever Thankful
Upon driving up to the house with the puppies for sale, the man who had the dogs was already outside waiting for me. There were two puppies, a small fawn colored male, and there, in the grass behind him was the little female. From the very beginning, she was unbelievably cute. I could tell just by looking at her she was very spirited, with "attitude". I scooped her up and took her home and things have never been the same since.
From the beginning she was all personality. She watched TV with me and loved the smell of my French Vanilla coffee so much she begged for a drink of it. Late one night on TV, from across the room, Karma saw a polar bear mama and cub on the Discovery channel. They were on an ice flow in a river. Karma was so curious, she came round the coffee table and climbed right up on the TV stand and pressed her nose to the glass screen to get a better look at these "big white puppies". I was quite charmed by her intelligence and curiosity. By this time I had decided she was a keeper.
Five years have gone by since then. I still have health problems. The pain from the fibromyalgia and arthritis is overwhelming sometimes. Karma has done more for my attitude toward healing than any other thing in my life. She is still a happy little dog, at 50 pounds, and plays as though she was still a puppy. She has lots of toys, (we call them her babies) and every time it is time to go outside, she grabs a baby and prances around the house with it before she will allow me to put the leash on her. She is spirited and walks like "best in show" when we are on our daily jaunts. She has never "made a mess" in my house in five years, nor chewed up a thing. It would be difficult to be in a bad mood around Karma. Her strong spirit and clown-like playful behavior are the best medicine a person could ask for. I am thankful for my dog for being the best friend and companion a person could ask for. With this uplifting, funny little girl at my side, I look forward to each and every day. Like Jack Nicholson's character in the movie, "As Good As It Gets" said, she makes me want to be a better person. I am truly blessed to have this dog in my life and I truly believe Karma is as good as it gets for me.
