Sweet Pea

Chapter One

Once upon a time there was a little black dachshund puppy named Sweetpea. She was one born in a litter of five or six other puppies that looked just like her. They were all strong, healthy and beautiful pups. Both parents were registered purebred miniature dachshunds.

One day, the owner of the parents sold Sweetpea and all her brothers and sisters to strangers who paid good money for these purebred dachshund puppies. They each went away to a different home. Sweetpea would never see her mommy or her brothers and sisters ever again.

The people who bought Sweetpea took her home and gave her lots of love and attention at first. The children played with her all the time. The lady was even searching for a registered male dachshund to breed her with someday so there would be more beautiful pups in the world. So Sweetpea was never spayed. After a while the kids grew bored with Sweetpea and didn't like to play with her anymore. The lady didn't want her in the house at all and so tossed her outside for good.

For a time Sweetpea made a nest in the dirt under a mobile home behind the owners house. It was right by the highway where cars and semis drove by real fast all day. When it was convenient maybe once or twice a week, somebody would toss out a bucket full of rotten table scraps for Sweetpea to eat. It was up to her to find a dirty puddle somewhere to drink water from. The fleas and ticks got real bad and made her itchy and sore all over. A big red growth had developed in one of her eyes. No one ever took Sweetpea to a veterinarian. She became weak, malnourished... and pregnant.

It was mid January and even in Texas, nights got cold, down in the twenties sometimes. One night Sweetpea dug a hole in the dirt under the trailer and gave birth to perhaps three or four puppies. They all died probably before daybreak.

Sweet Pea in the early days

Chapter Two

Because Sweetpea was allowed to run loose in the neighborhood, she began to wander the streets, playing with new children across town who loved dogs. They called her Sweetpea because she was so sweet and looked like a little pea pod. These kids and some other neighbors were feeding Sweetpea now, giving her more attention than she ever got at home.

Somebody, a grownup, walked all the way across town, knocked on the owner's door and explained to them that their dog had run away and was staying somewhere else. That somebody was me.

The lady seemed very irritated that I worried about the little black dachshund. She couldn't even remember what her own grandkids had named "it". She went on to explain that a relative living behind them, in the mobile home, kept "it" now and claimed that she was fed every morning. (How could that be when these relatives might show up one day out of the month.) Oh and there was "nothing I can do about her running all over the place". The door was slammed in my face with out so much as a thank you. I gathered these people were no longer interested in Sweetpea, much less capable of real responsibility.

Sweetpea was mine now. However, I could not bring her inside my own house, as there was this other red dachshund, rescued over the summer, who happened to be pregnant (with a litter of eight) and very territorial. "Rosie" had already gotten into several nasty fights with Sweetpea in recent weeks.

So I made a nest for the little black newcomer out in my carport with some plywood and old couch cushions. I decided not to bathe Sweetpea as doing so would take away her natural doggie oils and also the protection from the elements that goes with it. She was fed a whole can of name brand dog food every night and always had fresh water. This went on for two months. Then it was late March.

Though "in love", I promised to find Sweetpea a better home than what I could give her. It so happened that my brother, Alan who drove a truck for a living, was due home for a visit. I told him all about Sweetpea. He offered to take her in and so we made arrangements.

One morning before work, I drove back across town to where she had wandered off, perhaps in search of a weekly food scrap binge. No one was even living in the trailer anymore. When I called her over, She jumped in the car and gave me a hug. I almost cried when I told Sweetpea, "You're going home now".

* "The Silver Valley Wildlife and Dachshund Refuge"

Chapter Three

Sweetpea was dropped off at the Coleman County Veterinary Clinic. Some nice people gave her a bath, sprayed for fleas and ticks and she got vacinated. Another nice stranger, "Alan" came by that afternoon and took Sweetpea home to another place to stay for a while.

The "Silver Valley Wildlife and Dachshund Refuge" is a big place out in the country, away from highways, with trees and grass and lots of wild critters to chase. Alan's daddy lived there with his own dachshund, Zorro and whatever other dachshunds happened to be there.

Sweetpea got along fine with everybody. Even Rosie tolerated things a bit when she came to visit the Silver Valley Wildlife and Dachshund Refuge. Alan's other dog Harley especially got along with Sweetpea. Things were working out just fine.

Then a week later Sweetpea went to the local veterinarian again. She had two operations. One was to have the cherry removed from her eye so she could look pretty. The other operation was to "get fixed" so she wouldn't have any more puppies. Now it was time for Alan and Harley to go back home. Sweetpea was going with them.

One morning Sweetpea climbed into a big white truck with Harley and Alan. They went down the road for a long, long ways to Kokomo, Indiana. Sweetpea had made a hundred new friends on the way and got lots and lots of attention. But nobody ever stayed around for very long. She started to feel kind of sad and lonley inside.

Then one day Sweetpea met a nice little girl next door named Kendra. This girl was her favourite human and they became best friends. Kendra's family liked Sweetpea so much that they let her come stay forever. At last, Sweetpea had the loving home every dachshund deserves to have.

And they all lived happily ever after...

* Going on a Long Trip

Epilouge

That was two years ago. Today, Sweetpea is still living with Kendra and her Father, Jeff. They keep her in the house most of the time, take her to the veterinarian regularly and feed her plenty of good food. For a while, Sweetpea had to be on a special diet...to loose extra weight ! And the little girl,Kendra has Sweetpea sleeping in bed with her at night.

I never got to see Sweetpea again, but I hear she is doing very well. This past winter I made her a blanket out of fuzzy pink fabric and mailed it to Indiana. They said when they laid out the blanket that Sweetpea sniffed and rubbed her face all over it. Maybe she remembered another someone who cared.

I am so thankful Sweetpea found a loving home and I can't help but wonder about the little girl who has her now; how a little black dachshund named Sweetpea became part of her life.

Sweetpea and Harley walk the 'hood in Kokomo