Bailey by Katie Fox

Bailey

by Katie Fox

Bailey was a Christmas present from my boyfriend. He took me to a shelter and told me to pick out any dog. I looked at all those poor dogs in this filthy shelter and I was sad, yet so excited to have my own dog. I looked in a cage and saw a family of puppies, white and black. I wanted a black one, but my boyfriend talked me into a white one with a gray head. I decided to name her Bailey. I could pick her up the next day. When I got her, a vet told me she had a rash, nothing to worry about. I did not care about a silly rash, I had a puppy!!! As Bailey got older, she got sicker. Losing fur and itching all the time. Two different vets put her on all types of medicine. My boyfirend, who was now a fiancee, would get mad over the expensive bills, but she was my baby and if the medicine helped her, then that is what we would do. For three years, I had that beautiful dog. Then on Martin Luther King Jr day, I was told I needed to let her go. Medicines were not helping and she was in pain. I thought about it for four days and on that Friday, I watched my puppy, my baby, drive away, never to come back. She tried to stay, she struggled with her leash. I wanted to run after her, but I knew that I could not. I miss her everyday. I feel guilty when I think of getting another dog someday. How do you replace that one dog that you loved more than anything? How do you chose to take that baby away from yourself? I will never get over that decision. I wait for the day that I see that dog again and her ears sticking straight into the hair, with her tail wagging. I miss her more than I will ever be able to say. I think about her everday.... I think I may even love her more everyday, even though she is gone.

Comments would be appreciated by the author, Katie Fo