by Ann Pritchard
For my birthday, in March 2000, my husband, Kenny, got me a five week old male pitbull, Hooch. Kenny already had a female, Peaches. We allowed Peaches to sleep with us so Hooch did too. I got up with him every four hours to take him out and feed him. Since Peaches was so much bigger, he slept on the back of the couch.
As he grew, Hooch and Peaches became best friends. When she came into heat, she wouldn't allow another male near her. Hooch was her mate even though at the time he was too young. She was docile and he was hyper. Hooch often irritated Peaches because he always wanted to play.
In October 2000, we moved from our apartment into a townhouse. At the time we didn't know how rough our neighborhood was. We found out the hard way. Peaches and Hooch had a litter of puppies in March 2001. A friend of a friend came by to look at the puppies. He said he wanted to buy one but didn't have all the money that evening. My husband told him to come back later the next day because he had to work that night and would be sleeping in the morning. The guy came back after Kenny went to work. When I opened the door, he stuck a gun in my face and pushed open the door. Hooch realized something was wrong and ran out the door after this man. He shot Hooch in the spine. Hooch still tried to go after him, even though his back end was paralyzed. He tried to protect me even after the man left. He got in front of me and wouldn't allow anyone near me.
We took Hooch to the emergency room. The doctor said just a half inch to one side and he would have been okay. But the only thing we could do for him was to end his suffering. He had to be put to sleep. I held him in my arms as the doctor gave him the shot. He hated to be alone and I wasn't going to leave him now. We took him home and buried him near the woods were he liked to play.
I miss Hooch. Every hour of every day I think of the sacrifice he made for me. Kenny always said "These dogs will give their life for us." I never thought I'd have to find out. Hooch was my best friend, I could cry on his shoulder, he slept on my pillow and now he's gone. My baby was only fourteen months old, I wish I had more time with him. Hooch will be missed by all of his family.