The Pit Bull Princess

I'm talking about a dog.
A dog that was originally a gift to my younger sister.
She was the runt of the litter.
She was feisty, loyal and reliable.
Nobody remembers the exact year we got her but she was between 14 and 15 years of age.
She helped me train my puppy because she has many tricks and dogs learn by watching each other. Made my a little life easier. That's some kind of legacy. For a family pet of a dog, that isn't a half bad thing at all. She loved my sister and subsequently her daughter. She loved cats and was very easily one of the most trustworthy dogs we've ever owned. Such a great disposition.

Here's the funny thing: she and I barely got along. I remember once, I told her to go in the house and she ignored me so I harassed her about it. She snarled and snapped at me. Surprised, I jumped back and almost as if spring loaded, I hurled myself at her with my fist leading the way. Only, back then she was much faster than I was. I ended up chasing her for about ten minutes. Almost like we were playing. Except, I had real bad intent. I hate for dogs to bare their fangs at me, especially trying to incite fear so I handle it. Well, she escaped me that day because I'm not violent just sorta determined. Before long, she and I had a rapport. We could play full growl with each other and look like we were fighting but all it took was to turn my hand to show the palm and she went back to being as sweet as ever. I was growing to love that dog. I respected her intelligence. Tremendously intelligent dog. Never did stop going for the trash and never did stop barking at intruders. Always trying to lick me in the face. Even after years of not seeing my face.

I suppose that's when I realized that she wouldn't be bouncing back from her illness. She stopped trying to lick me in the face. She had a hard time getting around and she began relieving herself in place. It was wild for how rapidly it all happened. She was just bouncing around the cars and playing with the other dogs. She was just scarfing down beef hearts, chuffed with warmth and contentment. She became listless and refuse to eat. All we could do was comfort her. All we could do is watch her rapid decline into nothingness. And here we are, chock full with a few memories. It seems the less the memories, the bigger they are. She was so sweet hearted and loving. What a loss.