This is a great story about the first dog that your Daddy and Aunt Abby had. When Abby was little she was very very afraid of animals. She would scream whenever we saw a dog. So, we thought that the best thing to do was to get a little puppy for Dustin and Abby so that she could overcome her fear. We researched dogs and decided to get a breed of dog called a Keeshond.
Here is what Keeshonds look like when they are little puppies.
We went all the way to Kalamazoo, Michigan to find a breeder who raised Keeshonds and picked out a little puppy just like this and named her Sadie. She became the family pet for many years. Your Daddy immediately fell in love with her and they became best friends. It took Abby awhile to get use to Sadie, but having a dog around the house really did the trick. Abby soon got over her fear of animals and also loved Sadie.
Here is a picture of Sadie with Abby and Dustin. Your Daddy is only 3 years old here.
Sadie turned out to be a wonderful pet. Once Abby started school and Dustin had nobody to play with, he and Sadie went everywhere together. Sadie became very protective of Dustin. If somebody came over to our house, Sadie would go over and sit in front of Dustin until I told her it was ok.
Now, here's something very special that Sadie did for me and you. She actually saved your Daddy's life. One day when Abby was in school, I was outside in the front yard planting some flowers. Dustin and Sadie were sitting next to me, and Dustin was helping me with the flowers. However, all of a sudden Dustin heard something coming down the road. It was a big dump truck. Dustin loved trucks and started running for the road; and he was too little to realize that you cannot go into the road or even near a road when traffic is going by. I tried to run to catch Dustin, but I knew I would not get to him in time; and the truck was surely going to hit him. All of a sudden, Sadie ran right past me going as fast as a freight train! She caught up to Dustin just before he reached the road and grabbed his socks and pulled him down to the ground. Then she sat on top of him until I got there. Dustin was crying because he was scared; but Sadie was smiling and was very proud of herself for taking good care of Dustin.
The truck driver stopped his truck and got out to make sure everybody was ok. He said he has never ever seen a dog do something so heroic. He asked Dustin if he would like to see the inside of his truck, and Dustin was all excited about that. When he put Dustin in the truck, Sadie jumped in too. She wasn't going to let him out of her sight.
Later that morning, I fed Dustin his lunch and put him down for his nap. Sadie jumped on his bed and slept right next to him with her little paw around his back. She was still smiling because she knew she did a good deed for the day.
Sadie never liked trucks after that. She would always try to chase them away to try to protect her family. One day she did get hit by a truck and we lost her. It was a very sad day for all of us and we all cried - me, your Grandpa, Aunt Abby, and especially Dustin. I'm sure in her mind, she felt that she sacrificed herself that day to protect her family.
Pets are very special, aren't they?
Love you....Nana
