Sweet Sadie Lou

Sadie was my 60th birthday gift. She was a rescue from a high kill shelter, and we instantly fell in love with her. [This sweet pup had been separated from her mom at age 4 weeks]. While we had planned to get a rescue beagle, the fates had another plan, as we soon learned that Sadie is quite the mutt. She has the webbed feet of a Lab, a Dobie face & butt, beagle color on her chest & toes, Shepherd from the crown of her head to her shoulders and the frame of a whippet!

Life with training and raising a pup was typical until early August, when she tripped me up while walking. I felt like I pulled a muscle in my side, but, after two weeks, the pain did not subside. I contacted my doctor, who ordered an ultrasound revealed I had a 4" tumor on my ovary, which would most likely have gone undetected even longer if not for my Sadie.I had more tests, underwent surgery and am now undergoing chemo for 18 weeks. Sadie has been very devoted to me: I rest, she rests, and she has learned to be gentle when she approaches me. There have been lots of puppy cuddles on the couch and petting her while I read has been very calming. During the day, when my spouse works, Sadie might ask once to go out, but on weekends, when there are two of us, she seems to go out every couple of ours!

When its bedtime (10 PM-ish), she barks to tell us it's time, and snuggles down between us, making sure she at least has one part of her body in contact with each of us...and her big sister dog, our 6 yo Lab She watches out the window during the day, keeping guard over me perched on a pillow. She is attentive to passersby without barking,loves the complex maintenance people, plays with her sibling dog and cats, and loves a romp in the local dog park; she's still uncertain about how she feels about the ocean!

I don't know what I would have done if Sadie had not "helped" find the tumor or played such an important role along the road to recovery. She has shown herself to be loving, fun and a true emotional support animal...and this coming from someone who was always a cat lover!

Karen Levy
GLENMONT, NY