Words cannot describe how I felt about Sally, although I will try my best.



The first time I saw her, my dad was walking through our front door with her in his hands (I originally thought she was a hamster - she was so small). She was only 4 weeks old (the people who sold her to us lied about her age) and couldn't even stand up properly, when she ate I had to sit with her and clean her front feat as she used to lye down with her feat in her food bowl



She went on holidays with us – I remember one time my dad came home and he picked her up, she promptly urinated all over him she was so happy.



She used to get car sick a lot, so often we had to give her a tranquilizer. One time we were on a 6 hour drive and stopped about half-way, there was this statue with a huge head and Sally didn’t stop barking at it.



When I watched TV she used to jump up next and sit next to me with her front feet on my legs and she would try to lick my face and she would follow me around wherever I went.



During the past couple of years she started to run up and down the corridors of my house whenever we came home and jump from furniture to furniture. She would also start howling with all the other dogs – she wasn’t very good at it, it sounded like someone screaming. She would chase the birds in our garden and jump around like a springbok and whenever I wanted her to go outside I would just have to say “go catch them!” or “where’s the birdies” and she would sprint out.



She had a continental pillow which we kept on the furniture for her, with a towel for her to lye on/under. I would cover her with it whenever I walked past her, and often she would jump off the couch and walk around with the towel still on her back.



She used to love sweets (couldn’t give her too many though) and also cheese. She would often bury her toys, her balls and random stuff she found.



About a week ago, she started to seem very sick. She would walk around the house slowly. On 12 August 2006 she started to wobble when she walked and would fall over if she walked for too long. We took her to the vet and he told us that she was very pale and had a lack of red-blood cells. He gave her some vitamin injections to help her, and the following morning he said she was making progress, but there was still some blood in her stool. 



It was that afternoon that I saw her for the last time.



I went to her cage, opened it and held my hands out as she slowly walked towards me. I picked her up and took her outside for a bit, hugged her, kissed her on the head and sat with her for a while. I then picked her up, put her back in her cage stroked her and kissed her goodbye, before covering her with her towel. I stroked her one more time and whispered to her “as soon as you get better you can come home”. I’ll never forget the look in her eyes as I was leaving.



The following morning, 14 August 2006, as I woke up for work, my dad came in with tears in his eyes and said “Sally’s dead.” Immediately a rush of feelings went threw me, I was confused and didn’t know what to think. Then I burst into tears after I realized what had actually happened. I went that afternoon to go pick up her towel from the vet. The asked us if we would like to keep her ashes after she was cremated. Unfortunately it costs quite a bit of money and we could not afford it, I would’ve loved to keep them.



It’s still hard to believe what has happened, I will never forget her or the happiness she brought to my life. I loved her with all my heart and it pains me to say goodbye to her.



She was more than just a pet; she was my friend and family.



She will live on in my heart, and my dreams, until the day we meet again.



Sally, my girly, may you rest in peace… I loved you… goodbye…