R.I.P Sandy

Many years ago, when the Old People felt I was skilled enough to make my own way in the human world, they found that they missed the companionship of a critter in their home. So, after much searching, they saw an ad in the newspaper one day. A woman advertised that she was giving away a golden retriever dog, free.

The Old People contacted the woman, and she insisted that they meet her in the parking lot of a large shopping district. They met at the appointed time, and a van pulled up, a woman gets out, pulls a beautiful dog out of the van - hands it to the Old Woman without a word, and gets back into the van and speeds off.

The Old People wondered what could be so terrible about this dog that would merit such a terse disposal. The dog, named Sandy, proved to be a sweet, loving, loyal dog. She rather liked treats - and was quite friendly to everyone who visited. Every time I visited, she would greet me as I opened my car door.

The last time I was home, I noticed that Sandy really had become an "Old Dog."

Yesterday, I called upon the Old People and was informed that the Old Woman was out scouring the mountain looking for Sandy. She was starting to fear the worst. Today when I called, Sandy had still not come home. The Old People are sure that she crawled off somewhere to die. They are really quite sad. Heck, I'm quite sad. Sandy was a good dog. She was a good companion. It just won't be the same to go home for the holidays and not get yelled at because I've tossed her too many treats.