Dotson
Dotson came into our lives when he was two years old in 2000. Dotson was
the friendliest, sweetest dog you could ever meet. He was a smooth-haired,
classic red dachshund. It broke my heart how ready to love he was and
how easy it was for his first family to dump him on us. The reality is that
decision to rid of him put this dachshund on Easy Street at my house. I was
devoted to him and he to me. Originally, he came into our home to be with
our boys but he quickly figured out that Mom was the alpha and that's who he
followed around. I never went to the bathroom alone in all the years that he
lived with us.
Dotson had velvet ears and a wet nose. He has a huge chest and walked like
he was ten feet tall. He had a distinctive bark that he used to alert me of
visitors. When he wanted to tell me he loved me, he would butt heads with
and rub his face all over my hair. He would climb on my discarded clothes
and rolled over and over in them and then fall asleep on them. Treats were
always removed gently from my fingers. He was so very gentle with me.
Dotson had a skill that caused me to have holes in all my socks. Within days
of first getting him, I removed my shoes and was wiggling my toes. He came
over to me and gingerly started to use his teeth to get a grip on my socks,
carefully avoiding biting my toes. When he had a good grip, he would brace
himself and comically spread his weiner-dog toes to get a good footing and
begin yanking my socks on. It usually took four or five tugs and the sock
would come off. He would then "kill" the sock and begin to work on the other
foot. It was hilarious. It also helped keep the sock companies in business
because I repeatedly replaced my socks after Dotson had "helped" remove
them.
My Dotson was outside on November 18, 2007. The woman that lives next to us
decided that she needed to get a pit bull. Dotson and the dog barked at each
other and the pit bull knocked down a board on our fence and attacked
Dotson. His neck was broken and there was blood everywhere. The pit then sat
there and guarded his kill and would not let me retrieve little Dotson
body. By the time he finally left, Dotson was gone.
In all of my 42 years, I have never been so devastated as with the loss of
this dog. He was my baby and I adored him. No expense was ever spared for
the care and comfort of this little being. Its my opinion that, when if I
ever go to Heaven, I will not look for a person when I get there....the
first "person" that I will find will be my Dotson. Its been six weeks and I
still find myself weeping for him. I don't think that I will ever get over
losing my little friend.
Teresa D.
