Sprite

Sprite was a very special boxer; we adopted her about 3 1/2 years ago. She had been a puppy mill breeder and was bred nearly to death before she was released to rescue. We were never sure how old she was; our best guess back then was about 5 or 6 though she could have been older. Age is usually determined by the teeth, but its common for puppy mill dogs who spend their entire lives in a small cage to gnaw on the steel. That makes it difficult to judge their age.

Like a gold fish that can only grow as large as its bowl, Sprite never grew very large in the puppy mill. Though she was our oldest boxer, she was often mistaken for a puppy. Sprite was about 40 pounds and had big puppy eyes. She knew how to use them, too. Another consequence of her past was colitis. She had bloody diarrhea for the first six months that she lived with us, but we finally got it under control with medication. When we found the right food, she actually began to put on weight!

Because of her lack of socialization, Sprite was very skittish. Often, she wouldn't permit even Chris or myself to pet her. If there was a loud sound or sudden move, she would be gone. Still, we decided that she didn't need to be anything that she couldn't be and we accepted her for who and what she was. Oh so slowly, she continued to crawl out of that shell of hers. While we had no expectations, she gave so much to us.

To see her run was a joy. Sprite would stretch out, front and back, as far as she could! She could bound like a deer and turn somersaults. Her nickname was Miss Wiggle Butt. At times, Sprite could look so human; almost like an old man sitting there. Oh, she had her down side, too. If there was a dog fight, she would get involved... by going after the humans trying to break things up! I guess she figured her and the other dogs didn't need us humans interfering and she was probably right. I still have a scar on the back of my leg.... Sprite taught us many lessons.

Several weeks ago, the pizza delivery man left the gate open and Sprite disappeared. We were horrified but she was found at the city pound the next day. We are certain someone grabbed her- she looks like a cute puppy, but she can be a wild woman and hard to handle. Afterwards she would not go for a walk or even a ride; two of her favorite things. We had found an antidepressant that had helped with some of our more we anxious rescues, and tried this on Sprite. She seemed to respond, and to our surprise Sprite continued to crawl out of her shell. It was wonderful to watch her scratch her hind feet like a bull, or to see her jump and turn 360 degrees or more in midair!

Sprite's health was always precarious and she often relapsed with the colitis. A few days ago, she seemed worse than usual and yesterday we took her to the vet. What we discovered was unexpected- her kidneys had shut down. We agreed to try to treat Sprite with IV fluids and antibiotics; if the problem was due to something she ate the prognosis wasn't too bad. However, if the problem was due to her genetics, the prognosis was not good.

Remember, Sprite was a puppy mill breeder. Her puppies were sold in pet stores. However.... puppy mill breeder bitches are not known for wonderful genetic backgrounds. After 24 hours, instead of showing some improvement, Sprite's condition worsened. This evening, we made the decision to send her lovingly to the Rainbow Bridge.

May 7th, 2004

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