The first time I ever laid eyes on Bitsy is still burned into my memory as if it were yesterday. She was peeking out of a pet taxi that my neighbors took out of their truck when they got home from somewhere.
All I could see was her little white snout and bright brown eyes, but then she disappeared inside and I never saw her again…until I started doing odd jobs for my neighbors around the house for extra money.
Everyday I’d go into their house and see the same pet taxi sitting in a corner with big brown eyes. One day, I asked if the dog ever got out and was met with a shocking response: “No, because she will poop on the floor.”
Keep in mind, they didn’t have puppy pads or anything down, so I walked over and stuck my finger in to pet the cute white snout. To my surprise, she was standing on three or four inches of her own feces with a shredded grocery bag used as her only escape from standing in it.
I begged and pleaded, even offering money, but shewouldn’t have it. That was the final straw for me–I couldn’t stand being in that house anymore. It felt like a month before my neighbors finally moved out.
Every night, the temperature outside dropped into the single digits. I started hearing barking and whining coming from inside the house. One night, I couldn’t take it anymore and went down to investigate. The door was open, and the house was abandoned–except for a pet taxi with a white snout and brown eyes peeking out. They had left her with no food or water and no intention of coming back.
When I spotted her brown eyes, I opened the taxi door without hesitation and scooped her into my arms. She was trembling and had matted hair;she reeked of urine and feces. When I called the people she belonged to, they said they didn’t want her because she was “too nasty,” so without thinking twice,I took her home with me.
When I first met her, she was very shy and so thin that I could feel her hip bones and ribs. It took a week before she would let me get too close, but everything changed after her first bath. She fell asleep under the water pouring down on her; she even let me cut out the matts, flea her, and clean her ears. She had been using a large dog kennel asher safe spot, but that night, she slept beside me in bed.
Everyday for the past three months, my shadow has been following me around everywhere I go. If I take a step, she takes one too. When I shower, she lays down on a towel until I’m finished. She loves car rides and fresh air, and enjoys wearing little outfits. Her favorite thing to do though is lay in my lap with her head on my chest and stare into my eyes. Some of her behaviors and physical traits remind me of my long-lost best friend from 15 years ago–which feels like a gift from Sissy herself.
(h/t: The Animal Rescue Site)