My dachshund violently killed by neighbor's pitbull
by Laura
(Modesto, CA)
Sammy
Like most of us, I am a true dog lover! My dogs are like my children. I adopted Sammy almost 7 years ago with the help of Petfinder.com. We were her third and forever home here on earth. She led a wonderful life with her people (me, husband, son) and her two adopted brother dachshunds. She ruled the roost and immediately took on the role of Alpha dog—a great protector and watch dog. She sat up and rolled over and did “circus tricks” with her paws like poodles do. We were never able to break the habit of her sitting up but somehow she managed to balance like a tripod with her tail and back legs without hurting her back!
We called her Sammy the Seal among her other nicknames: Samdog, Sam Sam, and Sammers were favorites. She loved to lay in the sun and go on walks with her brothers. She loved to lay on the warm deck during summer and watch her mama swim. Like most dachshunds, she was an eager eater and she really loved her mama’s home-cooked dog food. She claimed the Big Bed as her own and slept between her mom and dad’s pillows when she wasn’t snuggling against her mama’s leg. The first thing her mama saw each morning was her cute, happy face.
I am so grateful for being able to adopt Sammy. She was a true treasure and brought so much love to my family. My heart breaks from the pain of missing her. She was such a large, constant part of my life and the house isn’t the same without her. The bed is vacant now of my sweet, sweet girl. I cry every time I go in my room, esp in the morning or at night. I miss so much the feel and look of her beautiful soft fur, her doggy kisses, her smile, and her expressive eyes.
She was killed 3 weeks ago (at age 11) in my backyard by my neighbor's "non-violent" Pitbull mix. I am haunted by the horror of finding her. She was outside barking with my other dachshund. I went outside to tell my pups to stop barking and only my dog Eddie came to me. I spotted Sammy--her beautiful body lying on the deck and she appeared to be caught in the fence. As I approached her, I saw that she had been pulled partway through the fence and her head had been ripped off. I screamed and my 17 year old son came running out. Luckily he didn't see what I saw but he was hysterical for the next hour.
I cry every day for her. How can I get that image of her out of mind? I never thought I would ever see anything so gruesome. How can I stop the pain I feel? I've had repairs done on my fence but that dog is still there (the police say because it happened "between" the fence that nothing can be done) and my other neighbors have a Pitbull who growls and barks at me and my dogs thorugh the fence. I don't feel like I can protect my dogs....and there is nothing I can do about it. I want to heal from this grief, but I am angry that the dog that killed my Sammy is living happily on the other side of the fence and I am worried about the other pitbill as well. Both neighbors have claimed that their dogs are "non-violent" or "docile", which is not true. So I have anger, sadness, pain, some guilt, and a situation with violent dogs that I cannot control. How can I heal?
Sammy I love you. My heart breaks from missing you. You were my special girl.....my Samdog. Mama's sweet girl. I am so sorry I could not protect you. I enjoyed every treasured moment I got to spend with you and thank God for his sharing you with me. I will forever miss my bed buddy, my portable heater, my clever big girl, my 1/2 of the Reds. May you be at peace Sammy, and may God grant me and my family peace soon. It hurts so bad...so very, very bad. I will love you forever my sweet pup. Thank you for being a part of my life and showing me such love.
I wouldn't feel this pain if I hadn't loved so deeply.
It's hard right now but it's worth the grief to have experienced the love.
~~Laura Staley
