Chapter 5 - Baby

 Baby, a Border Collie-Terrier mix, was my grandmother's other dog. Baby and I shared a deep and affectionate bond. Whenever we visited my grandmother's house, Baby would eagerly run towards me. If Baby wished to show me something, she would gently take my hand and lead me to her discoveries in the backyard. You can imagine my horror when Baby once placed a cat skull in my hand, prompting me to scream loudly. Poor Baby, startled by my reaction, stepped back with wide eyes. My mother, grandmother, brother, and sister, along with Grandma's neighbor Fern, rushed outside, having heard my scream. My mother initially thought I had been injured. When I showed her the cat skull, her jaw dropped in astonishment. It turned out that Baby had unearthed the remains of my mother's childhood cat, Mittzy. We respectfully reburied Mittzy and placed a large rock over the grave to mark the spot. When my grandmother moved in with my Uncle Tom, Baby came to live with us. We allowed her to roam freely in our backyard. One evening, while we were at the lake with our dog Bandit, an unfortunate incident occurred. When we returned home, we discovered that Baby had been attacked. Although the veterinary clinic was closed, the vet rushed to the office to attend to Baby's severe injuries; her back leg had been torn open.The vet assured us that he would call in his colleagues to perform emergency surgery on Baby that night. The following day, our neighbor informed us that he had witnessed a Boxer jumping into our backyard and attacking Baby. Our dogs Molly and Lucky the 1st managed to fend off the Boxer, allowing Baby to escape. The neighbor had considered shooting the Boxer but refrained, fearing he might accidentally harm one of our dogs. Tragically, the Boxer escaped our yard and killed a Rat Terrier down the street that same night. We visited Baby at the veterinary clinic, and although she showed no interest in eating or drinking, she managed to wag her tail upon seeing us. Tragically, the next day, the vet informed us that Baby had passed away. My mother and I went to the clinic to bid our final farewells to Baby. Before we left, the head veterinarian mentioned that they had a puppy in need of a home. Understanding that Baby would have wanted us to provide a loving home to the puppy, we adopted him and named him Shadow. Two days later, the same Boxer that had killed Baby and the Rat Terrier was shot by a man walking his two toy poodles. To this day, I still think of Baby and miss her dearly. When my grandmother moved in with us, we informed her about Baby's fate. Although she was saddened, she acknowledged that Baby's passing had paved the way for Shadow to find a loving home. I am certain that Baby was overjoyed to reunite with Grandma when she arrived in heaven.