you don't look a day over 76

Yesterday was Ms. Sadie's 11th birthday, which makes her 77 in "dog years." I gotta say, for a dog heading into her retirement years, she is remarkably spry and full of life. To honor the pooch, a few words...

I adopted Sadie from the St. Louis Humane Society in early November 1995, when she was but eight weeks old. I, of course, only went in to "look around," so my friend Betsy and I ended up leaving the Humane Society and heading directly to the nearest Pet Smart, where I dropped about $125 on dog supplies.

The little bundle of fur was ridiculously cute, and resembled more of a shepherd/husky mix, as the terrier facial hair hadn't come in yet. I was in love from the start, but definitely a bit nervous that I might have a pretty big dog on my hands before I knew it.

As Sadie approached eight months old, I grew concerned that she had stopped growing. Being my first dog, I was terrified that I was doing something wrong and somehow stunting her growth. The vet assured me that she was healthy, and simply stated, "That's it. That's as big as she's gonna get." Giving her the once-over I realized that a medium-sized dog who fit well in the car wasn't a bad thing at all.

This car-friendly stature would come in handy months later, when Sadie and I spent the month of September 1996 in the car, driving from Atlanta to California and back. Yes, between the monster road trip, and our frequent homestead relocation plan (St. Louis, Atlanta, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago), my well traveled canine has seen more of the United States than most people have. Not only that, she's peed and pooped on such memorable locations as: Graceland, the Rocky Mountains, UC Berkeley, the Grand Canyon, Harvard, MIT, and Wrigley Field*, to name just a few.

In addition, while living in Boston Sadie was a frequent illegal rider of the T, and even became known to a few of the Green line drivers who always greeted her with a smile and a loving look in the other direction when it came to paying her fare.

Sadie also has an enormous fan club, consisting of the many people she's met over the years who couldn't resist her furry charm. The fan club has even gone international, with a few Eastern European members, who insisted on taking snapshots of her before leaving the States to head back home.

At eleven years, Sadie is my longest relationship, as well as my "first born." When referring to her in front of Kenny, we often call her, "Big Sister Sadie." Other nicknames include: The Sadist, Gaseous Clay, Pooder, Saidle Dreidle, and many many more.

When I adopted Sadie, I was 22 years old, and managing a night club in St. Louis. My hours were appalling, and I had no real schedule to speak of. With the help of wonderful neighbors, and bosses who didn't mind the little fur ball hanging around the club during the daytime, I somehow made it work. In retrospect, getting her was a logistical nightmare and against all logic and common sense**, but I still think it was the best $65 I ever spent.

Here's to you, Ms. Sadie Trouble Rolnick...Happy Birthday and here's to eleven more!


*Okay, she hasn't actually done her business at Wrigley, but I swear she gave it a hopeful glance when we walked past not too long ago.
**Logic and common sense rarely play a part in my decision making process.