While I only knew Treat for 4 1/2 months, we formed a very special bond.  I had wanted a dog since leaving home for college.  You know, boys and their dogs.  But I never seemed to have the space for one.  Because of Tamara and her dog Dallas I learned that I could have an indoor dog, with just a little extra effort.  I had been waiting for a dog to pick me for a long time, when on the way into the Wal-Mart, I saw the dogs the people were giving away.  I asked Tamara if she wanted to stop and take a look, but she was more focused on getting our shopping done so we could get on our way back home.  While we were in the store, I kept feeling a tug, and when we passed the pets section of the store, I knew we should at least take a look.  So I defended the shopping cart while Tamara checked to see what was available, and breed etc...  She came back, saying that only the blond one was available.  I said that was fine, that was the only one I saw on the way into the store.

She wasn't much to look at from a distance.  Kind of a ratty, scruffy, shy, plain blond puppy.  But what can I say, there was just something.

Even on the car ride home we knew we had something special.  She faced an 8-hour ride home, and no "accidents" (except for the rat drops she left at Peter and Steph's).  When we stopped to let her do her business, she would go right to it, or try to play with us if she didn't have to go.  

Tamara, held her in the cuff of her arm for most of the second half of the trip home.  Treat wanted to see out the window.  Tamara's bond started to kick in.  

I said before that we knew we had something special, and it was true.  Over the time that we shared, her personality just exploded all over everyone.  She seemed to form attachments to people right away and each relationship was different.  With Bob, she wanted to pounce her paws and grunt.  David was her boyfriend (shhh, don't tell Claudia).   Each person she had a different way of relating too.  

She kept her puppy spirit, always willing to play.  She loved to be chased and to dig, or go into the cave (under the blanket).  

Whenever, I would pick her up, she would sit in my arms vertical, trusting that I wouldn't drop her.  She would stay that way as long as she had the strength, and then she would flop down horizontal.  Usually she would lick my glasses so I would have to clean them.  I would usually go visit her 3 or 4 times a day in Tamara's office and play with her at least once a day.  She knew about how much time I would spend with her, and would go hide under Tamara's desk and look out with sad eyes when she knew it was time to go back in her porter.  

Every morning when Tamara would get to work, she would let her out of the porter.  Treat would run as fast as she could straight back to my office and say hi, take a few pets, and then go say hi to everyone else.  I would know when Tamara was here, by the drum roll of her little feet running into my office.

It's hard for me to explain all of the ways she was cute, smart, loving, obedient, naughty, happy, naive and curious.  All of these things made up her explosive personality that filled and warmed our hearts.  She was a small dog that could fill a room with her presence.  No, not her odor or barking, but her happiness and playfulness.  She brightened my life.

It's been tough finding the little things around the house and office, that remind us of her.   She brought Tamara and I closer together, she was our baby.   It's hard to believe that in only 4 1/2 months we could bond so closely to a dog.  She was my little princess.  She had  a great life story.  She was the happiest dog I've ever known.  I miss her more than you can possibly imagine.  I will love her and remember her the rest of my life.  She was one of the best things of my life story.

It was very painful to loose her in the abrupt manner in which it happened.  Peter pointed out that it is tough for us to deal with the death of an animal by a machine.  We understand the machine, she couldn't ever have.  She didn't live long enough to learn that traffic and cars are a bad thing for dog.  She assumed that no one would ever try to hurt her.  Perhaps another source of the pain comes from knowing that she was just a puppy when she died, and would have had so many more good times if she had lived.  Or, because she was the puppy that Tamara and I was raising, and her accidental death might have an impact on our relationship.  

Or maybe it just hurts because she was my friend.

I wrote a poem once that describes friendship.  It's called the rooms in my heart INSERT LINK "THE ROOM".  Treat had built herself a big room in our hearts, and filled it with all of the wonderful things from her life. 

I created this web site in her memory.  It was good therapy for me in dealing with her loss.  Also, I wanted to share our memories of her with our friends and family and whoever else runs across this website.  Finally, I wanted to document her life so that I would never forget her, and all of her wonderful personality traits.

- Thomas

This Website is dedicated to the loving and lasting memory of our pet and mascot "TREAT".  She brought joy and happiness to all of our lives.  

mailto:treatmemorial@i5net.net 

March, 2000