Treat was weaned from her parents and put up for adoption outside of the
WAL-MART in Ridgecrest California on October 31, 1999; Halloween, hence
the name "Treat".
Barely bigger than a handful, she met her new parents, Tom and Tamara on that
day as they were leaving town to head home to Sacramento. While in
WAL-MART Tom and Tamara added puppy food, puppy dish, collar, leash and toy to
their shopping list. Leaving the WAL-MART for home we had to make a quick
pit stop back to Peter and Steph's to show off our new puppy and get some
newspaper and a box. Both pets Tamara and Tom have obtained together
have been picked up in front of a WAL-MART (Cassie, our tiger tabby cat was
sitting behind our car when we came out of the North Natomas WAL-MART earlier in
the summer).
Treat got to know her new parents on the 8 hour drive home (lots of pit
stops) and was grateful for their stopping to let her do her business every hour
or so. It was all a little traumatic for her at first. She was
uprooted from the only home she had ever known with nothing but the fur on her
back. The new people in her life showered her with food, water, a collar
and leash, and chew toys. She watched out the window as her home got
further away, and her new place got closer.
Upon getting home in Sacramento, she first met her new brother Dallas. She
quickly ran up to the back of the chair, hiding behind Tom and yelped. That was
one big dog and he kept trying to sniff her. She was a little confused. After a few
minutes she came down and sniffed a little back. Little did we know that within
a week or so, she would have Dallas running from her rambunctious playing and
romping. Poor Dallas got his heals (and other items that come in pairs for
males) nipped whenever he was not looking.
She was initiated to work the following day.
We were afraid to leave her home
with a house full of jealous kitty cats. Tom brought Treat to work. She was an instant hit! Pouncing around, looking for trouble to get into
and things to chew. But she slept most of the 
first few days at Tom's feet
while he was working on his computer. Tamara bought Treat a
porter to call her own home and Sandy (her stuffed bear) to keep her
company. This meant we could discard the "box" we were using to
cart her around in, but we kept her rags in her porter for a few more weeks.
After the first few days, Tamara started keeping Treat at her desk. In
January, Tom tried keeping her home a couple of days, but Tamara eventually won
that battle. It was too difficult for Tom to get home at lunch everyday
for the afternoon walking.
We took Treat on nearly every journey that Tamara
and I took, ove
r
the 4 1/2 months we had her. She started out as a traveling dog, since we
got her on vacation (in Ridgecrest). She traveled so well we just kept
taking her places. We would just put her in her porter and she could have
the back seat to herself (or sometimes share it with Dallas). Although
sometimes Tom's driving wasn't porter safe, and she would get rolled
(twice). When this happened it would usually put her in shock for a few
seconds, but she quickly would forgive Tom.
Her first big journey
was to Tom's parents house for Thanksgiving. Her and Dallas spent most of
the day out in the garage, but Tom would go out regularly to give let them
stretch their feet out front. Treat was in her ... everything Dallas does
I'm going to do ... stage, so she just followed him everywhere. Even when
Dallas took off up the hill behind the house. By the time I got over
there, Dallas had already come down the hill full of stickers. I still
have the image of treat leaping off the 4' retaining wall with everything she
had and just belly-flopping the ground for a landing. She got right
up though and continued following Dallas around. We found out at Christmas
that Treat had left a few dropping under Tom's dad's car, for him to find as he
backed out the next morning.
The next trip was in early December when we went
with the F
reeman's
to Apple Hill to get Christmas Tree's. Jonah, 2-years old, and treat spent
a lot of time playing tug-of-war and trying to run each other sleepy.
Treat helped Tamara and Tom pick out there tree
,
and the office's tree. Her little legs weren't up for all of the walking
though, so she gave Tamara "the look" and Tamara carried her. We
all had a lot of fun that day and it made for some great memories.
The
next trip was Christmas. But first we did our Christmas at Tom's place for
Tom, Tamara, the kitties and the pups.
Treat did her best to be the center of attention. She really liked
Christmas. The wrapping paper was the best part. She could really shred
it into a million pieces. Next up, a two day whirlwind tour that extends
from Sacramento to Chico to Pleasanton and back to Sacramento. At Tamara's
parents house (Chico), the dogs stayed in the sewing room most of the
time. They were really good in there considering, all of the people and
noises coming from the other rooms. When it came time for everyone to go
to bed, they started to make a little noise, so Tom went into the sewing room,
and spent the night on Dallas's new pillow, with them. Christmas morning,
after the presents opening session, we were off to Tom's parents house again for
x-mas with the Plummer's. We were running a little late, but Brian and Kristin
stayed for us (even though they were in big trouble with her mom for doing
so). Treat and Dallas stayed in the garage again, and were much better
mannered out in the yard this time. By the end of that evening, Dallas was
stressed to his limits and Treat looked like she was ready to go home too!
Mommy and daddy were ready to head home too!
For Valentines Day, we went up to
Tahoe. Treat and Dallas spent the majority of Saturday at the cabin
hanging out with Tom's sister and her friends while Tom and Tamara did some
gambling. It snowed Saturday night, and when I got up to walk Treat in the
morning there was about 8 inches on the ground. It was almost higher than
her. At first she tried just walking through the snow, but it just plowed
up in front of her. So then she tried tunneling, but the same problem
occurred, and the leash was pulling on her. So she learned to leap from
spot to spot. She really didn't like the snow. She hated the rain,
but her nemesis was the snow. Later in the day her worst nightmare... Snow
was on the ground, but it was also raining. She really didn't want to be
walked in those conditions. When the rain would hit her, it curled her fur
all up. It was very cute. Sunday she and Dallas got to spend
thirteen hours in the car trying to get home (bad traffic, bad snow, bad
trip).
The last journey was a return trip to the desert.
This time it was to Pear-Blossom at Richards house. She had lots of desert
to run around in, after she spent some time trampling Richards peppers.
She had lots of fun showing off her nubbin to Richard and Peter and Steph.
At a gas station on the way home, she got away from Tom. I'm sure it was hilarious
to watch, but I chased her across the lawn for about 100-feet and finally got
the leash back just before she could get to the pavement and run into
traffic. I think because she spent so much time in cars, she just wasn't
afraid of them. She thought nobody would ever hurt her.
Just before she
got out of the yard, she was helping Tamara plant some peppers in front of Tom's
house. She loved to dig!
Although we did not witness it, and did not
find her body for nearly an hour, we believe Treat was struck by a hit and run
driver on Broadway at approximately 2:00pm Sunday March 12, 2000. The bone
structure of her head was crushed into many pieces on her left side, so we
believe her death was instantaneous. There was very little blood to
indicate that she suffered, and here body was found near a lane divide, so it
probably had only been struck once.
We buried her next to Puss-puss and
Rosebud at Tom's house. We planted a flower garden over their graves, and
will be marking the graves to keep them from being accidentally dug up by a
future home owner.
Treat had a good
life with lots of adventures. It was a shame her life was so short.
She was always loved and treated like a princess. She had lots of toys and
was played with constantly. We spoiled our little baby rotten with
attention and love. She is on her final journey now, and she doesn't have
to be in her porter any more.
