All About My "Baby Sister"...

She was the love of my little life, the apple of my eye and the beat of my heart. I fell in love from the moment I spotted her tiny little body curled up in a small basket on a cushion. She was cuddled up next to about 5 other pups, undoubtedly her siblings, licking her lips…apparently looking for a meal. Shortly after bringing her home, I had my leg broken in a car accident. My "baby sister" Tracy was there to cheer me up as I stayed home from school for 3 weeks. She cheered me up when I was sad, entertained me when I was bored and continuously licked my face to show me that she loved me.

After months of talk in our house about getting a new pet, one particular Saturday my mom decided to surprise my brother and I with a trip to the pet shop. My brother (mainly), had been begging our parents for a pet. He had brought home several stray dogs from the neighborhood park but my parents were not going to allow them in our house, so my brother kept them hidden in the basement for several days, until someone reported them missing and he had to return them to their rightful owners.

Eventually, he started insisting that we should have our own family pet … a dog, to be more specific. We had cared for numerous goldfish and even a few birds. My brother had several gerbils and hamsters and had become bored and less interested in the smaller pets. He tried tirelessly to convince my parents that he needed a dog/a best friend to look after. He ensured them that having this responsibility would cause him to become more responsible. I, on the other hand, was not a big dog lover. I was content with the goldfish and birds. In fact, I was a bit afraid of dogs. I had not been around dogs much and from what I knew of them, THEY BARKED LOUD and COULD BITE!

My brother and I are 7 years apart. At the time, I was only 5 years old and he was 12 years old. While I was excited about the trip to the pet store that day, I wasn’t so sure about leaving with a dog. My brother on the other hand, had his hopes set on bringing home a Doberman pinscher or a German shepherd. It was definitely going to be an adventure.

As we entered the pet store that day, the shop owner kindly came to ask if we needed assistance. I heard my mom say, “we are interested in looking at some puppies.” My brother had wandered off in amazement at all of the animals in the store. The owner gladly directed us to the back of the store where all of the puppies and kittens could be found. I could hear larger dogs barking in the background. I imagined those must have been the parents of these cute puppies lined up in baskets with cushions inside of them. They were probably angry about their pups being taken away and put on display for the humans to choose. My brother and I walked the strip together looking at tons of pups. They were all shades of black, grey, browns and many various sizes, ranging from just weeks old to a few months old. Some were frisky and jumping up on the gate while others were relaxing and peeking at the people walking by. Something drew my attention to a basket of jet-black pups that all seemed to be sleeping so peacefully in the very back, by the wall. I pointed to them and the store owner asked if I would like to see them up close. I said yes and he quickly brought the basket closer for my mom, brother and I to get a closer look at them. There were 5 sleeping pups, barely a week old. I pointed one out and the store owner asked if I wanted to hold it. I said yes. He picked the pup up and said, “this is a girl,” and handed it to me. The pup began to wiggle and whimper in the palm of my hands. From that moment, I was in love. I wanted her to come home with me.

My brother still had his eyes set on the bigger dogs that were barking out back. My mom had decided that if we were going to have dog in our house, we needed to raise it from a puppy. My brother wasn’t so thrilled about that but he thought it was a good start. He was just anxious for the puppy to grow so that he could throw balls to the puppy in the backyard and train it. I was hoping that the puppy never grew so that I could cuddle and handfeed her.

Our first dog, whom we named ‘Tracy” was a mix of a terrier mom and a schnauzer father. She had the shiniest black fur and glossy black eyes. The owner said that she was going to be a small dog, even when full grown. That day we took Tracy home and she became a permanent member of the Turner family.

Tracy Turner slept with me every night. My brother and I took turns catering to her at night as she whined and cried for the first few weeks. I assumed she was missing her parents and siblings but I assured her that she would be well taken care of. I spent more time with her than my brother it seemed. He became more interested in going out with friends and playing sports, while I became more attached to Tracy.

When I was 7 years old and in second grade, I remember going to school listening to my friends talk about their younger siblings. This made me sad because I didn't have any younger siblings. There was my brother and I in our house and I was the baby. Before long, I found myself chiming in conversations, telling them stories about my baby sister (Tracy). She was just like a toddler (my version of terrible twos in dog form). She snatched things and ran to get attention and she stood by my chair and begged for my food and ran to greet me at the door everyday after school. Yes, she was my baby sister and my friends had no idea that she was a dog!

Tracy was an important part of our family for 5 years, until I turned 10 years old and my mom and I travelled outside of the US for the summer and had to leave Tracy home with my dad and brother. I am sure that not having the original Turner family that she was used to was an adjustment and I too missed her so much. While we were away, one of my brother's friends came to visit and accidently left the gate open and Tracy ran out, never to return. I was heartbroken! I believe someone found her and kept her. We put signs up all around the neighborhood but no one called. I can only hope and pray that someone continued to love her as much as we did.

Though that was decades ago, I can still remember my baby sister Tracy so clearly, and the joy and adventure that she brought to our family will remain in our hearts for eternity.