Whisper

I have been a lover of dogs ever since I was a young girl. Some would say I was dog crazy or obsessed. I prefer the term enthusiast. In elementary school, I would ask my granny to sew dog patches on all my pants. There is picture evidence to this day. My second-grade school picture is a whole-body shot versus a headshot. On the flare of my bell-bottom jeans is a dog patch resembling Lassie. In middle school, all my art projects or writing assignments were about dogs. When asked to design a cool catchphrase using a clipart, later to be made into a wearable button pin, I chose the phrase “Dogs Rock!” The clipart I chose to accompany the phrase was a dog in sunglasses playing the guitar. Of course, I wore the button pin on my bookbag. My folders and binders all had pictures of dogs on them. In seventh grade, I cried in class when we read “Where the Red Fern Grows.” My middle school yearbook is full of signatures along the lines of, “Keep loving dogs!” or “H.A.G.S. crazy dog lover!”

As a young child, I begged my parents relentlessly for a pet dog. To my dismay, the answer was always no. I did everything in my power to convince them I would be responsible and help take care of the dog. My parents had just bought our house and they did not want a dog messing up the new floors or furniture. I never gave up though, anytime I was asked what I wanted for my birthday or Christmas my answer was always, “A pet dog!”

I was spending the weekend at my friend Ashley’s house. That Saturday morning my mom called and asked to speak with me. Ashley’s mom knocked on the bedroom door and handed me the phone. My mom proceeds to say, “Hey Caitie, I know you were planning on spending the weekend with Ashley but I’m coming to pick you up this afternoon.”

“What?! Why?!” I protested.

“I can’t tell you why, it’s a surprise.”

“Oh. My. GOSH! You got me a dog!!” I squealed.

“Now honey, you know we don’t have money for a dog right now. I don’t want you getting your hopes up and then getting let down when you see what the real surprise is.”

“You got me a dog,” I said smugly.

“Honey! It’s not a dog! It’s a make-up kit.” My mom argued.

“Now I know it’s a dog! You wouldn’t come pick me up early for a make-up kit. Plus, if it was the make-up kit I wanted, you wouldn’t have told me.” I said gleefully.

My mom laughed as she said “Well you’ll just have to wait and see. I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

I let out a squeal of excitement as I hung up the phone. I started jumping up and down and singing “I have a puppy. I have a puppy!”

The house my parents bought is on land that has been in our family for a hundred years. Our driveway is about two acres long. As my mom and I made our way up the driveway, I kept my eyes glued out the window scanning for any sign of a dog. When we turned the corner and pulled up to park by our house, I saw a brown blur dart by. My dad was outside with a huge grin on his face. I threw open my door and jumped out of the car. “Where is the puppy at?!” I exclaimed.

“What puppy are you talking about? There’s no puppy here.” My dad smirked.

“What was that brown blur I saw then?!”

My dad began laughing. About that time, I feel two paws dig into my back. I spun around to see a brindle puppy with a white chest and wagging tail. I burst into tears of excitement as I got down on the ground with the puppy.

“You couldn’t keep the secret huh, honey? My dad said playfully to my mom.

“I did not tell her anything! I didn’t even give her a single hint. She just knew as soon as I called her. It blew my mind honestly.”

The puppy’s name was Whisper. We had a connection I can’t explain since before we had ever met. I just knew my parents had gotten me a dog even though there was never any evidence of them changing their minds. I don’t know how I knew, but my instincts were spot on.

Growing up, I was a sad kid. I didn’t have any friends other than Ashley. My brother and sister were twelve and ten years older than me. They didn’t pay much attention to me and at times it felt like I was an only child. I didn’t like school. Kids made fun of me and called me names all the time. I was a very lonely little girl. Whenever I reflect on my childhood, most of my memories begin around the time Whisper came into my life. She became my best friend instantly. We were inseparable. Every day I couldn’t wait to get home from school so I could hang out with my dog. It didn’t take long before Whisper started sleeping at the foot of my bed every night. She was my safe place.

As I got older, I made a few more friends. Whisper was still at the top of my list though. Our connection stayed just as strong too. When I was in high school, Whisper got hurt badly. As I walked up the porch steps, I spotted a drop of blood smaller than a dime. I burst into the front door sobbing, demanding to know what happened to Whisper. My dad had spent over an hour cleaning blood off the porch before I got home so I wouldn’t panic. He couldn’t believe I spotted that tiny speck of blood and instantly knew it was a serious accident. That’s just how close I was to Whisper. Luckily the vet was able to save her. I took Whisper with me on hikes, on car rides, and just about anywhere that would allow dogs. She still slept on my bed every night.

When she became too old to jump up on my bed, she would still come and sit in my room, and I would lift her up on the bed so she could still sleep with me. The night before she passed away, I was at a concert. That night I kept having the overwhelming feeling of death. The moment I got home I knew she was gone. I looked at my dad and started crying. He confirmed my biggest fear and told me she passed away in her sleep and felt no pain. I feel like she waited for me to leave because she knew it would be too hard on me to see her on her death bed. It’s hard to choose just one memory, so I chose to share the memory of her life. R.I.P. Whisper.