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Dog Sprite lived up to her name
By Tonya Reid Creel
Contributor
Published October 26, 2009
On Oct. 23, 2008, one of my best friends passed away in my arms. Her name was Sprite, and she was my 12-year-old beagle. Sprite came into my life in March 1996. She was the first birthday gift I ever received from the man who is now my husband. We picked her out of the litter and drove home with her in my arms.
Sprite wasn’t named after the beverage. Rather, a sprite is an imp or mischievous pixie. She certainly lived up to her name. She once tried to tunnel her way out of a room by eating through a wall of drywall.
Sprite was a handful, but she was also the most intelligent dog I ever have had. She had a huge vocabulary. She even knew how to spell. Saying or spelling B-A-T-H was a surefire way to ensure Sprite would bark at you and then hide under the bed.
I learned many things from Sprite, the most important being unconditional love. I could look into her soft brown eyes and know that she understood me and loved me — maybe even when I didn’t deserve it.
Sprite had many friends, both human and canine. Her canine friends included Molly, Cookie, Butters, Tasha and Layla. Her human friends were Mommy, Daddy, Mimi, PeePaw, Unky Brad and Sue.
Sprite also had many wonderful friends and caregivers at Dickinson Animal Hospital, especially Dr. Lori Honeycutt. To know Sprite was to love her.
When Sprite was diagnosed with cancer, we did everything we could to save her. But finally, it became clear the cancer was becoming too much for her. And I couldn’t bear to watch my baby suffer.
I made the decision to let her end her life peacefully and in my arms. It was the most difficult decision I ever have had to make. But one look into those soulful eyes told me I was doing the right thing. It was time to let her go.
It has been a year since Sprite left us. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. I am grateful for the time God allowed us to spend with Sprite.
And I know there will be a day when she is once again in my arms where she belongs.
Tonya Reed Creel lives in Texas City.
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