Revised November 25, 1999

These two precious souls were given up last year (at the ages of twelve!) for no good reason by their "family" simply because they became "inconvenient." It is positively sickening. There was a new baby in their North Carolina home. Never mind the fact that they were good with the baby. They were out, threatened with the pound if we didn't help. The threat became quite serious, too. Incredible. I still find it in myself to be shocked at people. I guess that is a good thing.

Sadly, Big Boy has just passed on to Rainbow Bridge. His story is now a memorial, I am very sorry to say. Little Bit lives on without him, getting extra attention from her family in the wake of this devastating loss. He was, of course, her best friend in the world, and a loss like that -- for animals or people -- will rock and sometimes destroy someone's world. We hope this doesn't happen for Little Bit, that she finds a way out of the loss and grief.

It seems only right to tell a bit of their saga, after we managed to rescue them. A wonderful woman drove from her Massachusetts home to get Big Boy and Little Bit in North Carolina, and she found that both had various health problems (which were not disclosed; small wonder). She got them well, in time. No easy feat, I am certain. Neither dog looked back when they left their first "home," which says a lot, in truth.

Both dogs are very loved by their adoptive family. Death cannot change that for Big Boy. Little Bit will live out her remaining days amidst this love and care. I still can't thank her new family enough. I guess after more than a year, they are not so new, though.

I would also like to thank my North Carolina colleague who oversaw the adoption, angsting through many rough moments with me, and a special guy from Massachusetts who handled the housecheck. Some fortunes really can be reversed, and these two characters had a lot of people going to bat for them. It paid off, thank heavens, and somewhat makes up for the lousy way Big Boy and Little Bit were treated in the past. I just wish Big Boy had known happiness and love for a much longer time. I sure hope Little Bit will.