The Sweety Story

This story is about an ordeal I went through with our little dog Sweety. It's a story with some lessons: If you make unethical choices, your heart will break watching someone innocent suffer the consequences of your choices. If you don't go by your gut feelings, that voice saying, "Hey, stop and think about this!" you'll end up as miserable as I was, but even if you blow it, if you'll pray to God with all your heart and hang on to His promises, you can make it through anything. I thank God this story has a happy ending.

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Journal: Tuesday Morning

I can't begin to describe the hours and hours of agony I experienced from Sunday afternoon till Monday evening.

Sweety was about 3 years old when we decided to look for another home for her. I only wanted her to have a place where she could be really happy, have a garden to run in, birds to chase,etc. etc.

I'm now checking my motives, but here's the story.

We had put an ad in the paper to sell her, but we were being choosy. At least 50 people called and we've weeded out all of 'em. Then these people came on Sunday at 5pm to look at her. They are originally from Croatia, but they live here now. They seemed to be really nice people.

They had their 14 yr old daughter with them and they all agreed that Sweety was what they were looking for. We mentioned how she needed a garden and the lady said, "We have a small garden." and she looked down right after she said this, so that should have been my first clue. Then my husband said something about Sweety not being left alone and the lady said, "Oh, I'm home all day." I relaxed.

We talked a little bit more and then suddenly they all looked at each other and said, "Okay, let's take her." Sweety was sitting in my lap as she always does, clinging to me and I felt this sort of shock go through me; a fear. I wasn't expecting to have to give her up just, boom, like that. But Phil our son has been hounding us (no pun intended) to get rid of her as he can't stand her high-pitched barking every time he walks in the door. And my husband told me that the only way I could keep Baby (Sweety's new puppy) was if I'd give up Sweety. I said "Okay." cause Baby reminds me of Benny (my beloved 8 yr old Chihuahua) and Sweety has been an irritation since Day One for all of us. So the choice wasn't too difficult to make. But somehow the whole thing didn't quite feel right to me. It just seemed unethical somehow; unfair, but I wanted Baby so bad. I felt she would be my little comforter when Benny goes to Heaven.

Yes, all selfish decisions.

So, this is a lesson how, in spite of our hard hearts, God can rectify things.

Meanwhile, back in our living room, before I knew what was happening, the people were paying for Sweety and were out the door. I was so anxious over seeing Sweety disappear that I followed them down the stairs and down the street and would have gotten into the car, but managed to restrain myself.

I kept talking to Sweety that everything was going to be all right, but I wasn't believing a word of it.

My heart ached as they got into the car and I saw Sweety's alarmed look. I felt like Peter denying Christ!

She struggled to get away and that was the last picture I had of her as they drove off.

I was sort of in shock, I guess, or maybe I was in denial. I tried to pacify myself that it was "all for the best", but as the evening hours ticked by, all I could see was Sweety's fear and her sad eyes saying to me, "Why are you throwing me away?"

I broke down sobbing on my bed. Oh, God, how could I do this to her? How?

I rarely go this far, but I got down on my knees and cried out to God and cried and prayed for the whole mess. My misery was perfect.

So, this continued on into the rest of the evening as I progressively became more and more depressed. I tried watching a silly video to calm down, but it didn't help. I finally went to bed in abject misery.

The next morning was no better, but my husband was reassuring me. "They're good people." Our son was jubilant, "Oh, it's so peaceful in the house now." But I wasn't peaceful. I mean, yes, it was quiet, Sweety wasn't running all over the place and barking with that ear-splitting bark, but inside I was suffering the torments of the damned.

So, the morning trudged on. I did the dishes, went into my room, shut the door and cried some more. It was then that I decided that the only way I was going to get out of my misery was by going to check on Sweety. I had tried to call the people, but their cell phone was turned off. This even further fired my suspicions. That and the fact that they hadn't replied to the message I left on their cell phone asking how Sweety was doing.

As I got into the car and started down the road, I began to feel better. It was a long trip through the city and then to the outer edges, but after 45 minutes or so I wound up in front of their, not gardened house, but their 5th floor apartment!

So, I rang the bell. No answer.

My stomach was in knots, but I calmed myself by heading for a local fast-food joint and had lunch.

After about an hour, I went back to the apartment and rang the bell. Thank GOD the daughter had come home in the meantime. So I went upstairs to be greeted by a trembling Sweety who clung to me whimpering.

Since kids are always open, I asked a couple of simple questions and as it turned out, the mother who had said she's home all day, was at work. Deduction: When school starts, Sweety will be in an empty, gardenless apartment alone all day long.

I didn't snatch her up then and there as I felt that wouldn't be civil, but I left, called my friend and we prayed together.

She knew and I knew that I was going to ask them to give Sweety back. But she told me, "Linda, I don't think they will do it." My stomach churned some more. Then when her husband came home, he said "They won't give her back."

I went to the bathroom and got on my knees again and prayed harder. It was like all hell was against me, but I didn't blame the devil on this occassion. It was all my fault that Sweety was in this predicament. So I appealed to the Lord on Sweety's behalf. "I know I'm the sinner. I blew it, but you promised that if we ask for a fish, you wouldn't give us a serpent. If we ask for bread, you're not going to give us a stone." Actually, I had been quoting these verses all day long.

My friend had offered to drive me there and to be with me (she's a tall German). I thought she'd give a little added intimidation to the whole display of me showing up suddenly at the door. But then she started to get cold feet and said, "You know, Linda, it would be better if a man could be there. A man's presence is more powerful."

So I called my husband, explained and asked him if he would take me to get Sweety and he hit the roof. We're low on dough and he was working, so he really let me have it on that one. Then with great begrudingness told me he'd do it "ANYway" if I thought he had to.

There just seemed to be no encouragement on any side, except for the Word that I kept repeating to myself in my heart. Not a snake a fish. Not a stone, but bread.

My friends kept shaking their heads. She then looked at her husband again and then back at me and they both repeated in unison, "They're not going to give her back." Meanwhile I'm going nuts just trying to stay sane fer cryin out loud!

It was like this wall of doubt was rising up all around me. The sea and the waves were roaring. It was awful. I had made a selfish decision and an innocent, helpless little animal was suffering because of it.

So I went back to their bathroom again and prayed some more. Then I came back and prayed with her while her husband (actually a sweet guy) scoffed and said,"You should only pray for PEOPLE not dogs!!" My friend and I both assured him that God answers ALL prayers.

So my husband called back. He figured he could call the people first. My friend was against it as she thought it would close them up more. Her husband just stood there shaking his head in disbelief at the whole mess.

So the die was cast. He was going to just phone first with the idea that they would yield and I would merrily go and rescue Sweety.

Val is not quick to do anything at all, so as the minutes lumbered by and the clock ticked like in an Alfred Hitchcock movie, my stomach churned, my eyes watered, my breathing was labored and my two friends heads kept shaking their heads back and forth, back and forth, "They'll never give her back."

Finally the phone rang and my friend answered it, I studied her face. Suddenly a light switched on and she looked at me excited, "They'll give her back!" Oh, day of rejoicing!

What a hell of an ordeal. The finale was when I had to face the teenager who was all sad about it. All because I didn't pay attention to the little fire-alarm bells that were going off when they said, "Okay, we're taking her."

I let someone else make a very important final decision. Of course, they did need to decide, but I should have said, "Wait, I want to see your situation first. I have to be sure about you as well."