My dog Miss "E"

Miss "E"

         In January of 2009, I lost both of my little dogs. The poodle went first with heart congestion. Two days later, the Peekapoo had a seizure and died. I was devastated, and I needed some time to get over my grief. I thought after a year I would look for another dog. After one month, my husband made the statement that we were not going to get another dog. He said we didn't need one. Well, little did he know I thought the other way. We had a grandson about eight years old and I felt a dog would be good for him.

         I went online to see who had rescue dogs. I talked with a lady from E- Rescue and told her I wanted a little dog that did not bark a lot, if any, and didn't shed. She gave me the website where I could look at all the dogs waiting for a good home. I was scrolling through it and saw a beautiful little Yorkie, and I thought she would be great. We had a Yorkie once before. However, as I continued to scroll, I kept seeing the face of this dog with pointed ears, white coat, and tan markings. It looked like it was smiling. I couldn't help but keep going back to this one dog. FinallyI called the lady and told her I would like to see the dog in person and asked what kind of dog was it. She said the dog was a mix between a Basenji and a Terrier. When she told me her name was Miss "E" I laughed and asked why. She said that Basenjis do not bark, they have a squeaky talk and they talked a lot. She said they make e,e,e, sounds. Once again, I told her I would like to see the dog. She tried to discourage me and told me the Yorkie would be better. I said maybe, but I wanted to meet this dog. Finally she said okay. We made arrangements for her to bring the dog to my house. E-Rescue wants to see what kind of house you have, and what type of person you are, because they want to make sure the dog gets a good home. They even do a follow up, a couple of months later.

         We made the arrangements and I was excited. The only other person who knew what I was doing was my friend Dale.

          The lady brought Miss "E" out to my house on a weekday. The minute she arrived, and came into my house, she bounded straight to me and put her paws on my lap, then looked straight in my eyes. I think she was saying, "We will get along wonderfully!" She was adorable, even if she was 45 pounds. The lady and I took her out to the backyard and she ran and ran, looking like a Greyhound at the race track. I made up my mind then and there. She was the one I wanted. She had not barked one time while she was at my house.

         The lady was happy and so was I. She explained what a Basenji was and how they were used in Africa. It was interesting to find they were used for hunting lions because they didn't bark. I was really impressed. I had an unusual dog. After signing the papers, she left. I realized I didn't have any dog food or pans to put food and water in, so I called my friend who lived a short distance away from me. I asked if she would come stay with the dog while I ran to the Pet Store, and she said sure. When she arrived, I told her all about the dog and how it didn't bark and she was amazed.

         Off I went to the Pet Store to get the necessary things for Miss "E." When I got home, my friend and I sat at the table and talked about how pretty she was. Her ears stood straight up, and it wasn't something man did to her. After talking for a while, my friend had to go home. I washed out the doggies pans and put water in one and sat the other beside it for her food. I was busy trying to get all her dogie business done, including setting up her pen. She had been quiet and checking everything in the house out, including our bed. I was finally through and sat down in the chair at the table and talked to her, welcoming her into our home. I stood up to go to the kitchen, when all of a sudden, Miss "E" let out the biggest, longest and loudest bark I had ever heard. This was so unexpected I jumped eight feet high. I couldn't believe she had barked. I immediately called my friend and told her. She was laughing so hard as she told me Miss "E" had barked while I was gone. She said she decided not to say anything since I was convinced she didn't bark.

         We laugh now because this dog is fifty pounds, sheds white fur 365 days a year, and barks a lot! She is everything I did not want in a dog, but we love her very much. She is eight years old, and runs our household. I had one problem with her standing on her hind legs and putting her paws on the kitchen counter or the table. She actually ate some meat I had sat out to defrost. I spoke to a trainer and she explained what I needed to do to stop her from doing this and it worked.

         One other time she got me back. I felt comfortable enough to leave her while I ran to the pharmacy. I had been to the store and finished putting up my groceries, with the exception of the large amount of toilet paper. I left her alone for the first time, and out of her cage. When I returned home, toilet paper was in every inch of my house, including her mouth. She looked at me with all this paper in her mouth, as if to say, "This is what you get for leaving me behind." I forgot she loved to ride in the car and it was cool enough for me to let her go in mine.

         This is my and Miss "E's" story, and how we got to know one another. When my husband and our little grandchild came home, the grandson right then loved her. My husband did his best not to get to know her, but with her winning personality, he has fallen for her like the rest of us.

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