Ever since I can remember, I have loved animals. Cats and dogs were my main interest. I used to walk home from school and if a stray cat started to follow me, I would encourage it and then tell my mother that it just happened to be there.!! Of course, then it had to be fed, and found shelter and would become a constant companion.

As`I grew older, I tried to be more sensible,knowing that it cost money to feed animals, and it was not fair to my parents to incur these additional costs. However,I would still sneak a kitten up to my room hoping that it would share my own supper.I remember as a child ,finding a kitten out in the middle of the very busy highway that ran past my house.With no thought to my safety ,I ran out into the middle of the highway to rescue it.My mother nearly had a heart attack, and I got sent to bed with no supper.

My parents finally bought me a dog, I called him "Teddy". I loved this dog to distraction and he went everywhere with me. When we would go shopping down our main street,Teddy would always be with me,and I would tell him my secrets and he would cock his head to one side and listen in silence,

I was having a birthday party, and my mother had been baking all day for the event. I was asked to go to the local store to get some napkins for the party and I called Teddy to go with me.I was so excited, that I must have talked to Teddy all the way and in his usual manner, he wagged his tail,cocked his head to one side and patiently listened.

On our return journey,I met a friend from school and took a few moments to talk with her.While my attention was taken up with our discussion, I did not notice that on the opposite side of this busy road,a large white dog was running up and down barking.

Teddy,who usually stayed close to me ,decided to investigate this stranger and ran towards the dog, by the time I turned to speak to him he had started to move across the road, never stopping to see the delivery truck bearing down on him. He never had a chance. The truck driver tried to avoid him, but it was too late.

I watched in horror ,my feet rooted to the ground, as Teddy, my beloved friend ,was hurled high in the air before landing on the grass verge at the side of the road.He lay very still,covered in blood and my heart seemed to stop beating.It felt like hours had passed, when in fact,the whole tragedy had taken place in a few minutes.I was shaking,my legs like jelly and I could hear someone screaming,I realized the voice was mine.

I ran across the street to get to him and by this time the truck driver got out of his cab and was about to lift Teddy up when I reached him.

I knew my dog was dead, but I carried him in my arms, talking to him as I always did, but this time,there was no response.No tail wagging,no quizzical look on his face,just a broken little body. When I arrived home,my mother received a terrible shock, as my clothes were covered in blood and she thought the worst, that I had been in an accident.

When she realized what had happened, as I tried to tell her through my tears,she wanted to take the dog from me,but I would'nt let him go,so she helped me out to our back yard and called my father.He gently explained that Teddy would have to be put to rest and that he would bury him under our old apple tree,Teddy's favorite place for lying in the shade.

Although I was only 10 years old, I knew that death was final, no more could I play with my beloved friend,talk to him when I was sad or take him to the park to chase the ducks.It was a final goodbye.

We carried on with the party, as other children were coming and would not know of the circumstances.I slipped out from the festivities and visited the newly dug grave with a piece of Teddys favorite cake,which he was never supposed to have, but now I felt I wanted to share it with him.My eyes filled with tears and I thought my heart would break.As in the face of all loss, I thought I would never get over it.

I have had many many pets in my life since then,but the loss of that dear little mutt, stayed in my heart,forever.

Ena Clewes Articles and short story writer. Visit http://www.pets-1.com.