My Dog Bridgette
Bridgette was born sometime in the Spring of 1996 when I was 16 and a junior in high school. My previous dog, a male Cairn Terrier had recently run away, and although I was still upset about it and had told my mother that I did not want a new dog, she went to the animal shelter and picked up a new one anyways. She said that the tag on Bridgette's cage labeled her as a German Shepherd, but as she grew we quickly realized she was not.
People often ask if she is part Greyhound, and I reply that although I do not know her genetic makeup, I do know that in her younger days she was the fastest dog that I or anyone else who knew her had ever seen. Bridgette grew up in my childhood home that is in a secluded neighborhood far from town. We had few neighbors, and so it was a quiet place with little traffic. Because of this, my parents had always let our dogs run free and Bridgette was no different.
Our dogs were known to chase cars but being that few ever passed by it was never a problem. In high school, I drove a Mazda RX-7 convertible sports car that was pretty quick, but there were many times that I could not outrun Bridgette before leaving the neighborhood. Believe it or not, she could keep up with my car at 45 mph on very uneven terrain, and as soon as I slowed down or stopped to make a turn she would catch up. Also, she could chase down a smaller dog a hundred yards away in a few short seconds, only to bark in their face a little and then come trotting back very proud of herself. Such was her speed that as she ran it seemed she was floating over the ground.
Bridgette is twelve years old now, yet still very active. She loves to play fetch, she will bark at me if I don't play along, but she hates it when I make her run the staircases with me at The Enclave apartment complex. She has always been very loyal, preferring to stay right by my side wherever we go whether she is on a leash or not.
Bridgette is my best friend.