Sequoia the Beautiful Inbred Dog- A Girl's Best Friend.

by Jordan Ayres
(Eastham, Massachusetts United States)

My name is Jordan Ayres and I am 12 years old. My nickname is "Puppy" because I love dogs and I even wear a tail to school!

(There is nothing mentally wrong with me, haters. I just like having fun!) I got a Rottweiler named Hunter (Female) when I was 5 as a reward to winning a trophy in a fishing contest.

It was an excuse to get a dog, really. Hunter and I were sisters. I had always loved my dogs as family, since I was born. There was no buts about it. When I was at school and we had to draw a picture of our family, you can bet all your money I drew my rottweiler with her name written pretty, just like everybody else.

Later on in life, when I was 8, another miracle ran into my life. Sequoia. We got her from a Columbian family as a trade for work. Her father, a huge St. Bernard named Tony was an aggressive dog so I only got to see him through a window. There was feces everywhere and he and my puppy's grandparents, mother and father were living in it. I felt terrible. As I picked out my puppy, later to be named Sequoia, there were other puppies running around a messy living room.

We thanked the family and we drove home with my new puppy. From the second she licked my face, we were best friends and would be until the end. I wanted her to have fun so I stacked up old encyclopedias about a ft and a half high and taught her to jump over them. She was probably 2 and a half feet long and could jump more than her height.

She peed lakes in the living room (thank god it was tiled!!!) until she finally got potty trained. Hunter acted so motherly to Coya. They were so nice to each other. Of coarse a fairy tale life always has a hardship to be told. A bump in the road. Sequoia lost almost all her hair. Her head and tail the only fur left, she looked like a lion!

Her skin was pale and covered in scabs. Somehow, fleas managed to get their nasty selves into my house and were leaving her and hunter with flea bites. As Coya itched, she easily tore her skin. I was so scared. Her ears were giving off a foul smell and my beautiful St. Bernard looked like Cujo, dry blood dripping her body, clumps of fur missing and replaced with scabs.

Don't get me wrong, I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE SEEN A HAPPIER DOG!!!! Then she became blind. Still as happy as ever, her body playing in my large yard, trying to carry small trees into the house, playing with other dogs, being my best friend and just being a happy soul. Through all this sadness in my heart, we discovered she was inbred.

The father was a brother to the father. The grandparents were siblings. My life shattered. I hugged my best friend, thinking I would lose her. She had no clue and wasn't bothered by her sickness, which we found out to be Dog Cancer, making her lose her hair along with that she was allergic to fleas and cancer of the eye, making her go blind.

She kissed me and tried to get me to play. I played but my heart just wasn't in it. Sequoia's was always in, no matter what she was doing. I nick named her Boo-boo, because of her many "boo-boos". We gave her a special Dog Cancer Diet, got rid of the Fleas, gave her many more baths and filled her puppiness with love.

She was always happy, actually, I have never seen her sad! The only time she is upset and restless is when I am not there with her. She paces around the house and looks for me. She is able to do that because, not letting her problems get in the way of her life, memorized the house, yard, and almost whole driveway. Her determination was incredible. That is what made her recover and get her beautifully marked coat back.

She never lets anything get in her way. I look up to my best friend, she has taught me how to live life. She has taught me never to look down because that just takes up the amount of time in your short life. She has taught me that determination and pride will get you anywhere. And she has taught me, without words that all you need is love and you will do great.

I could never live without them. I love my dogs, my sister, Hunter, and my best friends in the whole world, Boo-Boo.