Christmas Dreams Do Come True

By Kathy Hahn

All my life, all I ever wanted was a dog. Unfortunately my older sister was severely allergic to dogs. One day after school, I passed by the local groomers on my way home. They had a new litter of party-coloured toy poodles in the front window. I noticed the runt;  the smallest dog I had ever seen. She was snow white, with black ears and a black mask around her eyes. I named her Bandit. She stole my heart. I stayed until the shop closed that night, and every night thereafter.

I told my parents about her. I explained poodles had fur very close to the texture and composition of humans and people with dog allergies couldn’t be allergic to a poodle. Maybe they could come down to the shop and meet her. They did, and once they even brought my sister along. The answer of course, was still no. While Bandit’s brothers and sisters were finding homes, my having a dog was still out of the question.

The day finally arrived when I was told, someone had bought her. Bandit was going to be given away as a ‘present’ to a ‘family who would love her very much.’ My only dog in the whole world, was sold – for money - to people I did not know. I would never see her again.

Christmas eve my parents took my brother, sister and I to the groomers for my last visit to say goodbye. Bandit did not know we would never see each other again. My parents took us out for dinner after. I could not eat. I cried myself to sleep that night, the longest night of my life on the worst Christmas eve in the world.

Saturday morning finally arrived. By now, I knew Bandit was with her new family. When the doorbell rang, mom asked me to get it, as everyone else was too busy. As I ran down the stairs in my pyjamas, through the glass pane on the front door, I saw the man from the groomers.  It was strange and sudden, out of context and unexpected. He was cradling a small brown cardboard box in his arms. There was a tiny black ear and a white face peering over one corner.  That was it. A miracle had happened.

Bandit was so rare and beautiful she stopped traffic. She was too small for breeding so we decided it was better to have her spayed. I was nine and she was a year and a half when we dropped her off at the vet’s in the morning though Bandit did not make it through the surgery. The vet was very sorry, he gave her too much anaesthetic.  She never woke up. Since Bandit, I have never seen another dog like her or met any other pet in her class.

Sometimes even for a little while, dreams do come true. That Christmas Day was the best Christmas Day I have ever known.