bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING  12/25/2002

Bitsy

October, 2001 - November, 2002

I remember the first time I saw her. It was Saturday December 21, 1991 at a pet shop in Greenwood Mall. My mom's husband Al Zich had died the previous month. Mom wanted to have a little dog to keep her company. 

Earlier that morning, Mom told me she had seen a Yorkshire Terrier puppy and wanted me to look at it. I wasn't that excited about getting a "Yorkie." My first wife had a male Yorkshire Terrier and though the dog was cute and smart, it was also very nervous and he (Alfie) got on my nerves whenever we went to Joliet, Illinois to visit her parents. 

However when I saw the little ball of black fur the pet shop attendants called Peaches, I fell in love instantly. The tiny puppy was the most adorable creature I have ever seen. Mom brought her home and we quickly christened her Bitsy. Nearly every dog we ever had, when I was growing up, was named Bitsy. But those Bitsys were mostly Beagles. This darling little thing was an entirely different kind of Bitsy.

After a few months, the little black ball became more recognizable as a Yorkshire Terrier. I remember how frisky and energetic Bitsy was at the time. She could jump three or four feet vertically and never tired of playing. On those weekends when I would come down from Chicago to visit Mom, we would sit in the den at her house talking, while Bitsy would run from one of us to the other, constantly seeking attention.

Bitsy was also very intelligent. When she wanted attention, she would sit up on her hind legs and move her front paws in a repeated motion until she got our focus. Bitsy also learned how to untie knots, holding a piece of rope with her paws while she worked on the knot with her teeth.    

For most of 1992, I was very miserable, heartbroken after being dropped by a school teacher from Greenwood, Indiana early in the year. I had fallen deeply in love with the woman named Susan and when she let me go for another man, I was devastated and it was difficult for me to see the sun come up each morning. I hated myself and I was constantly haunted by Susan's memory. Life was very dark for me.

Then one Saturday morning, later in the year, I was laying on the couch at Mom's when I heard the sound of running feet and all of the sudden Bitsy jumped up on the couch and began licking me in a happy and frenzied way. The affection coming from this little dog was overwhelming and I realized that any world inhabited by such a loving little thing couldn't be so terrible.   

As the years passed, Bitsy continued to be one of the bright spots in my tumultuous world. Then last month, Bitsy was taken away. Mom has been heartbroken since her little dog passed away and this has been a rather empty Christmas season without Bitsy.