In 2003, our dear neighbor was lonely and wanted a companion dog. We went to the city pound and found Oreo, a young female mix a year or two old. She showed no excitement, and didn't make any noise; she just watched everyone. When we approached her, she looked down and tucked her tail; licked our fingers through the cage and wagged her tail a bit. She looked hopeless. The staff told us nobody wanted her. She was on death row at the end of a 3-day extension paid for by an employee. We chose her, but when we got her home she didn't want anything to do with anyone; she was afraid of everything. The neighbor changed her mind about getting a companion, so we kept Oreo.

In the first month with us, she got parvo virus and we nearly lost her; but she proved stronger than she looked. Oreo had a happy life, eventually getting over her fears, but she never liked going anywhere. She was our home dog. She was almost killed when a huge dog attacked her about five years later, but we had her stitched up and she recovered. Early in 2019, she fell very ill and it took a month to get her back on her feet. We had a good time, but dogs don't live long enough. The same mystery illness got her again in October. She did her best to fight death once more, but it was her time and she left us silently and for good.

We will always miss Oreo. Her whole life she showed higher quality than most people do.