During the Fall of 1994, a friend of mine, Hector, was picking up food from a Chinese restaurant when he spotting a small black dog following him. When he came out with his take-out he saw the dog was still outside waiting for him. He noticed this dog didn't have a collar or tags and he looked around to see if the owner was anywhere around. As it was getting darker, he waved down a taxi to go home, the dog was staring at him with her hooked tail swinging back and forth as if she knew him. As Hector got into the cab, he looked back and said, "Well, if you want to come with me you better come inside." Without any hesitation, this dog jumped into the taxi. As he took her home with him, he was trying to figure out how to find the dog's owner. The following days, he put up flyers in different neighborhoods about a found lost dog, asking the owner to contact him but he never received a call. He kept the dog for a week and noticed that she kept eating and eating and begging for more food. That's when I came into the picture.

He called me and asked me to come over and see what he found. When I came over, the minute I saw her I fell in love with her. She came to me bright eyed and with tail wagging and I asked him what was her name. He told he hadn't named her yet and I said, "Why not call her Sussy." During my visit, I began to notice that she was scared of loud noises and when I picked up a broom, she looked at me with fear, duck down and then run away from me. That's when I suspected that she may have been abused before. Then I noticed that she had a big stomach and I told Hector, "You have to take her to the Vet. She is either pregnant or sick!!"

The next day, Hector took her to the Vet and afterwards he called me to let me know that she WAS pregnant. According to the Vet she was a Pembroke Welsh Corgy, about two years old and was in good health. About two months later she gave birth to a liter of six puppies in the bathtub. The puppies were of all different colors and different shapes. Since Sussy gave birth in the tub, that became the puppies' permanent residence for the next three months. Poor Hector was forced to go over to his mother's home just to take showers.

Sussy would jump out to eat and go for walks, then jump back in to nurse her babies. As time went on, she would teach her puppies how to growl, fight and play with each other. Sometimes the puppies would play too much with mom that she would growl or snap at them to stop. After 10-12 weeks, Hector started to find homes for the puppies but kept one for himself. As time went on, the super of the building told Hector he couldn't have two dogs in the apartment anymore. He called me to tell me that he was going to put Sussy into a dog shelter and give the puppy to his mother. When I heard what was going to happen to poor Sussy, I was scared that the worst might become of her. I thought about it and then I concocted a plan to keep her in my home. My father did not want to have any dogs in the home, so I told him that I was only dog-sitting Sussy, for a few weeks. He agreed to it. After three weeks, my father asked, "Schery, when are they coming for the dog?" I answered, "Well daddy, she's not going anywhere because I want her to stay. Hector can't keep her in his apartment anymore and she is happy here." He blew up!

After another week, I came home from work and found my father sitting down and sitting next to him on the couch was Sussy. She finally won him over.

During the next two years there were many changes, my parents moved down to Florida and I've moved away from my home in Queens. During that time, I've dated men who couldn't stand Sussy or vice-versa but now Sussy has a new Dad and I have a new husband. We all are happy together and trust each other. Sussy, with the help of Kevin (my husband) is now no longer scared of sticks or brooms, in fact she now loves to have her stomach brushed with a broom (which makes sweeping the floor a hassle because of interruptions.) And whenever my husband and I embrace each other Sussy insists on shoving her way into the middle so we can all embrace together.

Sussy now lives a happy life, wrestling with my in-laws dog, a mixed Spaniel and Labrador, named Pancho (who is twice her weight and size) or chasing cats and squirrels (hence her nickname, Sussy, the Squirrel Hunter.) She staked out her own "room", a hallway closet and when she is upset she picks up a bone or rawhide chewtoy and parades throughout our home in protest. Though we may never know Sussy's past, she has always proven to be intelligent and able to follow hand signals or voice commands even though we never brought her to obedience school. From the first day I met her, we've bonded and have shared so much together. Sussy will always be my first "daughter" even when my husband and I decide to have our "puppies."

Story by: Schery and Kevin