Since we arrived in Langley, Dad had been driving a red 3/4 ton pickup truck rented from Avis Rent-a-Truck, but he couldn’t do it forever. The Love family needed a vehicle of its own. So as soon as Dad could afford it, he went off to buy a car.

One day after school, Mum got a phone call and no sooner had she hung up than she called Kim and I over and proclaimed “Your father’s got a surprise for you!” As soon as we heard something coming up the access road, we bolted outside to get a better look. We saw a small white car come bouncing toward the trailer, with Dad smiling behind the wheel. The car was a small four door hatchback called a “Simca”.

Then we noticed something else in the car – something moving around in the back seat! The moment the car got close enough we could see a dog – a big German shepherd! Kim and I had wanted a pet for some time and the moment the dog got out of the car, we could tell it was as excited to see us as we were to see it!

Dad said the dog’s name was Sheba and that she was a year or two old. Apparently the woman who sold Dad the car also had this German shepherd that was getting to big to fit in her apartment, so Sheba ended up coming with the Simca as a package deal.

Sheba’s tail whipped back and forth in a blur as she licked everyone’s hands and faces in a frenzy of dog greetings. It was love at first sight. We led Sheba inside the trailer and discovered that she was so excited at her new home that she simply could not contain herself – literally. All over the hall floor in fact. As her big tail whumped loudly against the walls in our hall, the trailer received a heartfelt “christening” of piddles from the newest member of our family.