The boy’s family moved into an old house in the country when he was 5 years old. The first night, there was constant barking from a dog somewhere out back. It was non-stop. Finally, for some peace and quiet, the boy was allowed to bring the dog inside.

The small dog was a pitiful sight. She had long shaggy hair that was brown, black and white. Her ears were too long. Her legs were short and her body was long. She had a sweet face.

The dog was so pitiful looking, the boy named her Poor Pitiful Pearl. It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Pearl was the smartest dog in the world. She could understand human talk.
You could just look at her and say, “Pearl, do you need to go out?” If she needed to, she would go and sit by the door.

Pearl slept with the boy. If Pearl was ready for bed before he was, she would go sit by his bedroom door. It was Pearl’s sign that it was bedtime.

Pearl had a favorite chair to relax in. If someone was in her chair, she would sit at their feet and stare at them. Sooner or later, they would scooch over or get up.

Pearl could sit up and beg. It was her only trick. She was excellent at it.

Pearl was a fast runner. Her short legs put her low to the  ground. Pearl could “run like the wind.”

If the family left in the car, Pearl would wait. When she saw the car turn into the drive, she would start running in a circle. Faster, faster and faster she’d run. It was her ‘welcome home’ to the boy.

Pearl was a good dog.
She didn’t chase cars or cats. 
She didn’t growl or snarl at people.

Pearl had a litter of mixed-mutt pups.
The ad in the classifieds described the giveaways as Pearl Pups.
Several called saying they were not familiar with the Pearl breed.
The boy interviewed every likely pup owner before allowing adoption of a Pearl pup.

When the boy wasn’t at home, Pearl would sometimes wander the neighborhood. No one minded except the neighbor who lived directly across the street. The neighborhood called him “Coach”. Coach had a habit of interrupting and “coaching” the children playing In the park next door.

Coach reported Pearl to the authorities on a  “dog at large” charge.
He filed the complaint because Pearl did not stay in her own yard.

After two charges, two court appearances and two fines paid, a fence was built to keep Pearl at home.

Behind the fence, Pearl’s only access to protection from the weather was inside the garage. There she found and drank some antifreeze.

The boy, now a young man, came home to find Pearl collapsed.

The veterinarian said dogs are attracted to antifreeze because of its sweet taste; it is deadly.

Pearl did not survive.

Pearl and the boy had been best friends for 13 years; almost all the boy’s life.

The boy was Roy H. Williams.

– Sue Williams

Sundown in Muskogee: The Story of a Childhood