One evening I picked up our beloved Scooby, a bearded collie, and she cried in pain. After an all night operation, we knew she had intestional cancer. She lived through the operation, only to be faced with the hope that chemo would help. It was pure agony for all of us. I cooked a chicken, her favorite, and she won’t eat. I ended up feeding her through a tube with the hopes chemo would help. My mother was dying at the same time. I went to work and just cried all day for weeks. People told me I would know when to put Scooby to sleep.

We still felt hope. We also had a Golden who grew up with Scooby. We took Claudia, our Golden to visit Scooby, and my heart broke even more. We brought Scooby home and I remember not being able to find her. She had gone downstair and was as cold as an ice cold at the bottom of the stairs. I picked her up in my arms and just hugged her, My husband had been in Japan for 2 weeks and was desperate to get home. On the day before my husband was to fly home was a Sunday. In the middle of the night, Scooby started to cry. I called the Vet only to find there another Vet on call and he didn’t believe me that it was time. The following day the on call Vet called to see how Scooby was and…….I told him she had died. My husband and I cried for days. My husband wanted to say “good bye” to her. My co-workers sent flowers and one special friend bought us a Japanese Cherry tree to plant in her honor. We buried her in her fravorite spot, under a pine tree. I desperately needed something to make me feel better and I can across a poem, The Rainbow Bridge.

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together….

Author unknown…

I had hope that I would see Scooby again.

PS: Claudia, our Golden who was blind for 2 1/2 yrs. died of cancer a year almost to the date that Scooby died.

We loved Scooby so very much that we now have 2 beardies. We thought it would honor her for being so memmorable.

Becky from Pennsylvania