I always traveled for a living and my husband told me I didn’t know what it was like to have a puppy. He said “You have no idea”. Well, after I quit my job in the hotel industry, we went to get our puppy from North Shore Animal Leaque. I stayed there all day as I said I would know it when I saw her. Well, they finally brough out this beautiful ball of fluff with her poopy all over her, they put her in my arms, she looked me straight in the eye and I said She’s the one!
We named her Madison. she’s a Border Collie Mix and no, I had no idea what it was like to have a puppy! I slept downstairs with her as we were crate training her, laid in her crate with her took her out at 4am for almost two months. She trained beautifully too! Madison is what I call my “Heart” dog. Two weeks after my Mom passed away in 2001, my nieghbor came to me and said would I adopt a Golden Retreiver that was being given away. I was very upset over losing my mother and I said absolutely not. Well, we found out her name was Georgie, and as my sister pointed out, that was the name of the women who introduced my parents over 50 years ago! I said, it must be a sign for my Mom, so into our home comes 9 month old Georgie who couldn’t even climb stairs. She had some health issues, but we nursed her to health, took her for training and she became our”Golden Wonder” Madison took her into her heart as I knew she would after being the only dog for two years.

Well, Madison is now 9 years old, Georgie is now 7. I have not had to go through yet what many of you had to and I’m not quite sure I can handle it. My husband and I were not blessed wiht children, so these two are our children.
When I listen to Mark speak of Sprite, I know that Sprite is listening and is at the Rainbow Bridge waiting. It helps to know so many have gone through this.
I’m just going to enjoy the joy they bring to us each and every day for as long as the Lord will let them be here.

Lorraine from NY

Mark, your story so moved me that I wanted to paste the tribute to my “Duffer” I wote on my blog. MacDuff passed a little more than a year ago, but as I write this, I still have tears streaming down my face.

Thank you for the opportunity to once more pay tribute to my friend.

MacDuff
“The Duffer”
April 1, 1994 – September 12, 2006

I lost my friend today. His name was MacDuff, but he will always be The Duffer to those who knew him. He was as good a friend as one could want and probably a better friend than I deserved. He had no enemies, and had a way of endearing himself to those who met him. He loved everyone and everyone loved him.

Some would say “he was just a dog” but those of us who love them and welcome them into our family know that they are much more.

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I’ve had many dogs over the years. I raised show Cocker Spaniels. We had Amber, Mandy ,Slique and Maxie. As the years passed and the dogs became older and more infirm, we had to make the decision to put them to sleep. What to do with our faithful friends? Our pups are buried under Camellia bushes. A neighbor asked me the secret of growing beautifu Camellias? (And they are exceptional Camellias) Well, I had to tell them that the plants were the tombstones for my dogs. Every Fall here in Louisiana, my Camellias bloom and remind me of my dear, loving pups.

Clasina from LA

My wife is from England and I knew from the begining that she was a two part package. If she was going to come over here to live with me in America then her Black Lab Rosie was coming too.

We were married on 11/20/2001 and submitted my wife’s green card forms to the INS shortly thereafter. We did not know at the time that once the forms are submitted she is not allowed to travel outside of the country (it took 3 years for her to get her green card). We also learned that a pet cannot travel alone on an airplane. Therefore, we booked me a flight.

I went to work on the Friday and caught a flight from Seattle to London that night after work. I was met at London Heathrow by my wife’s parents and we drove the 2 hour trip north to the village they live in. Her parents were taking care of Rosie while my wife was with me in America. I slept well that night. In the morning we took Rosie for a walk with my wife’s father and then we loaded ourselves up in the car for the trip back to Heathrow.
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“Beau”
by Jimmy Stewart

He never came to me when I would call
Unless I had a tennis ball,
Or he felt like it,
But mostly he didn’t come at all.

When he was young
He never learned to heel
Or sit or stay,
He did things his way.

Discipline was not his bag
But when you were with him things sure didn’t drag.
He’d dig up a rosebush just to spite me,
And when I’d grab him, he’d turn and bite me.

He bit lots of folks from day to day,
The delivery boy was his favorite prey.
The gas man wouldn’t read our meter,
He said we owned a real man-eater.

He set the house on fire
But the story’s long to tell.
Suffice it to say that he survived
And the house survived as well.

On the evening walks, and Gloria took him,
He was always first out the door.
The Old One and I brought up the rear
Because our bones were sore.

He would charge up the street with Mom hanging on,
What a beautiful pair they were!
And if it was still light and the tourists were out,
They created a bit of a stir.

But every once in a while, he would stop in his tracks
And with a frown on his face look around.
It was just to make sure that the Old One was there
And would follow him where he was bound.

We are early-to-bedders at our house–
I guess I’m the first to retire.
And as I’d leave the room he’d look at me
And get up from his place by the fire.

He knew where the tennis balls were upstairs,
And I’d give him one for a while.
He would push it under the bed with his nose
And I’d fish it out with a smile.

And before very long
He’d tire of the ball
And be asleep in his corner
In no time at all.

And there were nights when I’d feel him
Climb upon our bed
And lie between us,
And I’d pat his head.

And there were nights when I’d feel this stare
And I’d wake up and he’d be sitting there
And I reach out my hand and stroke his hair.
And sometimes I’d feel him sigh
and I think I know the reason why.

He would wake up at night
And he would have this fear
Of the dark, of life, of lots of things,
And he’d be glad to have me near.

And now he’s dead.
And there are nights when I think I feel him
Climb upon our bed and lie between us,
And I pat his head.

And there are nights when I think
I feel that stare
And I reach out my hand to stroke his hair,
But he’s not there.

Oh, how I wish that wasn’t so,
I’ll always love a dog named Beau.

Ken from NY

Several years ago, when I was working at a local veterinary hospital, a woman brought in a little toy poodle. The dog was 12 years old and had been used a breder her entire adult life. She carried the dog in because it couldn’t walk. Also, just wasn’t acting right. It turns out the dog couldn’t walk because both of her kneecaps were slipping out of place. She was also in the beginning of a pyometra (infection of the uterus) common in unspayed dogs and frequeently fatal. She also had severe dental disease. At this news, the woman started making noises about euthanasia, or maybe “if I could find a home for her.” “I’ll take her!!” The woman handed her over with no qualms. Even at that time, as sick as she was, I was getting little tip of the tongue kisses. Her name was Snowball. As I held her close I told her she was now Fifi; that she deserved to be treated like Fifi dog for once in her life. Her spay was scheduled for the next day and the doctor repaired one kneecap at the same time. A week later came the dental. The infection in her mouth was so bad that it had eaten away the madibular symphysis, the connection at the chin where the left and right jawbones meet. We extracted ten teeth. Actually, they mainly fell out with a little help they were so loose. I can’t describe the smell.

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