Saturday, May 23, 2009

I'm Walking With Tanner (with my paws ten feet from the bridge)


Hey there Tanner! Nice to see you. Can you stand up? Good dog. Where are we? That doesn’t matter, all that matters is where we are going. How do you feel? Good? I thought so. Wow, look at you run. Bet you haven’t run like that for years. Wooooaa! Watch the biting! You want to play chase? OK let’s go.

Oh, hold on, I’m out of breath. Whew. I know you can keep going. Yeah, I know, it feels like you’re a pup again. What’s wrong? Yeah. I know, you’re a smart dog. Yeah, it happened. Yeah, we’re going to the bridge. Oh don’t cry Tanner. I know how much you’re going to miss your Mom.

You want to sit for awhile? Sure. We have time. Let’s lay down in the shade over there. Isn’t this a beautiful tree? Don’t worry, just lay down with me. Nothing can hurt you here, it’s just a path that dogs travel heading to the bridge. You thinking about your Mom? Yeah, I’m sure she’s thinking about you.

I wish she could go with you too. But it’s not her time yet. She will be fine, it will take time, you’re going to leave a big hole in her heart, but she’ll be fine. She has Cocoa, and she may get another dog soon, you have to help her with that. Don’t worry you’ll know how. And Sophie is going to miss you too. Yes, I’m sure she didn’t marry you just for the kibble.

You want to get moving again, we got some friends waiting for us. Hey, come over here, sniff the tall grass, oh there are no ticks just come. You can smell all our friends who passed here, it’s nice isn’t it? What’s that sound? That’s the little frogs that live in the stream that runs under the bridge. They’re calling you home.

Let’s just walk my friend. What would I miss the most? Well, most things are there, but Mommy’s lap. I would miss that. And bothering Pocket. Hey, come here, taste these flowers. I know! They’re bacon flowers! Man this place has everything. Yeah, except for Mommy, I know.

Yup, I hear it. That’s the water, it all flows under the bridge. That stream, that’s our lives, just water under the bridge. And the stones in there, that’s our souls. You see how the water washes over the stones? If you break the stones open, inside, they’re dry. You know why? Because all that water can never penetrate your soul, it’s just water under the bridge.

What’s that? Oh no, Princess will never be here. No, she’s not a real dog. Man, we did a job on her didn’t we? I don’t know if you know but a bunch of us snuck back into Cyberland and did tributes to you. Man, the Tanner Brigade invaded, it was so sweet.

You know, everything that happened, it was because of you. I wanted to be here for you, this day, I wanted to be here. My letter to Princess was so I could be here, this day. And when she “unforchunately” said no, well, that’s when it all started. Now I have a blog, we have Doggyweb and The Tanner Brigade. It was all you. You changed lives for the better. Most dogs just do that for their families, but you Tanner you did it for so many. There really should be a statue of you somewhere. Too bad we pee on statues.

Well, here we are. That’s the bridge. No, it’s not very long, but spans a great distance. Oh Tanner Bub, don’t look back. It’s all behind you. Breathe in the air, it makes it all go away. It all fades, and all you remember is the love, the good times. Do you remember Princess? No? That’s good. She’s not worth remembering.

Look on the bridge. No, silly, that’s no bear. That’s Moses. He guards the bridge. He is waiting for you. And behind him, there is Fred, it is good to see him. And Daisy, and Buttons. Oh, those little dogs behind them those are some of my family members, Jax, Copper and Sky, they can’t wait to meet you.

OK pal. It’s time. Come here, give me a nuzzle. That’s a good boy. Gosh, I am going to miss you. We rocked it together didn’t we? They have computers up here, get on line anytime, my ears will be open. OK, now, scoot, across the bridge you go, and remember on this side, there are lots of dogs and humans who love you very much, and when it’s our time to cross the bridge, you’ll be the first face we’re looking for.

I’ll be checking on your Mom every day, I promise. We will all help her through this, we will. It will be hard, but we will. Now go, I’ll see you soon, I’ll see you in my dreams.

I watched him cross. He got a big lick from Moses, and then from Fred and Daisy. You know, there’s a lot of .pollen up there. My eyes got very misty. The last thing I saw was my friend, running and playing on the other side of the bridge, chasing a firefly with Moses. I turned for home, already missing my friend

"fly on my sweet angel,
fly on through the sky,
fly on my sweet angel,
forever I will be by your side"

20 comments:

  1. Your heart is too big for your body Foley. I see Tanner with all my dogs that I haved loved.

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  2. I have no words, you said it all so well...cannot type and cry...Folry Pocket, I love you so...........

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  3. Dang it, Foley! I didn't think soldiers were supposed to cry... that was so beautiful. Can momma copy and paste it to save it?

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  4. This is very sweet Foley and Pocket. You are two very big hears in two little bodies. Tanner was lucky to have all these friends. What a great dog.

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  5. Crying here too ~ That was so beautiful!

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  6. Tanner will be so missed by so many. What a beautiful tribute to him.

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  7. That was possibly the most beautiful and touching thing I have ever read, period.

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  8. Ahh Foley, that was like walking through the garden and along the path with you. All of us at one time has lost a doggie and all of us cried our way through it. Bless you little Yorkie hearts for being there for Tanner even with schrapnel flying everywhere...you are the eptipomy of what we all found in DS in the beginning...and you indeed are One Class Act.

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  9. OK, please don't tell me about F7 Foley...my secretary knows and just won't slow down.

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  10. That is just beautiful. Eyes leaking here too. Thank you, Foley.

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  11. Oops, we're having an identity crisis with so many different profiles these days. "Jackie" belongs to a couple of chocolate labs in WA.

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  12. Foley thank you!!! we all needed a good cry! I let Angel know he was coming and she said she meet him on the other side of the bridge and said he looked like a little yellow pup again!! Duke and pack.....and mom who can't see straight to save her life...

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  13. A beautiful tribute to a special friend from an amazing yorkie.

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  14. This was an an amazingly sensitive tribute; it brought tears to my Mom's eyes. Thank you Foley for writing this. Love, Blazer & Mom (Vicki)

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  15. This is a beautifully written tribute to Tanner, the dog we all feel for.

    Hobo’s mom.

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  16. Foley....you know I cannot begin to express my heartfelt love and thanks for such a beautiful tribute. Tanner & Mom Trudee

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  18. How beautiful...brought tears to mine and Mommy's eyes- Brody & Mom Candice

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