Pup of the Week: For Dodie

There is a church to the east of Rainbow Bridge.  It sits far off in the distance.  Most days we can only see the steeple lit in a warm summer glow.  Inside the steeple is a bell older than time.  I had never heard that bell ring, until Wednesday morning.   But I knew what it meant.  We all knew what it meant.

It is rung when a Dual Mom arrives.  This is not the true mother of two children, but the true mother of two species,  one being man, and the other being pet.  A Mom was arriving, and we dogs were being called to the human section of the River of Life, because one of our Moms was arriving.

You would think this would bring us all joy, but, as we all ran towards the church, up and down the green hills, through the flower beds, past the rose bushes, we all had the same wish.  “Not ours.”  We know how much pain our passings bring to humans, but when they lose one of their own….and especially if that one is leaving pet babies behind, we can feel the pain from the mortal side of life like an ill, chilling wind.

We arrived at the top of the Bridge where the new dual Mom had arrived.  She was surrounded by  people, all hugging and crying  Us dogs pulled up short, not wanting to interfere  I new arrival said :”Oh June,” and hugged her sister,

Then a little beagle dog passed me running as fast as I have ever seen a dog run.  I didn’t know the dog all that well although he had been here forever, then I heard the woman cry out “Frisky” and the Mom was reunited with a pup she had not seen for close to 50 years.

Tommy Tunes was standing near me.  He knows everyone who was ever on DS and who they are related to.  “That’s Dodie Ricca.” he whispered “she is Lil Guy’s, Sammy’s, and Rickey’s Mom.”

Another pup passed me, this one a Lhaso named Cosmo.   She bent down and picked Cosmo up, and there were more tears.  I felt them too, part of which were for all Dodie’s dogs who went to the Bridge and were now surrounding her in joy, and some for Lil; Guy, Sammy and Rickey who were now without their Mom.

Cooper had come up next to me and could see I was thinking about those left behind.  He put a kind paw on my shoulder and told me that Lil Guy, Sammy and Rickey had a great Dad who would give them a wonderful life and they wouldn’t want for anything for the rest of their days, and when those days ended, and they came here, they would find the greatest treasure a dog could find here:  Their Mom.  I have a great Dad too, but I couldn’t imagine what I would have done without my Mom.

Then Dodie was given a choice of where to live  She could go to the human side, or live on our side, in the valley near the river.  Of course she chose our side,  where Gina Busch and Jackie Pool live, where Dodie would have gardens surrounding her cottage and more gardens floating on  clouds.   The floating gardens were lovely but I knew if I came back in a few months Dodie would have them so pretty it would take my breath away.

Then she saw and walked towards me.  I tried to blink away my tears and look important, even if I had forgotten my robes.  First she told me to let Lil Guy, Rickey and Sammy know that she would visit them in their dreams, and that dogs have a big advantage over humans because they would remember the dream visits.  She also wanted her family and friends to know she loves them all and is sorry she had to go so quickly but humans, like dogs, only have so many heartbeats, and sometimes we don’t have enough heartbeats to say goodbye.  Finally she made me promise that any dogs who came over the Bridge and had never known love would be brought to her so she could give them the love they never knew on Earth.  I was so moved to meet such an important Mom I could only nod.

She then turned to go back to her cottage where her ancestors and angel pets waited..  I watched them for awhile, and then I slowly walked back to our side of the Bridge.  I stopped and looked up at the bell tower.  I stopped and wondered which Mom would arrive the next time the bell rung.

And then I remembered to never ask for whom the bell tolls.