Pup of the Week: Cocoa Puff

I am happy to report, as a captain of the Night’s Watch, the angels who try to keep mortal dogs from passing to the immortal side, that we have had no friends breach the wall this week.

Next to me on the Watch are Tanner Bub and Ruger Ru:  Brothers who never stepped paw together on the mortal side.  Ruger came to live with Tanner’s family after Tanner passed to the Bridge.  Sadly, Ruger was given only a few precious heartbeats and came to the Bridge much too early.  Despite not meeting until both were angels Tanner and Ruger are as close as brothers can be.

Like all brothers they worry about their family.  Recently they have become concerned about their sister Cocoa Puff.  To Tanner she was the annoying little sister who grew up to be a beloved ally; to Ruger she was the big sister who taught him how the be a family member.

Tanner Bub and Ruger Ru are angels.  They never age and they never change (although we angels can change our appearance to look like any age in our time line like a mortal person changes clothes.)

Thier sister Cocoa, still in her mortal coil, is aging.  Age gives gifts to the young and steals gifts to the old.  Recently age has been rapidly taking from Cocoa.  

Cocoa has slowed down, she has seizures, and now age has robbed her of her eyesight.  But age has not robbed Cocoa of her strength and dignity.  

We dogs are much better at adapting to the loss of eyesight than humans. Our other senses are superior to sight.  Our ears hear sounds that no human could ever notice.  Our sense of smell is a much more reliable guidance system than our eyes.  If we lost our sense of taste life hardly would be worthy living.  But loss of sight we can overcome.

Especially with moms like Cocoa’s Mom Aunt Trudee.  We have watched her be knocked down:  Losing Tanner, losing Ruger, conquering cancer, dealing with family strife, and now Cocoa losing her vision, and she always bounces back.  She will do whatever it takes to make sure that Cocoa is safe and has clear and consistent paths throughout the house.

Plus she will stay with Cocoa:  To make sure Cocoa hears her lovely voice, smells her delightful smell, tastes her hands with soft licks.

We dogs don’t need vision.  We really don’t need taste or smell either.  The only sense we need is love.  Every dog in a shelter would trade their love, their taste, their sense of smell for love.

Cocoa will be just fine because she has a life filled with love.