Purrrranda Arrives at Rainbow Bridge

 It is I Pocket Dog, stepping in for my sister Foley because, as the Doggyspace liaison to Kittyland, The cat "Powers that Be" contacted me to say my friend and fellow Massachusettite Purrrranda arrived at the Bridge.

We also arrived for the same reason, kidney failure, an excruciating way to depart the mortal side.  Luckily Purranda and I had loving parents who took our pain on themselves and sent us to the Bridge to exist without pain and wait for them.

Once Kitty Judge Cotton swore her in, I pushed through the herd of cats to greet Purrrranda.  I waited for the reunion between the many pups her mom had helped transition to the Bridge. When they went to the big bowls for a salmon dinner celebration, I took the opportunity to welcome her on behalf of the members of Doggyspace.

We discussed the horrible disease that sent us here; how it robbed us of our beloved appetites, how we became dehydrated no matter how much we drank, and how it drained our energy to a nub.

Our parents also knew us very well and understood that a lengthy hospital stay for either of us would cause us to spiral into depression and be counterproductive.  As her mom said, there was only one way to make her better, and when she did, Purrrranda was with me, and sadness, grief, and emptiness were with her mom.

I saw her brother, Pawcasso, stamping his little paw impatiently, waiting for his newly arrived sister to take her first nibble of food so the rest of us could eat.  She kindly offered me a bowl, which I gladly ate, both of us having recovered our appetites after our long renal battle.

Before I went back to Doggyspace, Purranda asked me to check on a playful Golden Retriever who passed over at the vet's the same time that she did.  I suggested she come with me, and we see together.  I took her to the central incoming and learned the dog was in my village.  We hurried there and saw the newest angels playing with dogs from his family that preceded him to the Bridge.  He noticed Purrrrand as the cat who entered the River of Life at the same time he did.  They promised to visit one another often and help with their mutual transitions to the Bridge.

I realized that Purrrranda's empathy for others, even on her Bridge Day, would mean that she would be a valuable angel to have on her mom's shoulder.

I am sending a big thanks to Purrrranda's mom.  She could have kept Purrrranda with her and benefited from her empathetic personality, but she made it so everyone could, making the world a better place.