Sophie Joins Her Pack at Rainbow Bridge

 

It's a wonder that people ever get dogs since the parting is heartbreaking. Life is a zero-sum game, and all the love you feel for something turns to pain after its departure. Is it truly better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all? At least you live life on an even feel when you don't have pets. But what is life without unevenness?

 

Dogs are people's constants; they are always in the house, making it a home. They are also confidants, caretakers, keepers of secrets, and strength providers. I made friends with Capone more than a decade ago. His mom was going through a terrible time, and the only way she made it through the darkness was Capone leading her. It nearly destroyed Mama Terri when Capone crossed over while lying on the kitchen floor where he sat while his mom cooked. Now an angel, Capone knew his mom needed a new dog, and his dad agreed, but Mama Terrie, never wanting to go through that heartache again, balked.  

 

Capone told his dad, in his dreams, that he should go to the shelter and see a dog named Pika, and once there, call Mama Terrie, and hopefully, upon seeing the pup, she would be open to adoption. But, Capone had a plan his father was unaware of; he had found a second senior dog, whom they would send to the Bridge if she did not get a new home.  

 

Capone dream visited a woman named Debbie, who managed the shelter and subconsciously agreed to do his bidding. Terrie's husband, who saw Pika on the internet, fell in love with him on his first visit to the shelter, then persuaded Terrie to come and see the dog, knowing one look in Pika's eyes would be enough for her to adopt the dog. This is precisely what happened, and then Debbie brought the couple to Sophie, an overweight senior who had little chance of adoption and with whom they immediately fell in love. Soon both dogs were living with them and rebuilding her heart.  

 

The family had created a loving pack with Pika, Sophie, Lucy, Frodo, and Mick. One by one, they went to the Bridge, each one tearing the rebuilt heart apart, until this week, when Sophie joined them, shattering their parents' hearts.

 

When Sophie passed over, there was a large celebration as the five other dogs in her pack and Capone were there to greet her. Then they went to work. They would have to convince their mom to rebuild her heart by love and be shattered again. It is a problematic contrast. Dog parents are like Rocky Balboa, continually being knocked down and told to stay there, so the suffering world stops. But, they stand and retake a beating, again and again, knowing they are one punch, one dog, away from having their heart fulfilled. 

 

Hopefully, Capone, Lucy, and the pack can convince her to find love, which will again rebuild her heart. There are a million Lucy's waiting to be adopted into a good home, hoping a mother like Terri will walk in the door.

 

It will just take time and the good works of loving angels.

 

Because in the end, it is much better to have loved and lost than never to have loved before.