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I told you that you were going to have to wait until after the baby was born to cut the umbilical cord.

Clint is our November 8, 2015 Pup of the Week

I last wrote about Clint in January 2014.  He was peeing more often and it was taking him longer to complete his business.   His parents were worried that it was diabetes or kidney disease.  Luckily it was only a urinary tract infection.  Soon Clint was fine and drama free, except for a midsummer mishap with his leg in a storm drain.

Twenty months later that urinary tract infection proved to be a harbinger of something worse.   And that is what brought my friend to me, over the River of Life, to the immortal side, where he was met by many friends who love him very much, and he was young again.

Before making his journey Clint was diagnosed with kidney disease.  His parents did everything they could.  They changed his diet and they kept getting his blood checked just as the vet had ordered.  But sometimes there is nothing that vets or parents can do.

Clint was a perfect gentleman.  He was very sweet and loving to everyone he met.  And he was extremely devoted to his parents, as they were to him.  His parents would spare no expense, or leave no stone unturned to return him to health, except for one, they would not let their little gentleman suffer.

Clint took his medicine like a good boy and easily adapted to his diet changes but he began vomiting his food and water.  On Halloween morning his Mom took him to the vet for some blood work to determine the cause of the vomiting and to receive an anti nausea shot and some fluid to ward off dehydration.  

He enjoyed Halloween night, which was one of his favorite holidays.  He loved seeing the costumed cuties coming to his door.  Sensing that his song was ending his parents wanted to make Sunday a special day for all of them  They took the RV out of storage and took Clint to a nearby state park where he could lay on the cool grass under a tree and enjoy all the sights and smells.  His Mom called it a perfect day.

The next morning his Mom got the fateful call.  Clint was taken to  the vet and held by his Mom while the doctor gave him the shot that began his journey to his friends on the immortal side of the River while she held him and told him he was loved and was a good boy.

After I swore Clint in, and he got his wings, he spent time with every pup who came to see him, thanking them for making the trip and asking how they were.  Clint had just lost his family but this handsome gentleman wanted to make sure he showed appreciated to every dog who came to see him.

Then he walked down the grassy knoll towards the River.  He found a grassy spot under a tree where he could look in the water and watch over his grieving family.  He told me he was going to wait there for many years, and watch his parents play with new pups, and give them love, until the day comes, far in the future, when they can join him under the tree, on the grass, and have an eternity of perfect days.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Happy Endings

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog about a dog named Astra who was returned to her rescue when she showed aggression on an elevator which was a problem since she lived on the 80th floor.  Poor Astra cried when she saw her family leaving her.

We are happy to report that Astra has found a family and it looks like she has found her forever home without elevators.

That story made me feel all warm inside and I don’t get to feel that way too often.  With all the pain in the world I wanted to find another happy story.  But to make a happy story we have to begin with a sad story.

The sad story looks like this:

This is Kala and Kiera.  They were a day away from being sent to the Bridge at their kill shelter in Georgia.  A worker at the shelter, in a desperate attempt to save the pups, took a picture of the dogs.  As he lined up his shot Kala hugged Kiera .  

Kala and Kiera proved my theory.  Whenever in doubt hug.  The picture made its way to the Angels Amongst Us site where they pleaded with anyone who saw the post to help these two dogs before they crossed the River of Life.

The photo went viral getting thousands of shares and likes and more importantly someone stepped up to foster them.  Instead of going to see me they went to a vet and a new foster family.

This week they left the foster family, but not to be returned to the Rescue.  Instead they went to their forever home.  A woman had recently lost two senior dogs to the Bridge and was looking for two new companions.  Kala and Kiera proved to be just those companions.  “We turned our tears into smiles with these two young, playful dogs,” said Wendy, the dogs’ new owner.

Wendy is planning to create a Kala and Kiera Facebook page so we can all follow their adventures and hopefully raise money to help Angels Rescue.

We began this with their sad picture and here is their happy photo on what will forever be known as their Gotcha Day.

Remember with the works of good people, prayers and hugs anything is possible

Pocket the Scout

I am the family scout.  I may not be the fastest, or the strongest, or the best fighter but my ears are bigger than the rest of my head so my family counts on me to use my hearing to warn of impending danger.

We were in bed Monday morning when I heard the sound of a truck backing into the driveway.  I immediately woke my Daddy.  Trucks are bad news  Haven’t you been watching The Walking Dead?

Daddy took me out of bed to suss out what was going on.  There was a man on our property unloading things from the truck.  He and Daddy said good morning while I did my business.  I completed it quickly.  I needed to give this guy a random sniff test.  But first I had to wait for Daddy to slowly pick up my poo.  So annoying and humiliating.

Then Daddy took me back in the house!  We were going to trust this man with the big truck?  He put me back in bed.  Freaking liberal pacifist.  He and Mommy then talked about the situation and decided it would be better to spend time in the bedroom with the blinds closed so River and I  wouldn’t get all worked up because this interloper was in our yard.  

All worked up?  It’s a Yorkie sworn duty to get all worked up.

I tried to rally River to my cause by nipping, biting, and finally signaling her with dog code for great distress:  Rolling over on my back with my legs spread.  But River didn’t care.  She just wanted to snuggle with Mommy in our bed of ignorance.

I heard his footsteps, his setting up a ladder, his climbing the ladder (Oh no he coming in the window!  He’s coming in the window!), him ripping property off our house (He is stealing!  Stealing!)  Then I heard hammering, sawing, and worst of all screwing while my three bed mates drifted in and out of consciousness like Rose on the floating wood on “Titanic,” while I dangled i

like Jack in danger in the cold water.

Finally we got out of bed and River and I ran from window to window until we found the interloper.  We barked our heads off at him.  Shortly after that he came to the door and we ran to sniff him but then got in a fight over who would do the sniffing and missed him.   Mommy tried to feed me breakfast but a Yorkie on the edge doesn’t eat.  We didn’t get to sniff when we went on our walk and by the time we got home we were all sniffed out.  I relented and ate and then we fell asleep.  When we awoke there was some exchange of paperwork and then he was gone.

I went outside.  Everything looked like it was all right but I will be inspecting all week and when I find something wrong I shall point it out to my parents and they will start listening to their little scout’s warnings.

I advise your parents to do the same

Wordless Wednesday

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Hey it's cold in here.  Anybody got a towel.

Fonzie Tuxedo is our November 1, 2015 Pup of the Week

I was lying in the sun Thursday just soaking up the rays enjoying the day.  I love lying in the sun.  Then the sun went away.  At first I thought I had napped straight until night time but when I opened my eyes I saw it was a dark cloud:  A dark cloud of tears floating from the mortal side.

This happens when someone big passes over the River.  All the tears shed at the passing lift up into a cloud and floats towards us.  Soon it begins to rain cold tears as the cloud can no longer hold it’s content.

Then came the rumble of thunder caused by the wails of  humans giving voice to their grief.  I put my head down and weathered the storm then got my robe and book.  I went to the top of the stairs, dreading seeing which of my well loved friends had passed causing all this anguish.

The cries subsided, the rain lessened then stopped.  The sun shone brightly in my face and the angels began to howl in a beautiful melody.  I tried to look down the stairs to see who was approaching, but there was no one there.  Then I saw, rising above me, ascending towards the sky, my wonderful friend Pastor Fonzie Tuxedo bypassing the gathered angels and me, and flying high up to the Big Guy’s Mountain.

I understood.   Dogs as kind, loyal, faithful, inspiring and spiritual as the Fonz are not sworn in by mere Yorkie judges  They go straight to the Big Guy.

Fonzie was an inspiration to us all.  Along with his wonderful Mom he dedicated his life to providing faith and understanding to all his friends.  He always lent a paw of friendship to every pup.  He was the keeper of the faith, a true believer, our moral compass.  He helped his Mom save, find homes for, and transport hundreds of dogs.  There are so many pups and parents who owe their relationships to Fonzie and his Mom.  Thus the outpouring of tears and the wails of anguish that accompanied his passing.

My Mom has a knitted angel on a door in her house.  The angel was created lovingly by Fonzie’s Mom and sent to my Mom after my crossing over.  Whenever my Mom looks at the angel she thinks of me, and of Fonzie, and his wonderful Mom.  And Fonzie and his Mom have sent this gift to dozens of angel parents making their loss a little bit easier.  Hopefully we can all find a way to make Fonzie’s passing a little easier for his Mom.

Fonzie soon descended from the mountain.  He was wearing the whitest, most pure wings I had ever seen.  He fluttered above us gathered angels and then began to fly away.  We dutifully followed him until we came to a beautiful new church.  This, and the small house next to it, are Fonzie’s new home and preaching the good word to us his new duty.

We all fell silent as Fonzie began to preach and a great peace passed upon us.

While he will be terribly missed on the mortal side Fonzie has an endless supply of angels to preach to and improve their existence through his words.  

Fonzie is now immortal and his word shall never be silenced.