Beat This Caption

 

 

One vessel survived the Lake Travis Boat Rally

Monday Question

 

Do you allow your parents any privacy?

Do you go into the bathroom with them?

Do they try to keep you out?

 

 

Theo and the Bucket List by Foley Monster

 

 

I never needed a bucket list.  My entire bucket was one more day with you. But, other dogs who like to be outside more, and lead an active lifestyle, want to do the things they loved during their life one more time before crossing over.  I love the parents who work hard to see that their dogs get to do those things.  The story I am about to tell you is an extraordinary one.  

    Theo lived as an outside dog for 12 years.  He didn’t get a lot of attention, but he still loved his family and was loyal to them.  When he got sick, and his parents left him tied to a pole at a Wal-Mart, he thought they were just shopping.  It took him a while to come to the sad realization that he had been cruelly abandoned.  

    When a rescue found the dog they would name Theo, they took him to the vet, and it was discovered that he was terminally ill, with tumors in his groin and stomach.  It would have been easy to send him to the Bridge right away, but one of their workers, Jenny Leech, saw a dog who still had a lot of love to give, and who was filled with happiness and a zest for life.   She convinced the other workers to let her take Theo home to live out the rest of his life happily.

    He was having been given a second chance at a family, Theo embraced everyone in it with as much love as he could muster.  His parents knew that Theo was in terrible pain, but he hid it from his parents.  They wanted to do something special for this resilient dog, and that is when they decided on a bucket list.

    Before they started on their journey, Theo’s parents promised him that if he ever showed signs of not wanting to go on, if he didn’t eat, or couldn’t walk, then they would take him to the vet and send him on his final journey.  But, until then, it was party time.  

    For the first time in his life, Theo got to go to the beach and chase the seagulls, run after the waves, feel the salty wind on his face, and gaze out to where the sky met the ocean and the Bridge crossed over.  He promised he would be there soon, but not today.  He got to go with his parents to drive-in-movie night.   He didn’t know what picture it was; he was just happy to sit on his parent’s lap and get popcorn.  He has gone out to eat with his family for steak and delicious hamburgers.  He was appointed an honorary K9 office by the local police. He even went on a blind date with another dog and was a perfect gentleman.  

    Every day Theo and his parents check on him and then plan which item on the list they will cross off the list that day. Thanks to the suggestions from people all over the world, it grows longer. The entire community has come together to bend some rules so Theo can enjoy every minute of his last days.  He quickly went from being an unlucky dog with a terminal illness tied to a pole to being the luckiest dog in the world.

    Theo was a victim of the worst of men’s nature, but now he is encountering the best.  These good people are the ones who spark our unlimited devotion, even if that means that we give it to the bad, dog abandoning pole tying ones too. 

 

Pocket Reflects on Her Life as She Turns 13

 

Today I turned 13, a record age for one of my parent’s dogs, even before they were married.  I asked Foley about breaking her longevity record, and she came into my dreams and told me it was better . I was old and living with Mommy than an angel and living with her.  If I did, she would have to add another bedroom to the house.  I guess I owe my life to the fact that Foley doesn’t want to pull a permit.  

    My parents are stunned; I lived this long.  When I came to them, I was a scrawny puppy dog who needed to grow into her ears.  I have never actually mastered potty training.  I have a bladder that is the size of a pea.  How long can a pea hold pee?  That time has grown longer as I have aged, but still, pee happens.  I have lived so loved I have graduated from untrainable to incontinent.  

    I have rarely gone a month without a day of digestion issues.  It always follows the same script.  I refuse my morning treat. Then I don’t eat breakfast or any food until supper time.  While my parents are eating, they coax me into taking a bit of food.  A few moments later, I emit a poop that looks like something Hieronymus Bosch would stick into the corner of a painting created in a particularly disturbing moment.  Once done, I return to my parents’ dinner table, to get more food.  Ironically, they then stop eating to take care of the stinking pile in the living room.  After that, I am good to go, even if my parents have lost the appetite I gained.  I guess living with me has been a bit of a trial at times.  But I am very well loved too, thanks to understanding parents. 

    There have been a few times over the years that I didn’t snap out of it, and the tummy issues last a number of days.  My parents used to take me to the vet when this happened.  Now they ride it out like it is a terrible scene in a beloved movie, except they can’t fast forward through me.  None of the normal techniques, like chicken and rice, worked.  I need to eat the same food until I straighten out. Each time it happens, my parents wonder if this will be the time that I don’t recover.  But I am resilient.  I don’t know what will finally bring me to the Bridge, but I don’t think it will be my tummy.  I am like an old car that requires you to nurse the brakes and finally goes to the junkyard because of a transmission issue.

    I can hardly believe that I have lived longer with River Song than with Foley.  I was introduced to the world as a puppy by Foley on Doggyspace.  I wanted to join the site, but Foley balked.  She said I needed to be housebroken first.  Thankfully, she got tired of carrying the burden of blog writing herself and introduced me to social media, where I have chronicled most of my life.

    I was always Foley’s sidekick, and that was fine with me.  She did all the heavy lifting while I stayed in the back and was the cute one, Paul, to her John.  But then Foley left to take a job at Rainbow Bridge and broke up the band.  I had a couple of weeks as a lonely dog, then along came Ringo.

    I am glad River Song became my sister.  But, we have a different relationship.  Foley was always top dog.  I was never comfortable with the role.  River wanted it, and we still tussle over who is top dog, but River and I have found equal ground.  River is a good snuggle partner, and fun to walk with.  She enjoys a good sniff more than Foley did.   Most of all, she healed my parents’ hearts quicker than I could have done alone.  For that reason, I forgive her a lot.  

    I don’t feel 13, and I don’t look it either.  Everyone still thinks I am a puppy.  They don’t see my missing teeth or feel my stiff arthritic bones.  Outside of that,I still feel like a youngster inside.  I have been blessed to be with you for 13 years, and I hope I have many more.

 

From the Desk of Foley Monster A Birthday Message for Spark's Mom

 

The Internet is like a mirror; it reflects society, both good and bad.  Often, I log in online, and I am very disheartened by the ignorance, hate, and prejudice I see.  Everyone has an opinion, but very few want to hear it.  That doesn’t stop people from putting their thoughts on Facebook for the world to see.  They say, in baseball, that the boos are louder than the cheers.  On the Internet, the negative is always stronger than the positive.

    The Internet can be a real cesspool, but occasionally there are beautiful flowers growing in the puddles of filth, and I spotted one of them today.

    There is a site that I like to frequent called Rainbow Bridge Dogs.  It is a place where parents who have just felt the crushing weight caused by the loss of a precious pet gather to grieve.  The comments are often kind, seldom mean, and makes me believe in the goodness of the human race, even if they seem determined to only show themselves at their worst looks.

    A man, Tom Laughlin, posted for a woman named Bev, who he claimed is the kindest, most loving person he has met on the planet.  She recently lost her dog, Spark, who was her best friend, confidant, and child, after nearly 18 years together. Spark only cared about one thing, and that was making his mom happy. Since he has departed for the Bridge. Momma Bev has missed him with all her heart, and little has brought her joy.  Tom thought there might be one thing that would; he asked for everyone in the Rainbow Bridge Group to wish Spark a happy birthday, which I am doing, right now.  But, since I am a judge at Rainbow Bridge District Four, who had been charged with the swearing-in new arrivals, I thought I could do more.  So, I went to check on Spark.  

    I found him living in a big house with all the other dogs that Bev had loved before Spark.  He has been welcomed and treated warmly.  They respect Spark’s position as their mom’s heart dog.  They loved her too, and they were thrilled to see her and Spark together.  They had two goals after Spark arrived.  The first was to help him adjust to life in the immortal world.  Spark missed his mom terribly, but his new family made him feel loved and wanted.  Plus, Spark really took to the flying.  He loves to buzz around like an angel.

    As all dogs do, Spark, when he crossed the Bridge, reverted to being a pup, as all the pain that brought him to the Bridge, that slowed him down as he aged, was washed away, and he felt like a pup again.  He scampers through the grass as he did when he was a young dog.  He wants to thank his mom.  He knows when he went to the Bridge that she took on all his pain on herself and is still suffering from it.  That is why he, and his siblings, are working to take it away and demolish it forever. 

    That is why Spark tries to visit her every day.  Unfortunately, most parents don’t recognize when they get an angel visit.  We sneak into our parents’ dreams, but by morning those memories disappear as consciousness takes hold.  Then there are the bodies we borrow.  All flying creatures can go back and forth to the Bridge.  When they are on the immortal side, we switch bodies with them, so they can enjoy what they can’t as birds, mostly steak.  We fly back to our parents’ yard.  So, if you see a butterfly, hummingbird, cardinal, blue jay, or any other bird that sees at home in your yard, know it is Spark coming down to check on you, and letting you know he is still here.

As I write this, Spark is sitting at the end of a big table, smiling broadly while watching his cake be sliced as his friends gathered around him singing happy birthday.  All his wishes didn't come true. His mom wasn't there. But someday she will be, and they will leave the Bridge for a place called Happily Ever After where no worry or sadness is allowed. Just love.

I wished to Spark a happy birthday when I left, but I didn't have to because he was already enjoying it.

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

By the end of the day Timmy had neither ice cream, or a girl, and he knew he had been set up by the neighborhood two girls and a dog thieves