Foley's Tales from Rainbow Bridge: Riley and his Boy

Boy and his dog

Went out looking for the rainbow

You know what they learn

Since that very day

Walking by the river

And running like a blue streak

Through the fields of streams and meadows

Laughing all the way”

• Van Morrison's “Redwood Tree

 

Riley was born, like so many pups roaming the mortal side after I departed for the Bridge, so I only got to know him from my daily visits to Blogville, and the stories his sister and the Bridge, Xena, would relay to me on a cool night in the moonlight.

 

Riley never sought the limelight. He was content to let his sister Zena be the storyteller in the family All Riley needed was the love of his family.

 

And one in particular, his boy Andrew.

 

I write a lot about the relationships between dogs and their parents, particularly their moms. The relationship is the second purist pet-human relationship in the world.

 

But the purist relationship is between a boy and his dog.

 

Dogs are a boy’s best friend, and every day together is an adventure. Boys have things they don’t want to share with anyone else, things that could cause them to be ridiculed, fears that cannot speak, except for one, his dog, because their ears are meant for listening and their eyes for understanding. 

 

They were puppies together, learning about the world simultaneously: How far they could go, how much they could take. Some things went very wrong, and they kept that secret, one of several from the parents.

 

These are the most glorious days of a dog’s life, but they can tell that the boy is changing, getting bigger, smelling like an adult, and the long summer days full of foolish days are becoming as precious as the last burst of light when the sun is setting, and soon night will come.

 

Before the day comes, when the child becomes a man, he takes a part of his boyhood and gives it to the dog, so, when they are together, even if the kid is now a father, he can be a boy again.

 

Often the boy leaves the house because that is what boys do when they reach a certain age, and the dog slows down and begins his transition to the Bridge because that is what dogs of a certain age do.

 

When the dog is ready to depart, the boy comes back to his parent's house, and says goodbye, but he leaves that little bit of boyhood with

  the passing dog so it will have someone to play with while he is at the Bridge.

 

And that is why I saw Young Andrew running past me at the Bridge, through the fields and meadows, laughing all the way, because men will always be boys with the heart dog of their youth, and the dog will always be with the boy. 

Reposted with the Margin corrected Ruby Rose Report: A Thanksgiving Break Out

Thanksgiving was going to be a nuisance. It always is and leaves us with little to be thankful for: We are either going to have a house full of people too busy to spend time with the dog, or we are left behind, when drink and joy will fall, without us.

The day before Thanksgiving something equally annoying happened. The fake tree was erected in the living room, taking away one of my five beds. How is a little dog going to be able to get by with only four beds? (Not counting the big bed.)

I don’t mind the tree, but I hate the fascist soldiers that protect it. And I wish it was in a corner and not by a window, My Great Nana didn’t like when her daughter and son-in-law put their tree, and when they went out, and she babysat, she tried to scooch the tree over and knocked it, fully decorated, on the floor. When her daughter returned home, Great Nana said the wind got in the house and it blew down, but now that it was on the floor, it gave them a chance to put the tree in the right place.

So I won’t be trying to move the tree even if I could get past the soldiers.

The parents spent a lot of money on the fake tree, probably more than a real tree, and anyone who has seen a rock video knows fake friends cost more than real ones.

I bring this up because months ago the pin that holds the crate door shut broke, but they decided not to get another one because they are cheap, and they said I am a good girl,  the gate could be held in place by a bungee cord, and I have never tried to get out, so what was the harm?

The thing with these temporary solutions is they work fine right up to the time they don’t. After a couple of hours, I got bored. I put my head against the door, and it opened a couple of inches. I pressed and it opened further, and soon I had broken out like Andy Dufrene without a poster of Raquel Welch or crawling through filth.

There was so much I could do. I could try to open cabinets and find food, or jump around on the furniture playing the floor is lava, or find something to chew which is forbidden, and go to town. But I chose to stand at the kitchen window and look out waiting for hours for my parents to come home. 

Give me a break, it was my first burst of freedom. Even Harriet Tubman got caught up looking out the window during her first escape.

And that is where my stunned parents found me when they got home Thanksgiving night, haunting the window waiting up for them. They decided since nothing was damaged and I didn’t seem upset and didn’t poop or pee anywhere untoward that they would stop creating me when they went out.

I think it is just a way to get out of buying another crate. 

Poetry Thursday

 Once again, Angel Sammys and Teddys Pawetaton have provided us with a photo for Poetry Thursday

Once again, Angel Sammys and Teddys Pawetaton have provided us with a photo for Poetry Thursday

Big Mac and LIttle Mac were playing ball in the yardWhile being watched by their neighbor Maurice the Saint Bernard

Big Mac threw the ball over the fence

Maurice picked it up and ran and the chase commenced.

Big Mac and Little Mac jumped in their truck

Both using that HBO word that rhymes with muck

Its not that they needed the ball

But, as Big Mac said “it’s the principle of the thing, and that is all.”

They saw their neighbors the Bacalls

And asked if they saw Bernard with a ball

They said no, looked at Little Mac and asked “does the ball belong to your son?”

“He’s my dog,” Big Mac said, having heard it before and he wondered what was wrong with everyone.

They went throughout the neighborhood 

And continually about their relationship people misunderstood.

Looking at Little Mac Big Mac said he couldn’t see the resemblance.

And they were just victims of circumstance.

When they got home Maurice waited

And said that he took the ball because he needed his curiosity sated

Maurice said it didn’t make any sense

But how did the big dog get a license

Little Mac “He isn’t a dog he’s my human dad.

And Maurice said he didn’t want to make him mad

But they looked more like relations than dog and man

“And I have one more question if I can?”

“If Big Mac is not a dog

What leaves me agog

And makes me ask at risk of being crass

Why does he spend do much time smelling your moms ass

Wordless Wednesday

 

Beat This Caption

 

What do your mean you acted happy to see the woman who lives here when she got home, then let her scratch you, then sat on her lap. How many times have I told you to be aloof. You're going to mess this up for all of us,

Beat This Caption

 Are you on any supplements, additives or medications?

Outside of Flagyl for the bad poops a couple of times I do not put anything in my mouth that isn't food or treats, or at least what I think is a food or a treat.

Foley's Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Maggie's Two Moms

 

There are heartwarming stories—perhaps just fictional tales—about a dog caught in a dilemma between two loving owners. Imagine a situation where both owners, standing an equal distance apart, call the dog's name with hopeful voices. The anticipation builds; whichever owner the dog chooses could become its true master. If you find yourself in a similar circumstance, keep in mind that a pocket full of bacon might just tip the scales in your favor.

But what happens when you love two people equally, one of whom is waiting on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge?

Maggie knows she is blessed, having two moms who loved her equally. 

She and her brothers, Toby and Pokey, lived happily with their mom, Laura, in Massachusetts.  But, when Laura suddenly passed the pups didn’t know where they would be living or if they would be together. 

Enter Kate, who met Maggie during a cross-country visit to Laura’s. Kate was prepared to take all three dogs to keep them together, just as Laura would have wanted. A new adventure awaited as the pack travelled southwest to Arizona, where a loving new chapter was about to begin.

While the three dogs were older, there was uncertainty about their future with Kate—and yet, the new family was determined to make every moment count. Kate cherished her time with thems she must cherish time with Kate, the woman who has given them so much love. 

But the horizon holds change. In Maggie’s eyes, staying is the least she can do for her new mom.

In this new life, Maggie prepares for the attention she has longed for. She envisions days filled with new experiences, adventures at work, and a different kind of love that blossoms each day. Most dogs may not have the chance for a second act, but Maggie is ready to seize hers.

As Laura visits her in dreams, excitement and concern swirl together. Laura knows Maggie is facing a struggle, and there’s a sense that a call home is on the horizon. But Maggie is hesitant, wishing to create more memories with Kate, who has already faced so much in her quest to give love to senior dogs.

Parents have a sense about their pets, and Kate feels the approach of change. As she watches Maggie carefully, the moment of truth feels palpable, everything leading toward a significant reunion. Kate senses that the time might come when she must make the hardest decision, one that echoes with anticipation of future joy beyond the p

When the moment arrives, and Maggie’s battle comes to a head, Kate knows instinctively that the time has come to reunite Maggie with her family.

As Kate prepares to say goodbye, she braces herself for the emptiness that will follow, 

At that very moment, Maggie races across the Bridge, leaping into Laura’s open arms, where Toby and Pokey wait with joyful howls.

While Kate navigates the remnants of Maggie's life—dishes and toys—Maggie is discovering her forever home, showering Laura with kisses 

And as Kate drifts to sleep without Maggie’s soft breath beside her, Maggie is curled up with Laura and her brothers.

Before sleep claims her, Maggie sneaks into Kate’s dreams to leave a farewell kiss and say thank you. Her thankfulness is, a promise of an enduring bond, even as time marches forward—embracing the bittersweet of endings and the joyful beginnings that await.