The Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 Blog

If Rainbow Bridge were a college football team, we would be congratulating ourselves on a fine recruiting class for 2016.  Some of the finest mortal dogs who walked the Earth joined our side this year.  But this isn’t a football team, and there is no winning here, and those who have joined us have left thousands of broken hearts in their wake. There have been terrible losses for humans too, beginning with a man who called himself Prince and ending with a woman who played a Princess.  There has been a deluge of human tears crossing the river in dark clouds.  These tears have watered our gardens making them more spectacular as ever, but, even as I walk amongst these beautiful plants, I know they are the product of sadness. We Bridge Angels tried our best not to let any dogs pass to the Immortal side  We built a great, big, beautiful wall and made the Chihuahuas pay for it.  (The bill is still outstanding).  But walls don’t work.  Pups came over it, under it, and straight through

I am a dog who needs normalcy.  For most of the year I know what to expect day to day.  But then comes Christmas season and there is nothing normal about Christmas. I am used to breakfast, chase ball time, a walk, lap time, sun time, supper, lap time, snack time, lap time, big bed time, and sleep time.   That is all I want.  I understand there are unscheduled times my parents have to leave the house.  But at Christmas, the entire schedule breaks down. To signal the beginning of this period of great unrest my parents bring in the Tree of Unease and decorate it, then put lights on it to remind them that the Troubles are ahead. Then comes shopping days.  These are one of the days I am crated.  Once the Tree of Unease is erected the shopping day grow longer.  The more my parents are the more anxious River becomes.  When anyone in our home becomes anxious I feel it, for I am an anxiety conduit.  And when I become anxious my tummy does flip flops. But no one becomes more anxious tha

And yet somehow my life seems unfulfilled

Is there a better Christmas gift than a puppy? Is there any sadder sound at Christmas than the silence of a missing heartbeat? Odie, Scooby and Rusty, my angels, and friends, knew the answer to both questions was no. After Odie had passed to the Bridge, preceded by Scooby and Rusty, their parents were going to be without a dog on Christmas for the first time since they were married. During their last mortal years, Scooby and Odie had walking issues and could not be left alone. Their parents gave up many opportunities to travel because of their injured boys. After Odie’s passing his broken hearted parents decided to have some adventures of their own while their Angels secretly looked for their successors. The Boys, Rusty, Scooby, and Odie, knew even if they found the perfect pup, the pain of losing The Boys would have to be excavated from their parents’ hearts, and a new foundation lay before the memories a puppy would bring could build towers of love in their hearts. The B

Line up new angels.  Santa is here, and it is time for us to help him visit the shelters and bring toys to the unrescued.  Everyone get on the sled and hold on.  It is kind of foggy out.  Who has the biggest smile?  Jazzy!  Won’t you help Rudolph lead the sleigh tonight? Does everyone have on their special outfits that Whitley made for us?  We are the best-looking elves Santa has every had.  Whitley certainly knows her fashion.   Okay, we are about to take off.  Everyone hold on. Rudolph, I know you are great at leading the sleigh, but no one knows the way from Rainbow Bridge better than Leo.  Tonight, my brother, you are our leader.  Show us the way and let’s fly. Gracie Mae you come over here and sit next to me.  I know you are a smart girl and will be able to repeat my instructions to the others perfectly. Here we are at the first shelter.  Sandy!  Don’t let all the dogs out of their cages!  Oh man!  You can’t go running down the road with all of them Sandy; we don’t have

It’s Christmas Time at the Tanner Brigade And in Blogville where we rock the escapades Everyone is happy, merry and cheery Santa Paws is coming, it ain’t just a theory There are presents to open for all dogs around Smiles everywhere, you can’t find a frown The trees are all decorated with festive lights You can see everything even on the darkest nights One thing’s for sure, Santa is coming to town Please remember us, we live by Beantown Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, arf Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, arf I see Hobo and Wylie down in Florida Decorating their home, even the corridor Checking out Enzo at the garage Cutting up his Christmas cards, making a collage In Jacksonville are my friends the friendly Cowspots Making their house look like something out of Camelot Up at Rainbow Bridge we are checking out Leo Making the stars bright like he’s Galileo Across the pond is our bestie Lou ee Wearing a Hattie hat, he’s more than a bit screwy Bark, bark, bark, bark, bark, ba

If I need to come back there, trust me, you two kids are not going to be happy. Now face forward, keep your hands to yourself, and your mouth shut.

Every television season some island dwelling reality star is deemed “The Survivor.”  Spending 39 days on an island with a medical staff and camera crew may be surviving to some, but we dogs know true survivors, and no one fits that term more than my good friend, the resilient Wishbone.  I first became friends with Wishbone when he was just a pup.  He was a coon hound in the South who wouldn’t hunt.  His original owner deemed him worthless.  Damn fool.  He didn’t know he had the most irrepressible dogs in the world. Wishbone was saved by Dog Rescue Hall of Fame member Paula Malatesta.  But Wishbone had never learned to trust a human, and was born to run, so the first chance he got, he bolted from the Malatesta’s yard.  Paula looked for him for days but Wishbone had learned how to avoid humans.  On a Sunday, after church, Paula saw Wishbone and gave chase.  She tumbled down a hill.  Wishbone stopped to check on her.  Before Wishbone knew what was happening he was back home.

We had our first snow of the season on Sunday.  Snow is the bane of a small dog’s existence.  Our little legs get buried in the cold and wet.  We kick it up on our undersides.  And our most personal parts freeze. We tend to complain about the negative aspects of our size.  But this is the season of thanks.  There are many advantages to being small and I have decided to embrace each one. When you are small, you can sleep in bed with your humans because you don’t take up as much room.  You can snuggle up against your parents and get right in the sweet spot by their waist. When they become overheated you can move down the bed too, cool off. In the morning Daddy gets up first.  He gets dressed, and he picks me up.  I love being picked up.  I know big dogs do get picked up, but it is always awkward.  Legs are going every which way.  Parents never get a good hold.  It is like watching a giraffe and elephant dance. But for us little dogs being picked up is perfect.  I can snuggle i

Hold it right there buddy!  I am not done talking here.  You just quiet down 'til I'm done then we'll listen to your piece.  Remember there is no interupting here.

I sat down, quill in paw, to write this story.  Then I put the quill down and looked out the window.  Then I curled up in my seat.  Then I put my paws up on the window and looked at the sky. I did not want to write this story.  If I wrote it, someone would read it.  And once something is read it becomes real. Now I need to do it:  (Sigh.)  Junior Johnson has arrived at Rainbow Bridge. And now it’s real. Junior had battled cancer for months.  We all knew he could be arriving any day.  We flew prayers up the mountain to the Big Guy every day asking for more mortal days for Junior. On Wednesday I stood on a cliff overlooking the River of Life.  There was a long line of dark clouds on the horizon.  That is when I knew Junior was coming.  Those clouds were filled with our parent's tears.  Junior Johnson’s deluge was due to arrive. I saw Sandy and Jack.  I asked them to put together a team to assemble tents at the greeting spot.  Reyah agreed to inform the other angels.  N

Finally it is done!  After six years, five computers, four paws, three proofs, two edits and one determined Yorkie my new book:  “Tails From Rainbow Bridge” is now available for purchase. Here is the finished product.   Do you see the lovely art work done by Molly’s mom Pat Turner?  That is a rare picture of me at Rainbow Bridge.  We owe her a big thank you. Do you see who wrote the book?  That is right.  It is written by Foley Monster.  No humans involved.  I talked with my parents and they agreed that I should get full credit, although I do thank them for their help. Also I must thank Hobo and Wyllie Hudson’s mom and dad, Bruny and Walter, for performing the important job of editing, and Tommy Tunes and Freddy Girl’s dad Steve Kundzala who enhanced many of the photos in this book.  Also a thanks to all the parents who gave me permission to use their photos.  I have acknowledged them at the end of the book. This book is for all the dogs I have written about, and have pass