A Burst of Freedom by Pocket

When our parents are away from us, it seems like every minute lasts an hour.  We don’t know if they will return.  It is terribly frightening.  I don’t want my parents to know that worry because I Iove them.  But last Sunday I did, inadvertently, given them a taste of that fear.

I have a different harness since the previous one injured my trachea.  When you get a new harness all those annoying tags that we are forced to wear have to be transferred from one harness to the other.  Earlier that day my Mom did just that using one of those little wire ring things.

My Dad did not notice the tags.  When we left for our walk Daddy clipped my leash to the small ring with the tags.  We were on our usual walk when we passed my friend the Corgi’s house.  The Corgi came to the window to bark at us.  I went ahead, pulling the leash tight, and barked back at him.

Suddenly the little ring holding my tags gave way.  My tags flew in the air.  I kept walking, now unleashed.  Where we live has very few cars, and there were none in sight.  I crossed the street where Corgi was barking in the window.  I went up the house, which was ten feet from the road, barked at Corgi, walked to the side lawn, peed, and got picked up by Daddy.

It was not long at all.

But to my parents this is what happened:  My tags exploded, and the leash came undone.  I crossed a street (thank God there were no cars coming). They yelled at me to come to them, but I ignored them.  (They also forgot the word come and just started screaming random words like “banana” and “rankle rotary engine.”)  I would not listen and ran away from them.

Daddy was also holding River’s leash while he was trying to run after me and River was having none of it.  She sat down like a ten-pound boulder and Daddy was trying to drag her and catch me.  He still pulled River an Olympic distance before Mommy, who was frozen watching me, stepped forward and took River’ leash.  This entire horrible process took about three seconds, but to my parents, it seemed 20 minutes.

Daddy then walked onto the stranger’s property where I was barking.  He went to pick me up, but I darted away from him.  That is when I took a few steps to my right to pee but Daddy saw me running down the street and disappearing into the woods while he posted my picture on Facebook and on every lamppost in town.

I finished peeing and waited for Daddy to pick me up and put the leash on me to continue our walk.  My, did they make a fuss over me.  I was only loose for a few seconds.  My parents reacted like we dogs react when they come home.  I felt very loved.

I hoped they learned their lesson and never leave the house again.

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

I don't care how you do it you are taking the next feeding

Monday Question

What is your most common sleep position?  Stretched out?  On your back?  Curled in a ball?  On your side?  On your tummy?  

If you sleep with your parents or another dog do you snuggle with them?  Do you sleep with your butt on them on your head?

Pocket:  I sleep curled up in a ball.  I like to sleep in the crook on one of my parents' knees.  I like to have my butt against them when I sleep.

River:  I like to sprawl out when I sleep.  I like my whole body against my humans.

August 27, 2017 Pup of the Week: Beast, Lux and Bruno: The Hero Dogs

All dogs are heroes to their parents. This week I want to celebrate three dogs who saved their humans because they recognized it is our duty to put their lives before ours.

The first dog is a nine-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier named Beast.

Beast’s mom, Sandy Ruggerio, was outside with her two other dogs at her North Port Florida home when she heard the terrifying sound of a rattlesnake about to bite.

Beast jumped on the snake, and after a brief struggle, he killed it. He was injured, and he is at the vet’s where he is responding to treatment for low blood cell count, but the doctor is confident that the amount will rise and soon Beast will back in family’s yard once again protecting them.

We find our second hero dog on the lovely beaches of Salerno Italy. A father was playing on the shore with his two young daughters. A rogue wave pulled the girls out to sea. The father swam out and found one of the girls, but he could not see the second. 

Fortunately, Lux, an accredited lifeguard dog was on patrol. He saw the missing girl, Caterina, and he jumped in the water. Lux reached Caterina and dragged her back to shore where she was revived. She spent the rest of the vacation happily with her family. When she had arrived at the beach, she had been afraid of dogs. Lux not only gave her life back to her but also instilled in her a love of dogs.

Heroic dogs don’t just save children. Bruno, a 15-month-old Bernese Mountain Dog, was at home with his mom Jayne and his dad Andy in Sunderland Australia. Jayne’s 82-year-old father, Terry, was staying with them because Jayne’s mother was in the hospital after a fall.

Jayne and Andy thought that Terry was happily napping while he snored loudly from the spare bedroom. Bruno recognized that it was not peaceful snoring and continually barked. Jayne went to check on Bruno when she realized her father had slipped into a diabetic coma. Jayne called the paramedics, and Terry was brought to the hospital where he recovered.

It is good to write about hero dogs whose actions did not lead them to the Bridge, so here is to Beast, Lux, and Bruno and also to Sandy, Caterina, and Terry.

Once again they have proven that dog and men are an unbeatable team.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: The Truth About the Eclipse

On Monday humans from around the world gathered to watch the total eclipse of the sun when the moon, the Earth, and the Sun were perfectly aligned briefly turning the world dark.

The Earth, Sun, and moon perfectly aligned to block out the light? Please! This is why I love mankind. They believe anything.

When I was a four-year-old dog, I made my first million kibbles by putting a fire breathing dragon on display. I charged ten kibbles a person. I told the people it was very dangerous to look directly at the dragon. If they did, they would go blind. The people willingly bought and put on glasses, which had a fire breathing dragon painted on the inside lens. People left raving about the dragon. Gullible humans.

This Total Eclipse scheme was created by scientists who knew that humans could not accept the truth: Total Eclipse Day is when all the angels at Rainbow Bridge fly into the sun to go back to their loved ones. A number of angels flying into the sun is so  immense it blocks the sun.

This great scientific cover up has ruined Total Eclipse Day. We angels are back on Earth for a short time, running around, enjoying our yard, and seeing our parents, but they don’t see us because they are all wearing stupid glasses and staring up at the sun. What a crock!

But without realizing it, our parents do feel the emotional response of our return. They feel wonder; they are overcome with tears, they believe it is one of the most awesome experiences of their lives. They think it is from seeing the moon move in front of the sun, which is totally created by the glasses It is because, for a short two minutes, the angels walk the Earth again (and not in a Game of Thrones white walker, or Walking Dead type of way, we dead get bad publicity on television) and we leave our parents with a sense of euphoria.

You can believe science, or you can have faith that what I am saying is true.

Science is a class you need to pass high school.

Faith keeps you going in the world.

River Song Secret Jumper

It has been three weeks since I impressed everyone at the vet’s office.  I don’t think they have recovered from seeing me.

My parents were hoping that my jumper would have returned by now.  The vet said I had a pinched nerve in my back, and she gave me medication but I ate all the yummy pills, and I am still not jumping.

(OK, listen: Don’t tell my parents but I have done some jumping.  When they go out Mommy puts her nightshirt on her recliner.  She lays it out nice and flat.  When they are gone, I jump in the recliner and roll around on the nightshirt bunching it into a ball.  Don’t tell my parents.  I don't think they have noticed.)

I guess I am going to have to rely on my parents to continue to pick me up.  When they have the bottom of the recliner up, I sit on the floor and look up at them with very sad eyes that scream:  “Pick me up, I am so small and helpless.”  Then they lift me and put me in the chair.

(When they aren’t home I fly onto that recliner.  I love having the whole thing to myself.)

I used to be able to jump up by the window and get my whole body as high as the bottom of the window.  If the sill was bigger, I could land on it.  Those days are gone.

(When my Pocket made her emergency trip to the window I jumped on the kitchen table to wait for them to come home.  As soon as their car appeared in the driveway, I jumped down.  That was a close one.  Thank God it is impossible to see inside a lit room from outside at night.)

I used to jump on the couch with my treat bone in my mouth.  Then I would drop it and let the treats scatter.  But I can’t do that any longer because of my bad back.

(On Sunday I jumped up on the couch with my treat bone, but my parents were engrossed with flying dragons and did not see a flying Griffon.)

I am taking some glucosamine in the morning.  They are my special treats, and they are yummy.  But they aren’t working.  

(Some mornings my mom takes my favorite chew toy and tossed it on the recliner and run after it and jump on the chair to get it but I jump down with lightning speed.  I don’t think they saw it.)

I hope my parents understand that I may never be able to jump again.  Poor me I am dependent on their kindness to get on the furniture.

(Because I really like being picked up).

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

That bitch has ten more minutes to show up for our picnic date then  I am taking my bones and going home

Monday Question

On Wednesday night I injured my trachea, was coughing, and spitting up foam.  My parents thought I had injured my trachea and would be fine over time, but the more I coughed the more worried they became.  They decided to take me to the emergency vet knowing it would cost a lot of money.  In the car, I stopped coughing but they still took me.  So here is the question:  Would your parents have taken you to the vet or waited to see if you got better and at what point do your parents decide to take you to the emergency vet?

Our August 20, 2017 Pup of the Week is for the Birds

  

There has to be a first time for everything.  Today, for the first time, I am honoring two birds with the honor Pup of the Week (although I did once give honorable mention to Leo’s family’s bird Tiki, and I believe, another family bird from the Gustavson pack.)

This week’s honorees do not have names.  They were found by the father of Angels Rusty, Scooby, and Odie and their mortal brothers Max and Baron.  He was on a construction site.  He was taking down a soffit when he disturbed a nest holding three tiny newborn birds.  The boy’s dad knew that their terrific mom would take these birds in and help them grow.  She had performed this miracle several years before and she was confident she could do it again.

An important lesson:  If you are going to take a baby from the wild and raise it until it is ready to be free don’t name it.  When you give it a name it becomes part of the family and you don’t want to send part of your family away.  While the Boys' Mom loved the birds she had to keep herself from getting too attached.  Her job was to get them ready for the wild, no matter what her heart said.

If I was to name one of them I would have called it Hope.  Because, like those little birds, hope is the things with feathers.  When they fell out of the nest they were without Hope, which is being without feathers.  The Boys' Mom would give them both hope and feathers.

The Boys' Mom has lots of small animals and she knows everything there is about raising all creatures.  But raising birdies is harder than other animals.  They want to eat all the time, and every ten minutes they are crying for food.  The Boys' Mom fed them with a syringe to make sure they got all the food they needed.  Being a Birdie Mama is hard.

As the days passed the birdies kept eating, their feathers kept growing, and hope that they birdies would be strong enough to fly away sprouted.

One of the most important lessons a bird has to learn before it can go out to the wild is how to feed itself.  The Boys' Mom put seed in their cage.  Slowly one of the birds began to peck at the food but the other was reluctant.  These birds were siblings so the Boys’ Mom did not want to separate them.  They could not be released until they were both eating.

The second thing they needed to learn was how to fly.   To speed up the process Rusty, Odie, Scooby and I popped into their dreams and took them on flying lessons.  Scooby was a great inspiration.  When a bird sees a Great Dane fly he knows he can soon.

This week the Boys’ Mom knew the birds were ready to be released but she wanted to wait for a period of sunny days so they did not get hampered by the rain.

Yesterday their moment to return to the wild arrived.  Here is the exclusive video.

birds go free

Birds are the only beings allowed to fly back and forth to the Bridge.  They flew straight to Rusty, Odie and Scooby and told them that they loved their parents, the one who saved them, and the one who raised them, and they are very thankful.  We named them Hope and Feathers.

They want their mommy to know to keep an eye open for them in the trees.  If she looks up in the sky she will certainly see hope and feathers flying above her.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: A Poopiter Review

Late last fall, on December 2 to be exact, a request came across my desk from one Geordie D. Dog to join my Ning social network “The Tanner Brigade.”  It is my responsibility to make sure only the top dogs are members of the Brigade.   This Geordie did seem like a good chap, so I stamped him as approved and he quickly moved onto the site.

I was thrilled to see that Geordie quickly made himself at home and improved our little family by inviting us all to his Big Back Yard where we could gather and play.  I visit there several times a day for fun chat, games, and great companionship.

Some of my favorite dogs have parents who are artists, and I was excited to see that Geordie had a mom was quite good with the pencil and coloring.  She posted several funny cartoons that always brought a smile to my face.  I wanted to share these sketches with the world, but I am the defendant in several pawright infringement suits and could not afford another, so the cartoons were limited to our members.

But now everyone can get joy from Geordie’s mom’s beautiful artwork.  She has just published her second book which can be purchased here:  Poopiter

The story begins when Geordie gets a new little brother named Toby.  Anyone who has had a new sibling knows what a terrible bother they are it took Geordie a while to become accustomed to the little bother, which is all documented with great humor and understanding.

From there the book chronicles the escapades of these two cairn terriers and their often exasperated but always loving Mom.  Despite Toby’s tooting, his exuberance, and Geordie’s frustrations every drawing, and every word is written with love.

The duo's mom, L Bowman, has the gift that many of our parents have.  They understand us.  They are not vets or dog whisperers; they are dog listeners.  They can hear what we are saying through our tails and wags.  They know what is in our heart.  And they can express it.

These are some dark and troubled times and the cure for that is kindness and smiles.  

Here is my prescription to cure you:  Buy a copy of Poopiter and let the smiles come to your faces.  

My Exciting Night at the Emergency Vet by Pocket Dog

Boy, did I have an exciting adventure last night.

Everything was calm.  I was sitting with my Daddy watching television.  Daddy said it was time to take us outside.  I jumped down and when I landed my throat hit my harness, and I began to cough and spit up.  My parents fussed over me, and within ten minutes I stopped.

Before bedtime, Daddy brushed my four teeth, and that set me off coughing and spitting up again.  My parents put me to bed hoping that I would stop but I didn’t.  I kept spitting up on the sheets.  Nothing could stop my coughing.  My parents decided to take me to the emergency vet.

I coughed while they were getting dressed.  I coughed when they put their shoes on.  I coughed when the brought me out to the car.  I got in the car, looked around, said “wow, I have never been in a car before,” and I stopped coughing.

It was cool to be in a car at night.  And we drove very fast.  We got to the vet’s, and my parents explained what happened.  Meanwhile, I am in Daddy’s arm looking at the vet tech as quiet as can be trying to convey to her that I had no idea what these crazy people we were talking about.

I was taken away from my nervous parents, who at this time were much more in need of a doctor’s care than I was, while they did a quick exam.  The doctor called my parents into a little room and said that they thought that I had injured my trachea which caused me to cough, but they wanted to take x-rays to be sure.

My parents wanted answers, and they agreed.  The vet laid me down on a table and took three pictures of me.  They then told my parents that they could see slight damage to the trachea on the x-rays, but it will improve, but also be a chronic problem for the rest of my life.

Foley had a collapsing trachea too, so my parents have lived with a dog with the condition.  My attacks are louder and scarier, but I tend to be louder and scarier than Foley anyway.

I want to thank Pokey’s Mom Laura Lunn for getting the word out about my condition and asking for prayers on Facebook, to Reese’s Dad Pedro for keeping my nervous parents busy on Facebook Messenger and for, as always, showing great support, and for the Triple T’s Mom Linda for asking for prayers for me on TB.

I am resting today.  I have had a few attacks this morning which will continue while my trachea heals.  My parents are supposed to keep me calm.  Good luck with that.  I wish I could keep them calm.

Thank you for all the good thoughts and prayers.

Outside of the coughing and spitting up it was quite the night.

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

When Dogs copy human photos

Monday Quesiton

Our Mommy is thinking of putting us on some supplements for digestion, anxiety and joint issues.  Are you on any supplements?

Chelsea Johnson is our August 13 2017 Pup of the Week

There are some dogs I never want to meet at the Bridge.  I know I am going to meet them all, it would be easier to stop the tide from rushing in, but I still dread their appearance.  Chelsea Johnson is one such dog. 

But Chelsea did arrive this week.  I stood next to her brother Junior, who had appeared less than a year before, a dual loss much too difficult for any parent to bear.  But, their Mom is Kristi Johnson, one of the bravest and most kind-hearted dog moms we know.  Her heart was crushed.  But she would not be laid low for long.  She has a very strong will.  That will have delayed Chelsea’s trip to the Bridge.  She gave her pup the strength to keep her heart beating long after her heart beats had run out.

Many of you who are reading this know, Chelsea, if you don’t, then I am very sorry because Chelsea is a magnificent dog.  Loyal, strong, and brilliant Chelsea is a pup to aspire to.  Her mom often referred to Chelsea as her rock.  She was a dog who said, “put the load right on me.”

Chelsea was approaching her 15th birthday when the weight she bore throughout her life finally became too much to carry.  Chelsea’s spine could no longer support her.  Her every step was painful.  She stopped taking food and water.  Her mom didn’t want it to be so, but she knew:  Chelsea had given her every drop of devotion she had.  It was time to take away her pain and let her become immortal.

A short time later Junior and I saw her walking through the clouds towards the Bridge.  She was walking tentatively but with each step, the pain slipped away, and her youth returned.  Over her head, clouds filled with tears rained down on us.  Chelsea stopped at the bottom of the steps and saw her brother.  She ran to him like she was a pup again.  Every step she ever took in pain was a memory.  Chelsea was young, strong, and born again.

Junior walked up to Chelsea when she reached the top of the stairs.  They both stood on their back legs, then they leaned into each other and hugged.   The hundreds of dogs who had known Junior and Chelsea on Doggyspace, TB and Facebook, began to applaud the reunion.  Then they all ran to the Bridge’s newest Angel and smothered her with kisses.  

Junior stood nearby, in his usual regal pose.  Chelsea stood next to him.  They eyed one another, grinned, and then they began to run like they had years before, up to the hills, then down again.  Then they began playing, rolling on the grass, nipping at one another, with their tails wagging so hard they made the trees bend.

The happy duo could not play together for long.  They had work to do.  They needed to get back to their mom:  As butterflies, beautiful insects, cardinals, hummingbirds and other flying creatures; or as ghosts, making things rattle in the night, or objects mysteriously moving, and in her dreams, which she may not remember, but will help heal her heart.  

And they will begin their search.  Their mom has said that she will never find dogs like Junior and Chelsea again.  He lovable fur babies have accepted this challenge.  They are interviewing dogs right now who can fill their very large paw prints.  When they find one the will let their mom know, and the story of Kristi and her dogs will begin again.

While they won’t be there Junior and Chelsea will always be part of their lives.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Travelling Europe with Cassie

When she lived on the mortal side with her dad Richard, Cassie loved to take walks.  They would trek everywhere together.  Cassie has declined to go on walks since arriving at the Bridge, waiting for her Dad.  But I convinced her to go on a special walk with me.

We flew into the sun and landed in Paris.  We were by the beautiful Ponts de Arts Bridge.  We walked the seaside path where a fence runs along side it.  There are padlocks attached to it.  People attach the locks to it to secure their love with the most special person in their lives.  I took out two locks and Cassie and I each secured the padlocks to the fence to lock in our love for our parents.

We went to a bistro and had an outstanding dinner.  Then we walked to the Eiffel Tower.  It was beautifully lit against the dark, night sky.  Cassie thought it was a tremendous idea to climb it.  I disagreed but I knew her dad would do it and I wanted to be a good companion.  I only made it up one level and stopped, but fearless Cassie reached the top.

Our next stop was the Louvre.  We studied the Mona Lisa.  It was appealing but nowhere near as beautiful as our Moms.  The rest of the paintings were interesting, but there should have been more dog art.  I think that museum would really take off as a tourist site if they had more puppy pictures.

We took a stroll to the French Riveria and lay on the beach topless with the other bathers.  All the humans thought they were being daring, but for us, it was just another day at the beach.

We grew bored with France and hopped over to Germany to see the Windjammer Parade and watch hundreds of tall ships float by.   I became so enthralled I forgot to keep an eye on my little friend.  Cassie’s adventurous spirit took hold and the next thing I knew she had climbed aboard a ship and climbed to the highest point on the mast.  I barked at her to get down, but she didn’t until they docked.  She was having too much fun.

After Cassie’s adventure, it was time for an undertaking more my speed.  We went to Octoberfest, and we found the Foleytini keg and began drinking and munching on pretzels.  When I woke up the next morning, I had to sniff out Cassie.  She was under a sausage vendor's wagon with links in her mouth.

At that point, I thought we had enough fun for one walk through Europe.  I helped Cassie up, and we flew back to the Bridge.  I tucked Cassie into bed and stole one of her sausages for breakfast.

There is nothing like an angel stroll through Europe on a summer’s day

Walking Mishaps and Meeing Mr Wooderson by Pocket Dog

This summer has been prime time for walking.  We take our stroll at dusk when the hot sun is setting, and the pavement has cooled.  

My parents like to joke with us during our walk.  They tell me not to bark at everything I see, not to yip at the houses where I know a dog lives, not to howl if I see another dog walking near me.  My parents are very funny.

There are very few cars when we walk.  We live in a senior citizen complex and dusk is pajama and tea time.  Some rebels like us and take a late night stroll while most of our neighbors are turning down their beds and fluffing their pillows.

We are definitely the last dogs are out the street, which is good for us.  There is a big rock by the stream where everyone leaves their pee mail.  We get caught up on all the news of the day and leave our mail to be read by the early morning strollers.

River and I like to do the down and under while we walk.  One of us is on the right, and the other is on the left.  The one of us on the right slows down, waits for the one of the left to get ahead, and then we dip down behind them to become the one of the left.  We continue to do this, for a hundred times in five minutes, until our leashes are so twisted together we walk like Siamese twins and my feet barely touch the ground.  Daddy grumbles while he is getting works to get our leashes unraveled knowing he will have to do it five minutes later.

Some of the neighbors don’t like us pooping on their lawn, so I poop on the road.  I hope this is appreciated.  On hot days it sizzles like bacon.  There is always a little poop trace left behind.  I feel like I have left a star on Hollywood Boulevard.

There is a new guy who has moved to our community.  I don’t like him.  I think he bothers all the nice women who walk the site and say hi to me.  He has long silver hair and a silver mustache.   His name is Mr. Wooderson.  Yesterday he drove up next to three women in is golf cart and stopped next to them.  “All right, all right, all right,” he said.

“Any of you ladies need a ride?  This baby has an Auto Craft 6-volt.  I pop the clutch on this thing it gets up to 25 on the open road.  It’s got some muscle.  Any of you interested in hopping aboard?”

The woman with the dyed red hair got in.  “I love these redheads,” he said.  “Any of you ladies got any medicinal marijuana?”  They said no.  “It’d be a lot cooler if you did,” he answered.  

“You girls want to see Aerosmith this weekend?” he asked.  “They are all living in a double wide near the front.  I can hook you up.”  They excitedly agreed.  He looked over at us grinning.  “That’s what I love about senior citizen living man.  I get older; they stay the same age.  76.”

He drove away in his golf cart.  I told River if he did not curb his behavior we would poop on his lawn and not clean it.  Mommy agreed.

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

Rey, for the last time, I don't want to be a Jedi anymore

Monday Question

What thing do you do that annoys your parents the most?

Pocket:  The barking, the barking, the barking and the barking.

River:  The sitting on their laps and pawing their hand until they give me a belly rub.  It takes at least an hour to satisfy my belly rub need.

Wrigley and Mack are our August 6, 2017 Pups of the Week

We all know what dogs do.  We take care of our humans right up to the day we pass over to Rainbow Bridge, and then after that.  Some of us are therapy dogs, and their humans depend on them even greater than our parents depend on us.

Cody Joss, on the night of his high school graduation, never thought he would be in need of a therapy dog.  He was partying with friends in Cancun Mexico.  He became separated from them and cornered by a group of men with ill intent.  To escape Cody tried to jump over a privacy wall.  His back foot got caught, and he fell head first on to the cement.  He knew he was paralyzed when he hit the ground.  In fact, he had broken his neck.  He could not walk and only had limited use of his arms.  He went to a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta where he learned to eat, drive a wheelchair and get ready for work.

Cody had a dog trainer friend who introduced him to Cody's new therapy dog Wrigley.  Cody attended the University of Tennessee where not only did Wrigley help him retrieve anything he dropped but helped him socially acting as an icebreaker to bring new friends into Cody’s world.  For the first time in his life, Cody knew the love and affection of a dog.  “Sometimes, I’d leave without him, and I’d see how excited he would get when I came home,” he said. “That’s when I really knew it was love.”

Cody brought Wrigley with him to his job at Bridgestone in Nashville.  His slender friend soon became plump, and Josh learned that over 30 co-workers were slipping Wrigley treats every day.  Wrigley never said a word.

After working together for ten years, Wrigley suffered a stroke.  Cody repaid the kindness by sending his best friend to the Bridge.  The Bridgestone family reacted like a member of their family had passed away.  Any mention of Wrigley would cause Cody waves of anguish.

When Wrigley reached the Bridge, he knew Cody needed a new therapy dog.  He checked the Internet and was stunned to find out it would cost almost $20,000 to replace himself.  Wrigley developed a two pronged plan.  First, he went in the dreams of Cody’s coworkers and implanted the idea that they would raise the money to get Cody a new best friend.  Then he began searching for that dog. He found him:  In prison.

At the Turney Center Correctional Institute, an inmate named Robert joined a program to train dogs.  His last trainee, Zoom, had just left for a new home.  Robert was brought out to the yard with the other trainers.  A Golden Retriever named Mack chose Robert.  For 18 months Robert taught Mack to obey over 200 commands, hand signals, and voice prompts.  As graduation approached, Robert knew that he would be separated from the only soul who showed him love at the facility, but also knew his hard work would go to good use.

At Bridgestone Cody’s co-workers organized a wake for Wrigley.  At the end of the wake, they told him that they, along with the Bridgestone company, had raised the money for a new therapy dog for Cody.  They said his dog was currently being trained at the Turney Center and when the dog was ready Cody could pick him up.

The day Cody was due to pick his dog Wrigley popped into Mack’s dreams and told him to pick Cody as his new person.  That is exactly what Mack did.  After talking with Robert about Mack, Cody knew he had his new best friend. On Friday Mack left Robert’s care and went to his forever home at Cody’s house.

Robert was very moved by Cody’s story and as happy Mack was going to a deserving owner who would love him as much as Robert did.

And soon Robert will be brought a new dog to train and a new story will begin.

Tails From Rainbow Bridge: Hattie Mae Originals Made Available to her Fans

I began the search for Hattie Mae a month ago.  My minions looked everywhere for the world’s most famous dog fashionista.  I started hearing whispers of a beautiful Jack Russell Terrier living in a remote cottage in the South of France.  I checked Google Angel and saw a little dog, wearing large sunglasses, sitting on a beach chair, being waited on by attentive poodles.  Could this be my lifelong friend?

I fluttered down and waited for the poodles to be dismissed then I snuck up behind her.  “Hattie Mae?” I asked.

“Who is there?” she asked.  “Come show yourself.  My vision isn’t very good.  Come close.”

I walked in front of her.  She put a paw on my face.  “You seem familiar.”  I removed the cucumber slices covering her eyes to keep the wrinkles away.  “Oh, that’s better.  Why Foley Monster.  It is wonderful to see you.  Oh no, you are not here to take me?” she asked.  

“Of course not Hattie.  It is not going to be your time for years.  And when it is they will send hundreds of your friends to help you cross over.”

“Oh Foley,” she fussed.  “You gave me a fright.”  She composed herself.  “Now, what do I owe this great honor?”

I sat on the edge of her beach chair.  “I was talking to Pocket, and she said her closet is overflowing with Hattie Mae Originals. She would like to share them with her friends.  She can’t wear them all, and when River wears a dress, she looks like a bull dyke at a rodeo.”

“Oh, Foley!’’ Hattie Mae scolded me.  “Language.  Please apologize for your most ungracious behavior.”

I had almost forgotten Hattie Mae’s penchant for making sure I never strayed towards cruelness.  I apologize to those I offended.

“Okay then,” Hattie smiled.  “While I love Pocket having my designs if she wants to share them with other pups, and they make the pups happy, then I would be thrilled.  You do whatever you need to make that happen.”  She gave me a kiss.  “Now scurry off. I have a pedicure coming.”  I thanked her and fluttered away.

You are probably asking how do I get a Hattie Mae Original?  First, if you want to wear one, you have to be a wee dog.  Most of the clothes were made for dogs under ten pounds.  Some of the pictures shows slightly larger clothes that can fit River who is 12 pounds.  If you don’t want to wear them, but want to own one as a keepsake, that is fine too.

We have put pictures of them below with numbers.  Either message us or email us at Foleymonsterandpocket@gmail.com and we will send one too you if they are available.  Remember, since they don’t cost you anything they can only become more valuable.

Happy shopping.

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