Hattie Mae is our December 24th 2017 Pup of the Week

A week ago I recounted the story of Hattie Mae’s Christmas hat.  Little did I realize how soon the legend herself would be joining me in the immortal world.

    I seldom know, as I make my journey to the stairs rising from Rainbow Bridge, who will appear before me, but when Hattie arrived I had an inkling, because the ground beneath me shook, an unimaginable wail rose from the mortal side, and the plains became rivers as clouds of human tears opened and pummeled the terrain.  A dog of huge importance had to be passing over Rainbow Bridge and there is no dog more important that Hattie Mae.

    Hattie Mae reached the top of the stairs wearing a red hat with a white brim and a brilliant red velvet dress with a black belt and trim.  While hundreds of dogs ran down the hill to greet her she scanned the Bridge as if she was looking at a suite deciding if it was up to her standards.  She sighed and softly nodded her head.  “This will do,” she said.

I knew my first duty was to thank her.  Every dog with a blog owes a debt of gratitude to Hattie Mae and her Mom the ethereal Aunt Darla.  In 2007 we joined what was called “Facebook for dogs,” a site named Doggyspace, or DS for short.   The owner was clever, if incapable, and while thousands of dogs flocked to the site, none of us knew how to properly translate our personalities, wants, desires, quirks and faults into Internet posts.  The site could have quickly faded away after several uninspired “My dog did this today,” posts.  Enter Hattie Mae who wrote “I did this today, and while it may seem mundane, it was fascinating, and let me explain why.”

Her posts were unassuming online tutorials.  We pups read what she wrote and realized this was how it was done.  Every dog with a blog or profile  can trace their online family tree to Hattie Mae.  Even if you were never on DS if you have read our blog, or Hobo Hudson’s News and Taies, or Jodi Chick’s Kol’s Notes, or Molly’s The Fast and the Furriest, they were all influenced by Hattie Mae.  For that I thanked her.

I thanked her for teaching us that dogs are always kind. We never bark a hostile word. And we always show compassion.

I thanked her for the humor, for showing us that our lives are filled with laughter and the cause of this humor is often ourselves. Humility and self deprivation are two important traits of for a dog to posses. Hattie provided us with smiles daily and taught us that not only is it important to make our parents smile but our friends too.

I thanked her for showing us how to dress. I never considered wearing dresses.  thought they were silly. But when I saw how regal and self-assured Hattie looked I became a proud wearer of outfits too.

I thanked her for her generosity because most of the clothes I wore were.designed by her fabulous mom and gifted to me by Hattie. She sent her designs to several of our friends who proudly wear them.

I thanked her for the love. To be loved by Hattie was to be touched by sunshine. They both left us with a warm, happy feeling.

As I watched Hattie be greeted by her beloved husband Leo, by her brothers Smartie, Fella and by her sister, by countless friends who came before her, and by Jackie Pool her Mom’s very dear human friend accompanied by her dogs Saffron and Sage, I thought of the horrible sorrow Hattie's mom and dad must  be enduring this Christmas.  For all the joy she gave us she gave her parents tenfold and the hole in our lives left by her passing was only a divet in the grass when compared to the Grand Canyon sized hole left in her parents hearts. Please don't forget about them. Please keep them in your hearts and prayers. Hattie’s passing was the final awful cut in a cruel year. They no longer play in the vast social media playground so old fashioned thoughts and prayers are due.

Once Hattie had concluded her greetings she announced that there was a reason for her sudden appearance. She looked at our Christmas tree and noted that there was no angel at the top. I told her it was because no angel was worthy.

“Well now there is,” she said. Hattie flew to the top of the tree where she shone brightly just as she had in life.  From now on when you look to the sky and see the brightest light shining know that is Hattie Mae standing on her tree for the world to see.

She is lighting the world for us angels, showing us the way, just as she did in the mortal world.

She will always be the light showing us the way.