Guinevere is our March 4 2017 Pup of the Week

I woke up as a gentle golden paw shook my shoulder.  I opened my eyes and saw Angel Misha, one of the Golden Girls, standing over me.  Her sad eyes told me all I needed to know.  I sighed as I got out of bed.  Our prayers had failed.  The heavenly Group Of Dogs who now run Rainbow Bridge said no. Misha’s sister Guinevere had begun her journey.

We walked to the landing at the top of the stairs.  Misha blinked her eyes.  I could not detect if it was from being tired or sad.  For two weeks she had shuttled from the Group of Dogs who run the Bridge to Guinevere and their parents desperately trying to heal her sister.  Misha lay down and put her golden head on her long yellow legs.
“How long have you been here Misha?” I asked.

“Since December 2013,” she said sadly.  I had no idea it had been that long.  “My parents have not recovered from my passing.  Now Guinevere.”  She took a deep breath, and I laid down next to her.  We waited.

The Golden Girls are natural performers.  They have shelves full of ribbons and awards in recognition of their outstanding work in agility.  All pup parents love their dogs, but there is a special connection between competitive dogs and their humans.   The hours of training and events solidify their relationship in a unique way.

On February 17, Guinevere was performing brilliantly in competition, and two days later she jumped on the couch, lost her balance, fell off, and had a seizure.  Her parents rushed her to the vet.  He said Guin was anemic and her blood levels were close to critical.  She had to be left there, much to her parent's dismay.

That is when her parents began their free fall.  It occurs when parents understand their babies are sick but don’t know why and they can’t stop it.  The further they fall the more hope is lost until they accept that there is nothing left but crashing through the bottom and letting their baby go.

The doctor zeroed in on a problem with Guin’s bone marrow.  Unfortunately, it took several days to get results from the test, so she had to stay at the vet.  Guin was happy when her parents visited, and had a healthy appetite, but her blood levels did not rise, even after a transfusion.  The angels kept praying, and her parents kept falling.

It seemed the prayers were being answered when Guin got to go home but her parents could tell she was not herself. They took her back for another test, and her levels had crashed again.  The vet said that Guin’s immune system was attacking the red blood cells as soon as they were created.  No medication or supplement could reverse it. 

Her parents had to cure her.  But there was only one way to do that, and it was to let her go.  They did and hit the bottom of that long free fall.  That is when Misha and I heard the paws running expertly over the Bridge like someone trained to avoid every pebble.

Misha stood up.  Her tail began to wag.  It was foggy around the Bridge.  Guinevere burst through the clouds and came running towards Misha.  I softly bit Misha’s golden tail holding her back until Guin reached the landing, and then I let go.  The two golden sisters stood on their back legs and hugged.  They dropped to all fours and began to run up the hills, through the valleys, barking hello to their friends.  Misha had her wings, and Guin became jealous after seeing the new tricks Misha could do.

She wanted her wings now!  I gave her the oath, and Scooby fitted her for a pair of beautiful golden wings.  The girls began running again, this time Guin took flight with Misha.  Guin picked up on flying as quickly as she did agility.

Finally, they lay in a golden pile, their mouths open, their tongues wagging, exhausted.  I had not seen Misha this happy since she arrived at the Bridge
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A short time later they arose and began their new mission.  They had to slowly, day by day, help their parents recover from their fall and escape from the darkness.  If I can give their mom and dad a piece of advice, it would be that the best way to escape the darkness is to follow the light.


The golden light from the Golden Girls.  It will show them the way back home.