The Ruby Rose and the Big Little Angels 3 Blog

Poor Tweedles barely has had a day’s rest since she arrived at the Bridge because of how her parents’ were suffering.  The pain that a soul feels when a loved one goes to the immortal side is equal to the amount of love the survivor held in their hearts for the one they lost.  For Tweedles’ parents, that was nearly their whole hearts.  For weeks after her passing, they existed like zombies with nothing living inside.       Tweedles visited her parents in their dreams, then as various winged creatures, and even as a ghost, but she could not break through her parents’ grief.  It didn’t seem that anything would work, except one.  She needed to find her parents, another dog who could start repairing their hearts.     She interviewed hundreds of pups, some of them were in shelters, others waiting to be born.  Occasionally I would help her and point out dogs that I was sure her parents would love, but Tweedles had very specific traits she needed to see in her replacement, and no dog was me

Personally, I have always found dogs to be a quiet animal, who is happiest sitting with it’s human and thinking of grand adventures, but some dogs need to have adventures for real.     Dogs often take on the personality of their humans.  If you belong to a musician, you are likely to sit around and get high all day; if your parent is an accountant, you learn to lie under the computer table and are always uptight, and if your parent is an athlete, a sedentary lifestyle is only a dream.     I don’t know if I could have put up with being the dog living with someone like Swedish athlete Mikael Lindford, who doesn’t do the things I like the most, like sleep, take leisurely meals, and enjoy his downtime.  He likes to climb, bike, trek, and compete.  Not the life for a Yorkie.       Mikael never showed any interest in having a pet.  Some humans are like that, and there is nothing wrong with it.  If they want to live a life without joy, then who am I to judge?  He met a woman named

I had no idea how regulated dogs were on their walks until I met Tori, a black poodle, who works for the Woof Health Organization. She walks with her mother, Nancy, to different neighborhoods to police how dogs are social distancing.      I encountered her when my Dad was walking Pocket and me. When I saw Tori, I began barking loudly. “Stop right there!” Tori snapped at me. “Don’t you realize there is a pandemic going on?  We dogs have been asked to stop the spread of the virus, so the veterinarians' do not get overrun.  And when you see me, you start barking.  Don’t you know when you bark droplets of your spit go into my mouth?”     I defended myself.  I explained that I never leave the village and don’t approach other dogs until now, that my mommy doesn’t go out except for supplies and when she does, she wraps herself in a full-body condom so nothing can touch her.  My Daddy does the same, but he has his own condom.  That isn’t something you should share. Because of the

Mom, Trixie tipped over again!

When was the last time you got in trouble and what did you do? Pocket:  Last week I peed on the floor right after I had been outside. River:  I keep getting up on a dining room chair and try to steal food. Together:  We go into a tussle inside our stroller during garden time and Mommy had to bang on the stroller with a trowel to get our attention and make us stop. It's a good thing we are cute.

We can learn so much from the dogs who preceded us at the Bridge.  It is information that we could have used on the mortal side.  Unfortunately, these lessons are rarely available to us before we reached the immortal side.   If we are lucky, we will have a devoted angel, as my sisters do with me, who will teach us these lessons in our dreams, but too often they are forgotten as soon as the pup awakens as it’s mind changes to food, poop, and pee.   This week I was offered an outstanding opportunity to learn from dogs who have been at the Bridge for decades and lived extraordinary lives.  I attended a reunion of pup war veterans.  I was anxious to get all I could from these heroes. I thought the dogs would be much bigger than me, with giant paws, and ferocious barks.  What I discovered was that they were average dogs.  I guess heroes do come in all shapes and sizes, even tiny ones like me.   The first of these hero dogs I encountered at the reunion was Rip, a crossbr

My sister Blake and I were having a nice day in the yard when suddenly the ground began to shake, the leaves on the trees rustled, and the tiny animals took refuge on high branches.  Blake and I saw two rhinos walking down the street.   “What do you think they are doing here in Doggyspace?” Blake asked me.   “Nothing good,” I said. We were gobsmacked when they walked towards us. “You think we should run?” Blake asked. “They would be on us in a second,” I replied.  I stood in front of Blake as if I could protect her.  Thankfully, the rhinos stopped inches from us.   “Are you the honorable Judge Foley Monster?” the rhino asked.  I said I was because rule number one of dealing with a rhino is never lying to a rhino.  “My name is Nick and this is my brother Joe, we are the Rhino brothers.   We need your help.” I couldn’t imagine how, and I conveyed my confusion.  “Our whole species is endangered by vicious poachers.  Joe and I are the heads of ‘Rhino Angels To Save

When people are locked up for too long, they begin to wish they could do things that they did with regularity before.  A lot of these activities have to do with dogs.  Some people, who live in virus hotspots, can’t even walk their pups.  They long for familiar things.  Of course, there is always someone willing to make a buck off of the situation.   The Ringling College of Arts and Design, in conjunction with the Flight School Studio, has created just such a game for dog owners who miss the more mundane aspects of parenting.   Wet Dog Corp is a realistic simulation game where the goal is to wash as many virtual dogs as possible.  The dogs come in different breeds, some are easy to clean, and others are covered with mud.  Somehow, this game is making money.  I began to think about how much cash we could make if we made a video experience that was based on the fun things humans do with dogs. River and I went into my kitty condo to come up with several ideas for fun video games

Can you please lower the handle on the bowl?  It turns on the massaging jets

How do you react when people come over the house? Pocket:  First, I run to the door, and River, who can see out the window by standing on her two back legs, looks out the window, and we both bark thirty barks a second.  We have a porch so people go on that first and then to the front door.  We continue barking and then stand right in front of the door.  When the door opens we rush on to the porch to greet our friends and sniff their paints and feet. We continue this for another 30 seconds and then we lose interest and lie down. 

It is a verifiable circus here at Rainbow Bridge since, after five years, Barnum and Bailey Beagle have been reunited My good friends from down the road in Cape Cod are a delightful pair, and we look forward to them spreading joy at the Bridge. We know Bailey's parting caused such sorrow.   While Bailey loves her brother very much, she did everything she could not join him. For fifteen and a half years, Bailey has been a survivor. She handled each curve ball thrown at her. In her later years, she was hit with melanoma, which she fought with every ounce of her being   She did this for two reasons: The first was because she loved her parents very much, and the second was that she made a promise to Barnum, who went to the Bridge too early. Before he left, he made his sister vow that she would give her full measure of devotion to her parents, and every last bit of energy.   The last of her devotion expired this week.   She held off the ef

We dogs have a difficult relationship with the mail delivery people.  Hating the mailman seems to be inbred in us, but I do not know why.  I went to visit Barney, who grew up running on the wild suburban streets of the Dago’s hometown.  Barney had quite a reputation in that ‘burgh.  He once stole a bag of dog food from a neighbor’s garage and dragged it home.  He would have got away with it if the bags were better made.  A hole in the bottom leaked kibble and led to him being caught brown pawed.  Barney was an intact dog who could smell a lollipop in heat from two towns over and trekked across highways and byways to get some curly action.  He once stood at the front door of a house, in which the owners had no back door access, and when they arrived home, snarled and wouldn’t let them in their house until they let his amore, Rosalita, come out tonight.  The couple went to a neighbor’s house and called the police on the little terror, who then called animal control, who was well awar

I am almost a month overdue for my grooming appointment, and I am itching to get pampered at the spa again.  I did not realize how fuzzy I looked until I got picked up for a snuggle and saw my reflection in a mirror.  I barely recognized myself. My eyes were hidden, my facial hair was hanging under my chin, and when I drank, I got soaked and dripped everywhere, just like the way River does.  I have always thought it was a disgusting habit on her part; now, I too am a hideous dripper. River looks like a Civil War General, with her mustache and beard hanging down under her chin, and her eyes almost covered. The hair on the back of her head is growing down her neck, making it look like she got a dye job.  On our walks, women, who have been praying to get their hair colored since the lockdown began, follow River and harass her trying to find out where she got her roots done. My parents are keeping a concerned eye on my nails. I have black ones, which makes it hard to tell where

Mother, I told you not to disturb me when I am on the phone!

What do your parents think is your worst habit? What do you think is your parents' worse habit? Pocket:  I have never been fully housebroken.  When I pee inside sometimes it is on a pad, sometimes it is near a pad, sometimes it is in the next room from the pad, and sometimes I just go. River Song:  My parents don't always mind when I bark but when I bark at nothing it annoys them. Our parents' worst habit is leaving home without us?

My friend Beaux Jangles has had an arduous task since he became an angel.  A year ago, he arrived at the Bridge.  He immediately began looking for a new dog for his mom.  She is a passionate, fiery, opinionated, loyal, and tough woman. She didn’t just need a dog; she needed someone who could match the immense love she gave for others, and balance it with her passion for life, whoever the lucky dog would be required a precious pup.      Every day for almost a year, Beaux flew down to interview a different dog on the mortal side, for the position of his mom’s only dog.  He usually began his questions by asking the dog how he or she felt about a mom who frequently, and excitedly raises her voice over things like seeing a bird in the yard or not being able to find the salsa. Often, that was the end of the interview.  I, being of sound mind and certifiably tough, would have been an excellent candidate for the job, but I had already found my Forever Mom.  Pocket would have crumbled

I know during these difficult times that everyone feels that they have it worse than anyone else.   If you are thinking that way, let me introduce you to the dog formerly called Stanley, now known as Boogie.    The little, white Morkie first came into the life of Joette Tavernise when she saw a picture of him posted on a pole.  Someone had found him and was searching for his parents.  Joette fell in love with him at first sight.  His parents claimed him, but then they found themselves in a situation where they could not keep him.  Joette learned that Stanley needed a new home and was happy to provide it for the newly renamed Boogie. But housing would soon become a problem for her.     Joette was trying to get by in her small apartment on just $1,000 a month from social security.  A new landlord bought her building and began to force the current residents out.  Joette found a new apartment, but at the last minute, she was denied housing after her former landlord began an unnecess

I hate the sound that smoke alarms make.  Luckily, the noise seldom occurs at our house.  My parents make sure they change the batteries every time the clocks fall back or leap forward.  The alarms do make an awful sound when they are changed, and when that happens,  a disembodied voice comes from it, which makes me hide and River stand on her back paws and bark at it.       A couple of days after the batteries were changed, my parents were sitting in their chairs, and I was snuggled next to Daddy when there was one long, sharp beep that caused me to stand, look at the monster that made the sound, and tremble.     My parents looked at the smoke/carbon dioxide detector on the wall.  They knew it couldn’t be the batteries, and there was no smoke anywhere.  Then they decided to do nothing, considering the possibility that the detector just wasn’t feeling well, and would do better in the morning.  I realized my parents were wrong, but they wouldn’t listen to me.   Sure enough,

Finally!  My parents are asleep and I get some me time.

What would you do if your parent was in danger of attack? Pocket:  Run and hide.  I wasn't built for fighting. River:  I would fight them off unless they had a treat.  Then my parents are on their own.  

One of the great privileges in my life was getting to accompany my best friend Tanner Bub to the entrance of Rainbow Bridge. Tanner was one of my first online friends, and he inspired me to start my website and blog. Walking with him, on his final steps at the mortal side, gave me a great appreciation for life on both sides of the Bridge. Since then, three of Tanner’s siblings have joined him in the immortal world. First was the little pup who Tanner personally selected as his replacement in his mom’s heart.  In almost every way, Ruger was a perfect choice, except for the fatal flaw of not having enough heartbeats, which caused him to go to the Bridge at a very young age. Cocoa was Tanner’s loyal sister and, once Tanner went to the Bridge, their mom’s best friend and confidant. This week they were joined by Max, the fourth member of Tanner's clan, to transition to Rainbow Bridge. We angels have never been busier, at least since I ascended to the Bridge. The prayers have been

I know a man who has a dog. The dog is fairly new to the household. You see, the kids wanted a pup. So the parents got them one. They were all very happy.  Both the parents worked, and the kids went to school.  When the dad got home late in the day, he would take the dog for a short walk. The dog sure was grateful to get that little jaunt in. Then came the virus. The kids stopped going to school, and the parents stopped going to work. The dog thought it was fantastic. He was getting more attention than he could have ever dreamed of before. The days became weeks, and the weeks stretched to a month. No one had gone out of the house except for short trips for supplies. It's a big house, much bigger than any I ever lived in. It has high ceilings and open rooms. There's even a man cave in the cellar. But when you are quarantined inside a house for a long time that big expensive, house looked like, at least from the inside, an eight by eight cell. The great thing about d