Bella is our Pup of the Week

What kind of place is Rainbow Bridge?  It is a place of peace.  It is a place of beauty.  It is a place of joy.  It is a place where you are broken hearted to greet one of your closest friends.

Before I document her arrival let me transcribe the arrivals before the arrival:  People.  Not that it is strange for people to greet their pups.  But this wasn’t a person or two, this was dozens.  Some young, some old (you can pick your body type here like you can pick clothes off a rack) all of whom had been touched by the dog bounding up the final steps of Enzo’s escalator.

Bella summited the top of the Bridge and looked down at me with her big Husky eyes.  I was so happy to see my friend.  We waited for the dark cloud, filled with all the mortal tears sparked by her passing, to slip over us, then burst open, drenching us all.  Then I, with shaking paws, gave the oath of angeldom to my friend.  She then huddled with her long time friend Scooby who helped design her wings, legendary angel Ladybug who fitted the wings, and finally she, now in full angel regalia, turned to the humans waiting for her then opened her wings.  The humans ran to her and hugged her tightly.

Bella’s friend Meika, who had joined me waiting her arrival inquired who these people were.  “They were from the Senior Center that Bella visited every Tuesday.  Bella helped make their last days on the mortal side enjoyable.  She made them smile when they were at their lowest, made them feel loved when they were most lonely, and she never asked for anything in return.  All of them have come here to make her first days on the immortal side more enjoyable.”

I thought of the people left behind.  The ones at the Senior Center who won’t be seeing Bella’s smiling face this Tuesday.  And her wonderful Mom who trained Bella to be such a wonderful, beautiful, empathetic dog.  Bella’s Mom knew there was something wrong with the dog who she described as “my whole world.”  Bella wasn’t eating.  Last year she had a blockage and needed emergency surgery to get a part of a toy removed.  She thought Bella has something blocking her intestines again.  A scan showed that her Mom was right.  There was a blockage.  But this time, when they opened her up, they found the blockage was a tumor caused by liver cancer.  That very same day Bella came here.

When Bella was done meeting with the grateful humans she came over to Meika and me.  She wanted to check on her Mom.  She was very worried about her.  And she had reason to be.  Bella’s Mom wasn’t missing her dog, she was missing her heart, which Bella had taken with her, and because of the rules, Bella couldn’t return it.  But Bella does treasure her Mom’s heart, and she wants to help her rebuild a new one.

Bella wants her Mom to know that she is either watching over her, and taking care of her, or doing what her Mom taught her to do, visiting those on the immortal side who are lonely and filling their life with a little more joy.

Bella gave so much love to people in her life, and she took so much love with her when she left that the mortal side has a lot less love now.  It is up to Bella, the angels, and mortal pups to make up for that lost love and we need to start with healing her Mom.

So come on pup and angels, time to create some more love in the world.

Pups of the Week: Paco, Smoochy, Hannah Banana, Bella, Hattie Mae, Rabbit and Whitley

I am asking for prayers for some friends.  I am among an army of angels waiting to fly these prayers up to the Big Guy so pitch in with prayers for the following friends.

 

You should know Paco by now:  My dear Italian friend.  Last week I wrote about Kiera whose name, thanks to Angel Apollo, disappeared from my list of new Bridge members.  Paco’s name has not appeared on my list because Paco fights every day to keep his name off that list.

He has been suffering from serious respiratory attacks.  Poor Paco has gone through several of these in the last month.  With each attack his Mom becomes more concerned that she is witnessing his final breaths.  She treats him with Lasix which has stopped the attacks.  She just wants more time with her little man, and that is not too much to ask.  A little more time.  Please say a prayer that gets lots more days in the Italian sunshine.

This week we received a terrible shock.  Our friend Smoochy has bone cancer in his leg.  He is a big boy and the doctor does not think it is advisable to remove the leg.  So now his beloved Mom Kay must “keep him comfortable.”  She loves Smoochy so much.  (Everyone who has ever Smoochy feels the same way.  He is the Sweetest boy.)  

I hate the term “Keep him comfortable.”  A parent always keeps us comfortable.  And no parent needs to be told to love their beloved pet every day, or to count every day as precious.  The doctor needs to say “go home and pray for many more comfortable days” and I ask you to do the same.  Pray for many more comfortable days for Smoochy.  His family and friends would have a hole ripped in their hearts if anything happened to him.  He  is one precious pup

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Last night I found out that our dear friend Hannah Banana has to have a mass removed.  I don’t know where it is located, how big it is, or how serious it is.  I just know I hate to hear “has to have a mass removed” as much as “keep him comfortable.”  Hannah helps her Mom run the http://www.iloveyourdog.net/ page where you can buy, or gift, reasonably priced pet toys and home made treats and where Hannah and her Momma Kim give part of their profits to unrescued dogs.  She is the most special best friend in the world, warm and giving, and we need prayers that she comes through the operation safely and all tests come back negative.

Our wonderful friend Bella, who does such good work visiting the elderly every week and has so many humans who count on her companionship, is going through stomach problems again.  Last year she had to have emergency surgery because, after weeks of tests, the vet discovered that Bella had a bit of stuff bunny stuck in her intestines.  So far all her tests have come back clear but Bella is showing the same symptoms she showed this time last year and Mama Susan is very concerned about her baby and she would greatly appreciate your prayers, as would I.

 

Speaking of tummy troubles our great friend, advisor, fashion designer, seamstress and inspiration Hattie Mae has had tummy problems this week.  Her Mommy is hoping that it is just a food problem but whenever Hattie isn’t feeling well we put on extra angels because we know we are going to be overwhelmed with prayer requests and we encourage them.  We want Hattie to be 100 percent OK.  

Angel Apollo’s newest rescue, a puppy named Rabbit, might have Parvo.  He has been with Apollo’s pack less than a week.  Once Apollo’s Momma Kim fosters a dog that pup becomes part of her family so Apollo needs prayers for a new family member.  I know you will come through.

Finally we must mention our friend Whitley from the Whitley Westie blog (http://whitleywestie.blogspot.com/)  Like many of our friends she has had problems with her legs lately, first her back, and now her front.  Her Mom had her outside to do her business.  She was wearing her sling.  While she was there a man drove by and saw her then viciously informed Whitley’s Mom that she should do Whitley a favor and put her out of her misery.   You can imagine how much that hurt Whitley and her Mom.   It makes us howling mad.  Whitley’s Mom shot back what she called some HBO words and good for her.  We need you all to send some hugs Whitley’s and some prayers that her legs get healthy enough that she runs down that man and gives him a good bite on the butt.

February 22, 2015 Pup of the Week: Answered Prayers for Koda, Summer Grace and Bella

           There have been too many Sundays that I have chronicled the aftermath of unanswered prayers.  On this Sunday I would like to celebrate the joy left in the wake of prayers answered in the affirmative.

            We begin with one of our oldest and most cherished friends who was with us when we cleared the land and built the dog houses to create this beloved spot for so many of our lonely friends.  Koda stands tall in his role as one of the leaders of our pack.

            A torn ACL tried to cut our dear friend down to our tiny size.  This combined with a careless vet who prescribed the wrong medication made a dire situation worse and put Koda on the gurney towards the operating room after many weeks of dieting to take some weight off the weary tendon.

            Luckily, in a plot twist reserved for movies, Koda’s original doctor returned to town, replacing the careless fool with the prescription pad, to do his surgery.  We gathered together to ask the All Mighty to guide the surgeon’s hand and to help Koda awaken after his surgery.  Thankfully he graciously granted our prayers.  And the next day, when Koda wouldn’t eat, he granted our prayers again by giving our friend his appetite back.  We are still praying that Koda fully recovers.  The Lord has granted out prayers through the hardest time, we are sure he will continue to do so.

            Having one answered prayer a week has been a challenge lately never mind multiple answered prayers but the All Mighty has been in a generous mood.  And answering multiple requests for the same dog is pushing the limits.  But it is what Summer Grace needed.

            Summer has gone through cancer treatment in the past and it was a struggle to keep her with us.  Summer’s Mom has been very diligent in checking her for any growths.  We can only imagine how her heart must have dropped when she found growths on her best friend as she gently stroked Summer.  Having been down this torturous path before her Mom knew what to do.  Summer was taken into surgery, and again we prayed that the doctor’s hand be guided and Summer recover.  And again our prayers were answered.  The growth was removed, and it was benign.  Our friend is on the road to recovery.

            Finally there is Bella, a very special dog in her own right.  While my pack spends days lying on blankets and searching for a warm lap Bella gives her time going to the senior citizen home and bringing smiles to the faces for those who were afraid they had lost their smiles.

            Bella became ill suddenly:  Vomiting, loose stools and no appetite.  Her liver enzymes were high and her doctor told her Mom that Bella must have eaten something toxic.  She was given medicine and was told it would pass.  But it didn’t, poor Bella grew progressively worse and her mother grew more worried.

            We prayed for an answer to what ailed our generous friend, for her to eat, and to keep down, and in, what she consumed.  Finally her doctor, after several Mom requests, acquiesced and did an x-ray which showed part of a toy in Bella’s small intestine.  The surgery, and the prayers, were performed, and said, via emergency, and again the prayers were answered yes.   Bella is home, eating correctly and holding her food down, well on her way to recovery, and returning to the senior center to help find more smiles.

            So we give thanks for three answered prayers this week, and ask that we be granted many more to come in the weeks and months ahead.

Ask Aunt Foley

Dear Aunt Foley:  Last winter you made it very cold with your ice hockey tournament.  Please tell me you don’t have any activities planned to make it hotter here this summer::  Bella

Dear Bella: I don’t want you to worry my friend, I learned my lesson this winter and know that my actions can affect those left behind on the mortal side of the river.  So I will not be doing anything that makes it hotter for you.  

Unless you live in the pacific southwest where we have already started our weenie roasts.  You can’t blame us. You know us dogs love weenies.  But we are only going to be holding it through mid-October.

Then there are the silent fireworks.  We love a good fireworks display at night.  Its so pretty.  Our launching pad is somewhere over the western plains, so it might get a bit hot there for a few months.

And there is no better place to watch a firework display than in a hot tub,  It takes a lot of machinery to keep the hot tub going and we placed the pumps over the southeast states so that might make it a tad warm through the summer months.

And there is nothing better to eat while sitting in  hot tub and watching fireworks than pizza.  We put the pizza ovens right over the New England states.  So it might get a little hot there for a few months.

So in short Bella, yes, I think it is going to be a very hot summer. But I am sure you would want your angels to have weenies, and fireworks, and a hot tub with some pizza, and did I mention the pop corn machine over the mid-Atlantic seaboard and the refrigerator unit to keep our ice cream cold over the Pacific Northwest?

On second thought:  Buy a pool.