Brutus is our March 12, 2017 pup of the week

Brutus arrived at Rainbow Bridge a champion.  He didn’t win a dog show or an agility competition.  And he did not defeat cancer that punched his ticket to the Bridge.  But he fought the disease like a champion, and he kept it at bay long enough to be by his mom’s side during her own illness, until he had given every measure of his devotion.

Last year Brutus was diagnosed with lymphoma.  His mom scheduled chemotherapy sessions for him.  Some of them he handled well, others he struggled with.  He had completed all but two of his treatments.  His parents began to dream that the insidious disease would loosen its grip on their handsome boy.

While Brutus was going through his treatments, his mom was getting medical treatments of her own.  A check up with her hermatologist showed that her kidneys were failing.  She was hospitalized for three days.  

“I hadn’t been feeling right for a couple of weeks,” Brutus told me after he arrived at the Bridge.  We were lying on the green grass with his brother Hans who had preceded him.  The only happy part of this story was their reunion.  They spent four hours running with each other through the hills.  Now they were resting.

“I didn’t want anyone to know I was getting sick,” Brutus continued.  “Mom would not have been able to handle it if I went to the Bridge without her seeing me one last time.  So I hid my symptoms.  When she got home, she was thrilled to see me.  But then everything went wrong.

“I began breathing hard and throwing up phlegm.  My parents rushed me to the vet.  The doctor said I had pancreatitis.  I didn’t care what they called it.  I just knew I wasn’t getting any better.”

I nodded.  I had felt the same way.  When you know, it is the end what they call the end doesn’t matter.

The vet read Brutus’ blood panel and saw that his levels were three times higher than normal.  Also, his lymph nodes were enlarged.  There was no need to confirm that his lymphoma was back.  Brutus’ parents made the Hardest Decision and gave Brutus the Greatest Gift, freedom from pain and an immortal life.

Along with the relief from pain, the gift of immortal life, and being reunited with Hans, Brutus felt the pain of separation.  He would have to wait to be called Cutie Brudie again, to have his nubs rubbed, to feign anger when he was dressed up during the holidays.  Brutus wants his mom to know he loved all of it, including getting dressed up.  He stayed as long as he could, and a few days more.  Her borrowed some heartbeats.  He just wishes he could have borrowed more.

Now, Brutus and Hans will do their parental dream visits together.  Maybe having twice the dog power there will help their parents remember the dreams.  And now there will be two ghosts padding around their home.

Brutus and Hans are together again.  

They will never be separated from their parents.

Pups Who Inspire Artists Are Our September 22, 2013 Pups of the Week

What a wonderful week is has been.  I have not sworn in any friends after they crossed the River of Life on Rainbow Bridge and while friends like Misha, and little baby Ethan are in need of prayers, I fully expect both to have many days with their packs and families.  

So this is one of the week’s that we get to celebrate the wonderful things that dogs inspire their Moms and Dads to do.

Lately, as I gaze deeply into the River of Life to see what my friends are doing, I get tired and climb onto my leopard skin vagina cloud (“Mommy do you know what that cloud looks like?”  “Yes I do sweety but we don’t use language like that.”) hook up my Internet connection, have a cup of puppy tea and get to see what my friends are doing without interference from all the fish in the River.

And what I see are Moms and Dads doing wonderful art work to honor my friends whose clouds float past me as I write and those who are still enjoying their mother’s warm laps in their forever homes.

I present to you first our brother from another litter Leo and the wonderful painting his Mom Eileen did to capture the heart, soul, bravery, and adventurous spirit of our friend Willie.  When you look into his brown eyes you can see his heart in all it’s beauty.  A painting of me, in my glory, done by Leo’s Mom, is proudly displayed in my living room where people can enjoy it not just for the beautiful subject matter but for the artwork itself that has a sweep of love in every brush stroke.

Then there is our friend Zoe Boe’s Mom Connie.  There are seven drawings she has graciously given to my parents on the walls at my forever home.  Her drawing is also in the banner on our blog page.  She has kept many of us laughing with her Hump Day funnies on the Tanner Brigade.  And here is an example of her best work, of Leo, who is so handsome he inspires other Moms too.  A picture could not capture the soul of our sweet friend better than Zoe Boe’s Mom’s artwork does.

In the lonely hills of Colorado where they are digging out from the season’s first snowstorm Enzo’s Mom is producing lovely sketches celebrating the treasured relationships that we dogs share.  Here are one of the many sketches she has done for her loyal friends at DS.

Chrissy’s Mom Suzanne Rumsey is not only a fierce fighter for homeless dogs but she also is an accomplished artist.  My good friend Hans was very moved when he saw this tribute picture Chrissy’s Mom did of him and he has a copy hanging over his fireplace on his cloud.

And last, but certainly not least, my dear friend Tommy Tunes and his Dad Steve who does weekly portraits of our friends and does not let an hour past after hearing a friend has gone to the Bridge before he gets a tribute picture posted.  This is one of our dear friend Wishbone who sits near me as I type this.

Thank you to all the wonderful artists who bring countless smiles to our faces letting us see our friends in ways we never thought possible and the wonderful pups who inspire them

Hans is Foley Monster's July 14, 2013 Pup of the Week

I am finding that being here at the Bridge is a little like being on the Twilight Zone.  

One night, when I was on the Earthly side, I had all my friends over to my Leopard Skin Vagina Kitty Condo and we watched an episode where Jack Klugman was a pool shark who wanted to be the greatest of all time and ended up beating a ghost who had been considered the greatest, and now Jack Klugman was.  But, for the rest of eternity, whenever a bell rang, a weary Jack Klugman had to get up and answer the challenge of being the greatest of all time.

Here at the Bridge, when a bell sounds, I have to wearily put on my robe and make my way to the top of the Bridge Stairs to see which one of my friends had broken their families’ hearts by having their time on Earth expire. My joy at seeing my friends is fractured by the pain I know their families are feeling.

Lately, having had so many friends join me, I am growing reluctant to look down the Bridge.  On this day  I saw Hans slowly making his way up the stairs.  Like Atlas, Fella, and all dogs who come here, with each step he grew healthier and stronger, and with each gaze at the beauty surrounding the Bridge I could see the pain of leaving his family ease, and the good memories grow stronger.

But beyond the Bridge I can feel the sadness from his family and friends.  It blows my tiny robes like the wind and the cries sound like the birds that fly overhead.  I don’t know if every dog can hear or if it just fades to the background over time, but it’s there.

The doctors had told his Mom that he would have to go to the Bridge on July 5.  But Hans put up such a fight, eating, wagging his stub, and not letting any sign of pain show, that she decided to take it day by precious day and enjoy every extra moment they had with him.

Hans was such a fighter.  I fought to give my parents one more day with me, Hans fought to give his parents almost a week.  He used every ounce of life he had in his soul to stay with his Mom.  Has was suffering from an infection and pancreatitis.  

He spent most of the day lying on cool tile, but he would occasionally get up to give a tail wag and eat some food.    

But he wasn’t suffering, his family would not let him suffer, he was enjoying life, like an aged human who is confined to a hospital bed, knowing the end is nigh, but surrounded by family, keen enough to share stories, love and laugh.  And, like the humans surrounding the hospital bed, Hans’ family knew that every day, hour, minute, was a blessing.  And they all basked in the love of everyone on DS and Facebook.  His family said: ”I want everyone to remember the crazy dog who dressed up for every holiday with turkey legs on his head, sunglasses and top hats and we hope made everyone smile.”  A dog who wanted, even while passing to the Bridge, everyone to keep smiling.  Now that sounds like a special dog.

Like so many of us dogs Hans’ heart gave out before his soul.  He began bleeding a great deal and suffering which his Mom could not have.  She began the process of sending Hans to the Bridge, and at that moment my bell rang, calling me to the top of the stairs.  When Hans reached my post the first thing he said to me, knowing my blogs reach the human world, was “make sure they pray for my family,” and I assured him I will.  

He is happy now, pain free, his body, after dealing with two different cancers, is young and functioning fine.  His days are mostly filled with fun, although I have asked him to advise me on some important Bridge matters.  He asks you all not to feel sorrow for him, the Bridge is really just on the other side of the wall from Earth, sadly, a wall with no entry.

And he wants his family to know that someday, simultaneously much too soon and too far away, everyone will be together again, and truly happy.

Hattie Mae is our March 11, 2012 pup of the week with special mentions for Hans and Remington

I hope you know that Pocket and I love you all equally. But, as in all packs, pups become closer to some pups than others. Among those we are closest to is Hattie Mae. I think all pups would agree they are closest to Hattie Mae too. I know each of us is special and unique in our own way but I don’t think there is either a more special or unique dog than our Hattie Mae. There are hundreds of ways she makes us smile, through her warm heart, her wonderful style, her sly sense of humor. Hattie Mae makes us all want to be better dogs.

So today, when we wandered into the Brigade and found out she was sick it was a cold slap to our muzzle. Hattie Mae sick? Oh my gosh, this cant be happening. She is the glue that holds us all together.

We think of Hattie as our diva but she is a Jack Russell at heart. And Jack Russells need to play. Yesterday she had her big friend Taylor and they played until she was exhausted. But after playing Hattie womited, and then she cried out in pain whenever she moved.

She went to her comfy spot and laid down. When her parents went to check on her she nipped them both protecting her hurting little body. Her parents knew they needed to take her to the emergency vet. But first they had to muzzle our poor baby. A Hattie Mae should never be muzzled.

In the vet’s waiting room she shook and cried in pain. In the vet’s office she was just chilling. Perfectly fine. Nothing to see here. Move along. The doctor suggested she go back to her regular not triple overtime doctor on Monday then asked her parents to pay the triple overtime bill.

When they got back in the car Hattie began crying in pain again. Well sometimes a girls needs to play hard to fix. She is resting today, and still crying in pain, while her worried friends gather and fret. We are sending major prayers and good JuJu out to our special friend. We pray also that she know how much we love her. Get better real soon Hattie.

While we are on the subject of good friends who need some prayers I would like to include my good friend Hans. He is a buddy from Doggyspace. He has been very sick lately. He has a growth and the dogtors have not been able to determine if it is an ulcer or a tumor. He has also had bleeding from an unknown. Last night he was falling a lot and his blood count is low. This has been very hard on his mother Miss Heather.

But she still found time to start on a new Doggyspace Group on Facebook. She thought it was a quicker way for everyone to keep in touch. If you are on Facebook and want to be on the Doggyspace group send me a message and we’ll make it happen. Mommy has agreed to help as an administrator. Don't worry. I will watch over her.

Finally there is my friend Remington from the Blog World. His wonderful blog can be read here.

He took very sick this week. He too was womiting. And when he womits it's the size of Pocket. He scared his poor Mom. But thankfully the vets prescribed medicine, and he is now healthy and happy.

Let's all get together and pray that the same good results happen for Hattie Mae and for Hans. We love you all.