Tiara is our April 7, 2018 Pup of the Week

There was a time as recent as five years ago that we knew everything our pet friends did during the day.  We were aware of each bump and bruise. When one of us was sick and in need of prayers, hundreds of them were heard above the clouds.

The number of dogs that keep us informed of their daily lives has diminished to just a few dozen over the last few years.  All across the internet dog sites are closing because of lack of interest. More and more people invest their time on Facebook, Twitter and other sites that reaffirm what they believe about the world no matter what that may be.

Tiara is an old school friend.   She kept us posted about her life with her sisters Trixie and Tasha.  No matter how mundane those activities may have been the Triple T’s made them fascinating.

We knew immediately when she was diagnosed with diabetes, and we prayed. We knew when the vet said she had congestive heart failure and we prayed harder.  And we knew that on Thursday she was going for a glucose test. So we prayed for good numbers.

Never did we, or more importantly, her parents think Tiara wouldn't be coming home from that appointment.  

While she was at the vet’s tiara’s blood pressure fell. Then her breathing became difficult.   Her doctor put her on an IV drip and placed her in an oxygen tent. The vet called tiara’s parents, alerted them to the situation and said they would call back when she was stable.

But the next call brought the worst of all possible news. Tiara had gone into cardiac arrest. She could not be revived. In the space of a few hours, Tiara was gone.

Of course, the hardest thing for her parents to deal with not being able to say goodbye. They never got that last snuggle. There were no final kisses.  For her parents, it was the cruelest of passings.

I knew Tiara was in distress when I saw angel lovey, her beloved sister, nervously pacing around her yard. When I inquired, She told me tiara was very ill.  We both began praying hard and bargaining that neither one of us would ever do anything wrong again if Tiara could heal. Sadly our prayers were answered with a no.

I burned with anger. Another senseless death of an innocent creature who only brought love into the lives of all who knew her.  In my younger angry days, I would have railed against the big guy demanding answers. He would have given me some politically correct proverb about how we are only given so many heartbeats.  I didn't want to hear it. This is one of those passings that even the truth could not help.

Angel Lovie and I hurried to hobo’s landing where all angels are sworn in. We saw Tiara running towards us. We both felt tears on our faces.

She ran up the stairs like a puppy,  jumped on her sister and licked her face a hundred times. She then greeted me, and I administered the oath. Angel lovey took her aside and told her all her secrets so she could be the best possible Angel for her mom.

We asked her what happened. Like her parents, she was most upset about not getting to say goodbye. While she' was at the vet she began feeling poorly. She didn't want to extend her parents suffering by lingering a few days. She figured a clean break was better. And now she stood in front of us. We both gave her a big hug. Our tears mixed with our parents That were now falling from large clouds in the sky.  The rain of tears from Tiara’s passing was so intense we were soon drenched, and there were deep puddles around us.

We gave Tiara a feast, and she reconnected with dozens of friends who had preceded her to the Bridge.  The sound of her precious laugh filled the air. When we were done eating it was time for Lovey to show Tiara the way into her mom’s dreams, how to borrow bodies from the winged creatures, and to become a ghost, all to try and reach her parents and perhaps briefly soothe their broken hearts.

For so many people, when Tiara passed, it was like a member of their family was gone.  Her loss was devastating. And it was a mere fraction of the sorrow her parents felt.

They are in the thoughts and prayers of families across the world.  That may not ease their pain, but hopefully, they will realize how many hearts their little dog touched, and how loved she was.


If life is measured in love, then Tiara lived one`of the most significant lives of any soul who walked the Earth.  

Maverick's Mission Fulfilled

Some parents need another dog in their lives after a loved one goes to the Bridge faster than others. This need is expedited by having a surviving dog in the family. The parent may not be able to admit to themselves that they need a new pup, but they will still get one “for the sake of my other dog"

When Maverick arrived at the Bridge less than a month ago, he knew his dad wouldn't wait long to add another heartbeat to the household.  Maverick had a co-conspirator in his quest to find another dog for the family - his mortal sister Lily.
My parents went through a similar period after I passed.  They watched Pocket closely to see how she was adjusting to being a single dog

“I think Pocket is missing Foley,” Mommy said,

“Actually, I am doing quite fine thank you,” Pocket said.

“Poor baby needs a new sibling,” Papa said.

“Not at all,” Pocket said. “I am enjoying the individual attention.”  That is when my parents decided to get another dog, who turned out to be River.

Maverick’s sister Lily was a lot more willing than Pocket. She truly missed her brother and longed for a companion especially when her dad was out of the house. This became Lily’s time to act out and display her dissatisfaction with being an only dog.
Once Papa Timothy had made his decision to get another dog Maverick knew he had to act quickly. This dog needed to be special.  A pup who had never known human love. One who would be a challenge.

Maverick found the perfect pup. His name was Marshy

He wasn't a puppy, but he might as well have been. This poor 8-year old boy never experienced living in a home with a family.

The poor boy had spent the first seven years of his life being used only for breeding. When he was rescued, he had no idea how to eat from a bowl, stand on grass, wear a collar or walk on a leash. At first, he was frightened of everything, but thanks to the good people at New Leash on Life Rescue Marshy slowly learned how to become a house dog and not a caged stud. (Trust me, boys, it isn't as good as it sounds.)

Now that the right pup had been found Maverick had to let his dad know where to find him. But he encountered an obstacle. Poppa Timothy had so much on his mind; it had shut itself down to new ideas to protect itself.  But Maverick has always been resourceful, and he thought of another way.

He entered the dreams of his dad’s friend and told him to email Maverick’s dad with the link for Marshy. Without knowing why the next morning the friend dutifully did so.
Papa Timothy opened the link and saw what he knew would be the perfect addition to his family.

Marshy was a lap dog so he would match perfectly with little Lily. He was timid so he would not challenge her. And he was a project something his dad needs while he grieves Maverick.

While it will take a long time before things are normal in Maverick’s pack they are now one stronger.




Maverick can now help Marshy have the life he always should have had, and they can both help his dad rebuild his heart.

Small Tales: Walking Time Means Barking Time

Small Tales: Walking Time Means Barking Time: Because the temperature has risen, we have started walking again which means Pocket, and I bark at anything we see.  Usually, it's jus...

Walking Time Means Barking Time

Because the temperature has risen, we have started walking again which means Pocket, and I bark at anything we see.  Usually, it's just humans out for a stroll. We bark for attention, but we rarely get any. The barks that say “we are fierce creatures that will rip you apart” are the same as the “come play with us” with bark.  One of the few design flaws dogs have.

It isn't only people who are on the receiving end of our barks.  There are those home-wrecking cats that are always lurking about causing who knows what mischief.  There are the plump turkeys that somehow stay upright despite their fat bodies and spindly legs. We bark at the cats to chase them.  We bark at the turkeys to scare them off. And then there are the dogs.

Dogs understand our barks.  If there is a pup inside their house we back a friendly greeting of "Hello, bark bark.  How are you, bark bark?" If our parents could understand us, they would find this exchange as dull as our monotonous barking.

.There are two different barks for dogs who are walking their humans.  If the other dog barks first or responds to us with some of their yips, we both boastfully bark that we have terrific parents who give us the best of everything. It is like a noisy Christmas letter.  

Then there are the dogs who are tied up outside.  If they're on the grass, they bark at us to stay off their property.  We bark back that we're going to pee on their lawn and claim it as our own. Sometimes if we are on the same side of the street and we have anything left in the tank, we will leave them an infuriating little squirt.

Sadly, we see dogs chained up by the front door.  There is no dirt or grass where they are trapped, just tar, and cement.  They can't lie down. The surface is hard and unforgiving or, in the summer, unbearably hot.  They are told to do their business, but they resist because we are clean animals. We don't want to poop on a hard surface and live with it next to us for the rest of the day.  We don't want to pee on cement any more than a man wants to pee within six inches of a brick wall. The splatter gets all over us, and we are instantly labeled incontinent.

The poor dog is barking "free me, free me.  Let me go on a nice long walk with you. At least let me lay down on the cool grass."

We are talking too.  ‘Hey, lady get out here and bring your dog in the house.  No dog should have to live on cement.”

My parents comment about the poor baby.  But they don't bark. Humans are too polite to bark everything they feel.  Barking that someone is a bad dog parent will only bring trouble down the road.  But they do sympathize with the poor pup, and we are reminded how lucky we are.

Then we return home tired from our long walk.  We sit in one of the recliners and rest our weary bones and are aching vocals.  

But then we see through the kitchen window two people walking their dog down the street, and we take off barking for the humans to play with us and for the dogs not to pee on our lawn.

"Is there any off switch for these dogs,"  my parents wonder.

But we know they don't want that.  The sound of silence is the most deafening of them all.

Wordless Wednesday

Beat This Caption

I like her.  I don't think she needs to be changed.  Do you want to try and take her away from me?

Monday Question

Are you or your parents on other social network sites and if so under what names?

Pocket:  We are on Blogger under the name Small Tails
               We are on Facebook under the and Marsha andTed Gay

               We are on Twitter under the name TedG63 but we never use Twitter.