Peco and the Hard Part

 

Sometimes surviving is harder than passing over the Bridge.

 

    Three years ago, Tommy's mom passed, leaving him heartbroken. She left her most cherished possession with him, her darling dog Peco Dee.

 

    In the beginning, it was hard for both of them as they tried to find their particular way through grief. Then they learned to walk it together, to help each other over the rough passages, until they came out the other side, no longer brothers, but as father and son.

  

    Peco was a well-known pup on social media. He began his own Facebook page, called Dog Euphoria, and drew 14,500 friends. He began posting while his mom was alive, and when she passed, her Dad Tommy continued doing so. Every day, Peco brought needed smiles to people, even if it was just a picture of his sweet face.

 

    When his mom passed, Peco was anxious to follow her into the dark, but his mom visited him in his dreams and said as much as she missed him, she wanted him to stay to help her son deal with grief. Peco was, above all else, a good boy, and he decided to stay with Dad Tommy until he was no longer needed. But, a dog like Peco is never not needed

 

    Because he loved Dad Tommy and was sworn to do what kept his mom happy, when Peco got sick, he tried to hide it from Dad Tommy, but his Cushing's disease grew worse. Dad Tommy did everything humanly possible to make Peco comfortable, fed, and warm as he battled the Dark Angels trying to send him to the Bridge, but you can only hold them off for so long. One day this week, snuggled on his Dad's lap, Peco drew his last mortal breath, taking himself and the part of his mom she gave him,  away from his shattered Dad.

 

At the Bridge there was a glorious reunion between Peco and his mom. He sped across the Bridge in the body of his one-year-old self, and, despite the thousands of dogs who had gathered to greet him, he ran right for his mom, jumped in her arms, and snuggled up on her shoulder. They stayed there, reveling in their common touch, breathing in their scents, stopping and looking at one another, trying to determine if this was real or a dream, and excited, with each passing second, to know this was reality  After three long years, The Peco and his mom were reunited.

 

Their thoughts were with the survivor, Daddy Tommy,  now without a mother or a best friend who he did everything with. We mourn those who pass, but sometimes we should mourn those who don't. For mother and dog, the pain is gone, but it is fresh and real for the survivors.

After Peco's welcoming celebration, he and his mom opened up to Euphoria City, a place where all pets are welcome. Peco was immediately made Mayor, and his mom Queen Mother. Sadly, Euphoria will rapidly grow; locations aren't new at the Bridge for long.

 

They wish Tommy could witness them together and see that they are happy. I know it would help him with his grief. And they could tell him about the bright future in front of him. But for now, they have to help him escape from the world of grief, which he is now walking alone.

That is why surviving is the worst.

Beat This Caption

 

From the makers of Hush Puppies it's Clingy Kitty

Monday Question

 Do you enjoy anything odd for a treat?

I like ice chips. Nothing too big, but nice and cool on my tongue.

I don't seem to understand I am just getting water.

 

Jolie's Song is Sung

 

Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie
The Princess of our hearts, please don’t go
Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie
Off to Rainbow Bridge, you had to go

I don’t know why I am singing. It has been a sorrowful time here as I have had many good friends crossing over the Bridge, leaving the most broken hearts since Bobby Sherman married.

After a long battle with illness conducted to stay with her family and having a mom who could not bear to see her suffer any longer, Princess Jolie came to Rainbow Bridge this week.

Jolie was the Princess of her kingdom, which consisted of her house, yard, and neighborhood. It may not be as large as other kingdoms, but it is bigger than any nation when you are a tiny dog.

Your beauty is beyond compare
With stunning locks of black hair
With alert ears and eyes of deep brown pools
Your smile is like a breath of spring
Your bark is like a steady summer rain
And no dog could compete with you, Jolie

While we are all royalty in our houses, Jolie was recognized as one. Convincing your parents that you are the house ruler is a challenging assignment to accomplish. Josie’s mom knew at first look all those years ago that her little pup was special and immediately accepted her as the Princess. Because of that, Jolie was known as Princess throughout the dog nation.

You protect us all in our sleep.
From the bottom of our mortal hearts, we wished you were one we could keep
Now we cry when we say your name
Jolie

More angels came to greet the Princess than any other dog ever before. When she crossed, I gave her a tiara and scepter and gave her a comfy throne to sit upon.

And I can really understand
Why the Bridge takes what we love
But I hope you knew what you meant to us
Jolie

Jolie left behind three siblings, who are still wondering where she went and peeking around the house for her despite her visiting via dream dates. She left her life partner Pippin, but their relationship is unchanged since they only met on dream dates. And she left her devoted mom.

Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie
The Princess of our hearts, please don’t go
Jolie, Jolie, Jolie, Jolie
Off to Rainbow Bridge, you had to go

Her mom will miss her the most. Her pack had multiple dogs, but Jolie had a special spot. Shakespeare wrote a coward dies many times as a hero but once. Our parents worry about us going to the Bridge many times although we only do it once. After each close call, a parent begins to believe maybe the ill dog will win and be with them forever. But then comes that final rogue wave of illness, and suddenly, the baby is gone.

You could have been with any dogs, but you chose us
You must convince us all we can love again
But today, it seems like you’re the only one for me
Jolie

Jolie spends her night curled up on her throne, reaching out to all she loves hoping to make a dream connection. She is a youthful puppy again, so you may not recognize her at first but look deeply into those eyes, and you will see a princess.

I hope to dream talk with you
And find the happiness I left with you
Now I walk the halls hoping it comes true
Jolie

Poetry Thursday

 

 Welcome to Poetry Thursday presented by Two Spoiled Cats

 

 

Here is the photo chosen for us

 

 

 And here is our poem 

Two sisters, long haired and strange

Heard their favorite singer would be playing and tickets they did arrange

His manager always looking for some freaky ladies

And would be willing to do acts that they perform in Hades

Soon the three were in his hotel room all nude

And, in crude terms, they all screwed

They tied him up with their hair so long

And twisted in knots his mighty schlong

Once secure they drank his blood

It was the a torrid night for the young stud

To recover he spent a week in the hospital

And was treated for several diseases termed transmittal

Two years later he came back to town

And the sister wondered if they should go down

Unsure of what to do the two discussed

If the singer could possibly ever remember us

 

PRESENTED BY RIVER THE ARISTOCRAT SONG

 

 

A Rainbow Bridge Westie Reunion

 

When I arrived at the Bridge, I knew that I had chosen to become a judge, which meant I would be giving the angel oath to dogs who passed over the Bridge. I viewed it as welcoming souls to their new life without pain and suffering, but I had not counted how much the job would deal with those things.

Some passings are joyful, like Pokey, who reunited with his mom despite leaving a thousand broken hearts behind on the mortal side. Others are sad because pets are separated from their parents, and other passings provoke outrage. That was how I felt when I heard about the newest angel crossing the Bridge.

Bentley had been at the Bridge for less than a year. His passing broke his mom Madison's heart, but he knew that he left her in the capable paws of his brother Winston. Little did he know that Winston's song would soon be ending.

When you love someone, you give them a part of your heart,  including their pet siblings. And when Bentley came to the Bridge, Winston found it difficult to go on without part of his heart. He took ill shortly after Bentley left, and, despite battling the illness for nine months, he had not been whole since his brother's departure, and finally, the weight became too much for him to bear.

Bentley came to my cottage and told me that sweet Winston had followed him into the dark. My thoughts went to where Bentley's already were, with their mom, who a year ago had a house filled with sounds of dogs, barking, panting, drinking, eating, breathing, and now had the overwhelming silence which can only be heard when familiar heartbeats are silenced.

When Winston saw Bentley standing next to me on Hobo's Landing, he scampered up Enzo's escalator, running from the river to the cliff where we awaited him. Bentley met him at the top, where they hugged and cried together while their friends cheered.

We had a fantastic welcoming dinner for Winston, but I knew it barely raised a smile. His thoughts were with his mom. It is horrid for a dog to be homeless, but next to that on the list of sorrow is a dog lover living in a home without a pup.

Winston demanded that Bentley help him find a new dog for their mom immediately, but Bentley advised him that finding the right dog was more important than speed. He promised to start looking the next day, whether their mother felt like she could handle living with, loving, and losing another soul or not. That is the hardest part of being a pet parent: Opening your soul and heart even if you know they will be crushed when the dog leaves. But, somewhere, a pup needs a home, Momma Madison had proven herself to be a great dog mom, and it was her angels' job to bring them together.

Even though the dog and human relationship ends the same way, I have never heard anyone regret going through it, only those who never had and wished they did. 

Aslan Changes the Rules

 

At first, the Bridge was designed to have each species in its specific area. But, as the age of humans began to arrive, they chose to live with other lifeforms. When they went to the Bridge, they told the angels that it would not be Happily Ever After if they weren't allowed to live with everything they had loved while mortal. That is when there was intermingling in the areas, and everyone lived happily ever after.

 

But, it is not just humans who go to the Bridge while we wait for our parents, dog, cats, and other pets to live in their own sections. But animals love more than just their own kind. Dogs and cats can be as close as two of the same type, so some dogs lived in Kittyspace, and cats lived with us in Doggyspace. Then my cat friend Paddy O'Malley suggested we create land in between.

 

The Bridge is constantly expanding because of a continuous line of souls crossing over, especially in the age of COVID. Creating a new village was easy. The first two to make a home there were my friends Barnum and Bailey, both dogs, who wanted to get a home ready for when their sister Siamese cat Aslan crossed.

 

While they all had their special spot in Momma Cynthia's heart, Aslan had just a touch more than the rest. There was no jealousy from the other animals. They wanted their mommy happy, and Aslan did that for 14 years. She was a velcro cat who always wanted to be with her mom, who was delighted to oblige. Her appetite was spurred by anything her mom ate, and she always got a bite.

Unfortunately, Aslan became ill, and, living in the same state as my parents, Momma Cynthia ran identical problems my parents did with Pocket: Getting a vet to see her. Momma Cynthia knew Aslan was losing weight but didn't think it was life-threatening. It was too late to stop the disease's progress by the time she was seen by a vet and received a lymphoma diagnosis. Aslan went downhill quickly. Knowing she was suffering, Barnum and Bailey came down and brought their sister to her final forever home, taking away her pain. 

 

Both dogs and cats warmly welcomed Aslan. Buddy, who had been appointed the In-Between Judge, swore Aslan in, and then we had a party for the first members of this new land. Aslan kept up a brave face, but we all knew she was missing her mom and anxious for her brothers to teach her how to visit.

 

We walked with them to their new home, and then they entered, where they would live until their mother came for them, and then they could move to Happier Ever After.