Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They???
Moms View Message Board: General Discussion: Archive September 2006:
Dogs Don't Have Souls, Do They???
I had to post this, it is quite a tear jerker. A good friend of mine gave this to me when I had to have my dear friend Coal ( 7lb lil fur ball)put down. Boy do I miss him.
Dog's Don't Have Souls, Do They??
I remember bringing you home. You were small and cuddly with your tiny paws and soft fur.
You bounced around the room with eyes flashing and ears flopping. Once in awhile, you'd let out a little yelp, just to let me know this was your territory.
Making a mess of the house and chewing on everything in sight became a passion, and when I scolded you, you just put your head down, and looked up at me with those innocent eye, as if to say, I'm sorry, but will do it again as soon as you're are not watching.
As you got older, you protected me by looking out the window and barking at everyone who walked by.
When I had a tough day at work,you would be waiting for me with your tail wagging just to say,"Welcome Home. I missed you."you never had a bad day, and I could always count on you to be there for me.
When I sat down to read the paper and watch TV, you would hop on my lap, looking for attention.You never asked for anything more than to have me pat your head so you could go to sleep with your head over my leg.
As you got older, you moved around more slowly.Then, one day old age finally took its toll,and you couldn't stand on those wobbly legs anymore. I knelt down and patted you lying there,trying to make you young again.You just looked at me as if to say you were old and tired and that after all these years of not asking for anything, you had to ask me for one last favor.
With tears in my eyes,I drove you one last time to the vet.One last time, you were lying next to me.
For some strange reason, you were able to stand up at the animal hospital;perhaps it was your sense of pride.
As the led you away, you stopped for and instant, turned your head and looked at me as if to say,
"Thank you for taking care of me."
I thought, "NO, thank you for taking care of me."
Thanks Brooke for making me cry. 
I sent it off to my vet, that was great.
Bawling!!! I'm passing this on to my sister who just had to put her dog to sleep for health reasons. Thank you for sharing this.
Awww, that is so sweet, although, I didn't ever get to see this dog, or my last one, as a new pup! It doesn't diminish how happy both of them were and are to see me, when I get home from work, though!
Oh geez, this just finishes me off. We just watched Eight Below, and I was crying a little bit during the movie, but this just put me over.
Oh boy, that did it for me, too. It is beautiful, though, and so true, whether you meet them as puppies or adult dogs, that maybe have had a rough start in life.
And yes, Karen, I was a mess during "Eight Below", too.
I read this a few months ago. And tonight I need to add my own story to it. I apologise for the length. But I appreciate having Momsview to have a place to relieve my heart.
On September 29, 1993 Mama (the name we gave the stray that we picked up off the road out in the middle of nowhere) wandered away from our house to find some place to have her puppies. When we found her under the shelter of 2 rocks under a tree in the back of the yard, she was giving birth to her second puppy, a little brown fur ball that would become known as Ginger. We gathered Mama and her first two puppies up in a box and carried them back home to the place that had been prepared for her delivery and watched as she had 4 more puppies. We discussed what to do with the puppies and decided to give them all away. We didn't really need another dog right now. So we began to find good homes for each. One night as I lay on the bed with Ginger on my chest beside dh, the phone rang. A man asked if we still had puppies to give away. I told him we had one left. Dh took the phone and told the man that sorry we had none left to give away. I was so excited. And so a wonderful friendship begins.
Over the next 8 years she runs and plays with the boys as they grow. We joke on many occasions that we aren't sure if Ginger understands that she is a dog or thinks she is a little girl with 4 legs that can run faster than the boys. She sleeps on the foot of our bed. She sits by the table waiting for anything that drops. The boys teach her all kinds of tricks. She runs for the bus and tackles each boy as he gets off the bus. Dh and I would walk the neighborhood for exercise and she always walked with us. She would snoop at every culvert and dh and I would coax her to run through and she would come out wagging her tail because she was brave enough to do it.
At age 8 she developed Cushings disease that affected her skin and she began to smell so she couldn't sleep in our bed anymore. But we made her a very comfortable bed in the living room that she seemed to love.
When we had our dd, we brought her home from the hosital, lay her on the bed and put Ginger up on the bed next to her. We told Ginger how important that the baby was and she had to help us take care of her. Ginger sniffed the baby up and down then lay her head down on the bed. I know she understood. From that day she lay by the baby's crib and growled at anybody other than dh, me or the boys who came anywhere near the baby. When dd began to walk, she would follow every footstep that dd made and bark if dd fell or anyone came near. And man, that baby was great. She dropped all kinds of good stuff to eat from that high chair.
She knew right from wrong and would hang her head apologetically when she'd done something wrong even if she couldn't help it like use the bathroom in the house when she'd been in too long.
At the beginning of this summer the vet told me that she had lymphoma, rapidly growing tumors. I took her every 1 to 2 weeks for chemo shots, gave her medicines by mouth, put puppy pads for her to use the bathroom on, got up in the middle of the night to take her out, cleaned the carpet umpteen times because she'd missed the puppy pad. I love her and I'll take care of her like she's taken care of us for so long.
This week it began to take the best of her. She walked the neighborhood with us one last time on Wednesday. She got slower and slower until dh had to pick her up and carry her the last block. The past few days she has gone down hill quickly. But I love her so I continue to clean her as she is unable to properly relieve herself. We feed her small bites of bologna or hot dog until she will no longer even sniff at it.
Today, September 3, 2006 we could no longer bear to watch her lie waiting for the end. We gathered her up in her blanket and dh took her to the vet one last time. She was too weak to wag her tail or hold her head up. Dh held her head and told her we loved her as she passed on. Then he brought her home and buried her under the tree in the backyard where she was born almost 13 years ago.
Our dear furry friend and family member will be missed. I'm not sure if there is a heaven for dogs, but it comforts me to think there is. It comforts me to think she has a nice cozy bed, steaks to eat, a pickup truck to ride in so her ears flop, and cows to bark at. I'm blessed to have had her as our friend nad glad to know she no longer hurts. But my heart aches because I miss her so.
My heart aches for you.. **crying here** I am so sorry for the loss your family is experiencing. I can so feel your pain in making that choice, I fear we aren't far from that point ourselves. Sam is a 15 year old toy poodle and my heart breaks to think of him not being here any more.. We have had him for all but a year of his life and I just pray God takes him or makes me strong enough to do the right thing when his time comes. Big hugs... and so much understanding..
{{{HUGS}}}
Debbie, your story will touch ALL of us who love our pets and think of them as members of our families. I am so sorry. {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}
Debbie, I am so sorry. Reading the first post didn't do me in, but yours sure did. We went through a lot of the same thing 2 years ago with our sweet Sophie. I know that pain. Sending lots of gentle hugs your way.
Debbie, I'm not the proverbial "dog person" like so many of the women here are but this story of love, loyalty and commitment by you for Ginger is beautiful. Ginger was so blessed to have your family as her family. {{{Debbie}}}
(((Debbie))) I know your pain. I lost Chow on July 3 and I am still grieving. It is not something you will immediately get over.
I read that “when an animal enters our life, we start on a journey filled with adventure, learning and love. The animal reaches deep into us and changes us in ways that can hardly be described. We grow in love. And upon their leaving, we are lost, devastated. Over time, we explore the story and see the meaning, and stand in awe of these remarkable beings. What an honor they give us when they walk a part of our lives with us".
Your beloved Ginger will always be a part of you.
You are in my thoughts and prayers!
I'm so sorry, Debbie. My heart hurts for you.
I truly believe these sweet souls do go to heaven.
A big (((HUG))) to you and your family. I KNOW what a void it leaves. Animals are truly a gift from our Creator to help us through this journey we call life. We are SO blessed by having them.
I have no doubt that animals go to Heaven. Anything that can love you so purely and unconditionally never dies. That love (energy) goes on to a better place, and I believe that we will be reunited with them.
What ever happened to "Mama"? Did you keep her, too?
Well, Mama was a stray that we'd picked up. We were coming home from the mall one evening and it was about 10 degrees outside and we saw her and 2 puppies scrounging for food. It was out in the middle of nowhere. My softy dh got out and chased them all down. They were all dirty and emaciated. We found good homes for the 2 puppies. Mama was a good, gentle dog but we never got really attached to her. As we were giving the litter of pups away that Ginger was born to, one guy commented on Mama and said his mother wanted a dog and Mama fit the bill--older, gentle, small, etc. So we let him take her.
It is just so weird to have the void that is in our home right now. We have a year old puppy and that helps a little. But Ginger was just something else. I miss her.
Back when we were first given the bad prognosis on Ginger in the late spring, I read so many posts about folks losing their fur babies. I knew it was going to hurt. I just didn't know how much.
Thanks for all the hugs and prayers. They are felt. And my hugs go back to you all.
|
Members
