Dogs are animals of integrity. We have much to learn from them.
Category: People and their pets
Stay Happy Good People!
With enormous thanks to ‘Captain Bob’ who sent these to me.
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Another set of these wonderful antidotes to grumpiness in a week’s time.
Many thanks, Bob!
P.S. Don’t forget the clocks go forward in many US States in two hours time!
Must be something in their water!
Back last December, I published a post under the title of Maybe we all need saving!
It centered around Caki Bravo from Sarajevo and his passion for saving dogs.
The 6′ 2″ tall taxi driver is a gentle giant whose passion leads to the rescue of at least a dozen street dogs each month.
Care2 recently published an item written by another Bosnian but about the same person: Caki Bravo.
It is shared with you all.
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By: Laura S. March 4, 2017
Editor’s note: This post is a Care2 favorite, back by popular demand. It was originally published on September 29, 2015. Enjoy!
Written by Edina Pasic in Sarajevo, Bosnia
In the middle of the busy highway we saw a female dog running totally confused between cars and trucks. The cars were passing very fast, so I screamed. My teammate Caki stopped the car and tried to get over to her slowly. She was so scared that she started to run away from him. Luckily he managed to chase her over to a widening, so I called on her while Caki went back to get the car. We had left it in the middle of the highway.
After a while, I didn’t even know what I was talking to her about anymore. I begged her to stay there with me. She looked at me obediently. Her eyes were sad and looked bad. She was full of scars. I cried with her. Her breasts were hanging to the floor.
Luckily we had some food in the car. When we gave her some food she ate very fast. It was hard to believe, she ate big cans of food. She was so puffed that we didn’t know if she was with puppies or if she had already had them. We also gave her some doggy crackers. She ate two, took the third in her mouth and started to walk away from us, back towards the highway. It was warm. The cracker (she was planning to give to her puppies) melted in her mouth. She swallowed it and continued going towards the road.
We realized that she had puppies waiting for her, since she was going back. I followed her on foot and Caki with the car. She didn’t run from me anymore. We walked on the edge of the highway together. My heart stopped every time a big truck or a car rushed by. I’ll never forget that. Even now, while I’m writing this, I start to cry.
We walked for about 1.5 kilometers. Just imagine how far she has walked to find food. Imagine how hungry she must have been. She kept turning around to see if I was still following her, like she was taking me to see her babies. We came to a hill and she started going up. There was only one house there, only one. We went to the house and she led me to a shed. I heard the puppies cry for their mother. I couldn’t see how many there were because the shed was filled with clutter.
I decided to knock on the front door of the house and ask them about this little family. An older man opened the door and immediately got mad when I asked about them. I was already upset about this poor dog, so this was the last thing I needed. He told me he was planning to take them somewhere far away when his son came over with the car. He had already planned this for a very long time, but sadly for him and luckily for them, he didn’t have a car. I asked him to help me gather them up and I would take them with me. He was shocked. I asked him how many babies there were. He told me that she had originally given birth to five puppies, but three had died and only two survived. Poor Mimosa was wagging her tail when the owner of the house came towards her. Even though he didn’t love her, she still loved him.
His wife, being more humane than him, started to cry and told me she had been feeding them in secret from her husband. These poor lives. We first placed the puppies in a box, then the mother. She didn’t protest, she trusted me. I started to cry again. Thinking back, I think it was more from the shock.
She Gave Me Kisses the Whole Way
The mommy gave me kisses the whole way. She’s now in a pension with her son and daughter, waiting for their forever homes. She’s great with people. When she’s outside with her babies at the pension, she growls at the other dogs that get too close to her babies, looking out for them. She is very kind. We are now struggling to keep them safe here until they get new homes. I rescue hundreds of animals like these all year long.
Photo Credit: Edina Pasic
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Learn more about the effort to support Edina and Caki’s animal rescue work in Bosnia.
There can never be too many people like this in the world!
This came in to me some four hours ago.
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March 2, 2017 — Blue Buffalo has issued a voluntary market withdrawal of 17 varieties of its Blue Divine Delights and Blue Wilderness Trail Trays due to quality issues with the foil seals on the top of the cups.
No other Blue Buffalo products (including any variety of Divine Delights not listed below) are impacted by this issue.
The company is not aware of any dogs becoming ill from these products.
The following products are affected by the recall:
Blue Buffalo has asked consumers to stop feeding the affected product to pets and bring any remaining cups affected by the withdrawal to their place of purchase for a full refund.
Consumers with questions about this market withdrawal are invited to contact Blue Buffalo at 877-870-7363.
U.S. citizens can report complaints about FDA-regulated pet food products by calling the consumer complaint coordinator in your area.
Or go to http://www.fda.gov/petfoodcomplaints.
Canadians can report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.
Get free dog food recall alerts sent to you by email. Subscribe to The Dog Food Advisor’s emergency recall notification system.
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This company issued another Blue Buffalo Food Recall a little over two week’s ago. It’s here if you missed that!
Please stay safe out there!
Casey: September, 2005 – February, 2017
Dear Casey was put to sleep yesterday morning.
I am going to republish a ‘Meet the dogs” essay that was written and first published February 25th, 2014.
But before doing so, Jean and I would like to extend our very great thanks to all the staff at the Southern Oregon Vet Specialty Center (SOVC) who have been so professional and so loving and caring.
Here is that essay. It is worth noting that we moved from Payson, AZ to Merlin, OR in 2012.
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by Jean Handover.
It is 2011.
Every Friday, the Payson Roundup newspaper would devote a full page to the Humane Society, displaying some of the cats and dogs they had for adoption. I would read about each animal and quietly wish I could bring them all home.
I was particularly taken with one dog that had appeared several times in this Friday page. His name was Casey and he was a six-year-old Pit Bull mix. Unfortunately, at home we were ‘maxed out’ with a total of 14 dogs in three different sections of our house. We just couldn’t take Casey.
I had volunteered to be a dog-walker at the Humane Society dog shelter. But after two sessions walking dogs, I just couldn’t look at these sad little faces without breaking down in tears. I switched my efforts to working at the Society’s Thrift Store. That was great fun and, at least, it felt as though I was still helping the animals. Nonetheless, I was very impressed with the animal shelter. They did their utmost to re-home the animals in their care.
Ruby’s ‘pack’ here at home included Phoebe and Tess, rescue dogs from Mexico. Recently, Phoebe had died with leukaemia and Tess with bone cancer leaving Ruby on her own. Ruby was a dog that didn’t mix at all well with the other dogs, as was explained in last week’s post.
The next Friday, the Payson Roundup showed the Society’s ‘lonely hearts club’, highlighting animals that had been in care for a long time. The first dog shown was Casey. I telephone Chandra, the lady responsible for adoptions, and asked if Paul and I could bring Ruby to the shelter to find a companion for her. When we were at the shelter, Chandra asked us if we had anything against Pit Bulls. Of course we didn’t. Ruby was introduced to Casey and, as they say, the rest was history. Casey and Ruby right from the start were just wonderful together.
Subsequently, I learned from Chandra that Casey had been in care for over a year and, had we not taken him home, his days were numbered at the shelter. There were many cheers and tears when I signed the adoption paper for Casey.
Fast forward to the year 2012 to when we are now living at Merlin, OR.
Casey now lives in the kitchen group here in Oregon: Paloma, Ruby, Lilly and Casey. As with all our dogs, Casey is so happy to have our 14 acres to play in. He is also the sweetest natures of dogs and will try to climb on to your lap at the first opportunity. I have always been a great advocate of Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes and have never come across a mean one.
Thus, if you are in the position to adopt a dog, please consider Pit Bulls and Pit Bull mixes for the Pit Bull is a much-maligned breed.
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This is how Casey will be remembered.
Finally, recalling how close and good friends Ruby was with Casey, one couldn’t see a clearer expression on a dog’s face that Casey was being missed than on the face of Ruby. The picture was taken just before 6pm yesterday evening.
Trust me, Ruby’s normal face truly has a smile on it.
Just be enthralled by Marc Métral and his talking dog Wendy.
Jean sent me the link to the following that had, in turn, been sent to her.
It features the show on ITV in the UK, Britain’s Got Talent, that has been running for many years. Verified on the BGT website by the 10 Years link:
Some of our favourite acts from the past ten years took to the BGT stage to pay tribute to a decade of finding amazing talent!
But the fun doesn’t end there. We’re on the lookout for even more incredible talent and we’re coming to a town near you soon! Find out where we’re holding auditions and apply now for the new series of Britain’s Got Talent!
Anyway, without further ado just watch this act. It’s not just the judges that are wowed; you will be as well!
The Judges are left open-mouthed when Marc Métral introduces his talking dog Miss Wendy.
“Congratulations, in the nine years of doing this show, Simon has said he wanted a dog that could meow or sing, and you did both, incredible,” says Amanda.
Simon is totally smitten!
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Follow That!
A very heart-touching guest post
Yesterday I used as a sub-heading “I will never, ever tire of the wonderful connections made by this blog!”
I wrote that before Sydney sent in a guest post which reached out to me, to Jeannie and, undoubtedly, will reach out to many others. Sydney further validated the power of the wonderful connections that blogging brings.
Here’s how it came about.
Not that long ago, there was a new follower to this place. As is so frequently the case that new follower was also a blogger. Their blog is called very beautifully: Recovery For All Of My Heart. As I always try to do, I went across to leave a ‘thank you’ note. I also read the About page that I want to republish here by way of my introduction to Sydney.
Hello, I am in recovery from an eating disorder, depression and anxiety. The way I got to the best place in my mind is by changing my perspective.
In this blog, I use my new open-mindedness to show the world the beauty I see in hopes that others will then see the beauty in themselves. For me, all it took was to see the beauty in myself, but I needed someone to help me see it first. My hope is to be that person for others.
There is a way to see the good in every piece of you. You can get your mindset to see what others love about you. The proof of everyone’s beauty lies in changing your perspective and this blog hopes to put into light the beauty in everyone that ever existed.
So now to Sydney’s post. (And if you want to understand why I chose the title to this post, then please read right down to the end.)
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By Sydney R. February 23rd., 2017
When I was 21 years old, I got a hound boxer puppy named Bailey. Previously, I had a dog my mom and I raised when I was seven; she was named Rachel.
I only speak of Bailey in this post because of a certain situation I want to talk about, but I also wanted to mention how amazing Rachel was too.
Anyway, I raised Bailey to be the sweet almost two-year-old he is today. He is not a normal dog to me. This is because I believe him to be extraordinary (so original for dog owners, I know), and also because I have struggled with my mental health.
I have struggled with depression and he has changed my life for the better. One day last year I was having a very hard time with my depression. I wanted to just lay in bed and quit my job and begin isolating again. I wanted to just sleep and not fight the thoughts and just let them rattle on inside of my mind while I lay there.
I grabbed my dog as he was lying next to me and held onto him ready to remain in my negative thoughts for all eternity. Then something changed: I felt his fur. I felt my cheek against his fur. I heard his sweet little breathing that used to put me to sleep when he laid on my chest when he was a puppy. I was being mindful without even realizing it.
I was aware of everything I was feeling when holding this thing that is so dear to my heart.
Suddenly, all the pain went away. I was reminded of this feeling I can have while holding my dog. I can fight this depression and I can have a wonderful life. If you ever are feeling extremely sad or have any type of negative urges, and this can be about anything, grab your furry little one and just stay in the moment until they pass.
And why is this?
Research has shown that if you look into your dogs eyes, the hormonal response is activated just like the one that is activated when you look at infants. Scientists took blood samples of dogs and their owners before and during time spent petting. The results were that the levels of oxytocin went up in humans during a petting session of a dog and it was at very similar levels of new mothers and their infants.
Even more amazing, dogs had the same levels in their blood as well, showing how happy they are around their owners. During my depression that night, holding onto my dog was not just helping me overcome my sadness, he was having a nice time as well.
Now what I am guessing is that if you are sitting down, petting your dog, but not really paying much attention, your dog will be happy, but your oxytocin levels will not be as high as they could be. When you are mindful and staying in the moment whilst petting your dog, you could be seriously happy, to the point where your oxytocin levels from your dog stops you from ruminating on your negative thoughts.
Don’t just pet your dog when you are upset…make sure you are completely in the moment.
Notice your body and notice what your hands and arms are feeling as you wrap your arms around your dog. Let your hands and all of your arms feel the fur. Use all of your senses. Make sure you hear your dog and do not let your thoughts block out being in the moment. Regular petting of the dog is enjoyable. Mindful petting of a dog could change your life, like it did mine.
Now I will always know that I have something to go to when I feel depressed. This is extremely important because one huge part of depression is hopelessness. This is the feeling that you will always feel depressed.
With a dog, you have hope to get out of those feelings. I know that I have my dog to go to and I will never fear being sad forever again. I always have the mindful petting of Bailey or Rachel that will make the negative thoughts drain away.
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Good people, I am genuinely humbled by both Sydney’s desire to share this with you, and by the magic of having a dog in our life.
So let me close like this.
BBC Television in the UK currently have on their iPlayer site a drama series called Death in Paradise: The programme website is here.
Detective drama series set on a Caribbean island.
In a recent episode there was this profoundly wise observation made by the detective, Jack Mooney, played by Ardal O’Hanlon.
There are always two wolves deep inside us.
One is a hateful, angry, selfish wolf that doesn’t hesitate to try and do you harm.
The other wolf is a soft, gentle creature that responds to love and always wants to love you back.
So which wolf is in charge?
The wolf we feed!
Footnote:
This came to my ‘inbox’ a short time ago (as of 09:30 Sunday morning):
I will never, ever tire of the wonderful connections made by this blog!
Connections brought about by the almost universal love for dogs! But not to the exclusion of cats. For we still have three cats, all ex-rescues from our days in Mexico, and it is a cat story that Anne presents for you all today.
It went back to an email that came in to me earlier this February:
Hi Paul,
My name is Annie and I blog at catobsessed.com. Since I am a new-ish blogger (well, my cat site is new but I’ve been writing elsewhere for years), I’m hoping to make connections with more established pet bloggers to help get my name out there.
I love your site Learning From Dogs – although I’m obviously more of a cat person, our family has a mini schnauzer back in Canada. I miss her! Your website vision is very thought-provoking, I hadn’t really considered how much we learn from our pets before. I was wondering if you’d consider accepting a guest post from me?
I was trying to think of a topic that would bridge our two websites and I had an idea – something about pets and human relationships? I met my husband through his cat, to be honest! The fact that he was an animal lover was one of the main reasons I accepted a date with him. The schnauzer in Canada was a gift to his parents too, so I knew he was a keeper!
I haven’t got a strict post outline in mind but I’m excited to ponder more on the topic of cats, dogs and human relationships. Since my husband was a pet owner, I could explain the type of personality traits I inferred from that. We also have the fact that I’m a huuuuge cat person and he is a dog guy so we had to compromise (if having two cats is a compromise LOL)
What do you think? If this doesn’t suit, I could come up with something else 🙂
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Annie
Well, how could one resist such a charming request. Not me!
So it is with great pleasure that I present Anne’s guest post.
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by Anne Cooper, February 22nd., 2017.
First of all, I want to thank Paul for inviting me to share my thoughts on his wonderful blog. Reading through his past posts got me thinking on the topic of pet ownership and human relationships. You see, I met my husband through his cat. It sounds funny I know but let me explain.
Back in 2013, I had just ended a serious long-term relationship. It ended for many reasons but one thing which made me particularly sad is that the guy didn’t want any pets. Animals are one of my top three passions in life. My former partner would get annoyed when I’d bring strays inside for a quick bite to eat and a bowl of water. It didn’t happen that often but what filled me with joy was just an annoyance for him.
So when I was back on the dating market, settling down with an animal lover was a top priority. Sure, I could live without pets, but I’d rather not. They really improve my quality of life, cheer me up when I’m feeling down, and allow me to be part of the lovely pet blogging community online.
Thus, when browsing through dating profiles, one really caught my attention. Not only did he sound like he had a lot in common with me – he actually owned a cat! She was a kitten at the time. A lovely white fluff-ball. I arranged to meet him immediately.
The rest is history. We were married in November 2015 and have now expanded our feline family to two. We’re hoping to add a dog to the mix soon. What I want to talk about here is why I was so eager to set up that first date, and the qualities I inferred from the fact that my future husband owned a cat.
Unless you own a pet yourself, it’s hard to understand the amount of commitment involved. You can’t just take a weekend away to visit friends anymore. You need to arrange a sitter for the cat, and if you can’t, you’re staying put. You also need to research practical things like pet insurance, safe toys and snacks … the list is almost endless.
Taking in an animal – especially a helpless kitten – is an act of kindness. Cats don’t always give much affection back to their owners so I knew that my hubby was a generous and giving soul.
Don’t get me wrong, dogs are amazing too, but there are lots of great reasons to own a dog. They help you get fit by making you walk with them outdoors. They protect you and shower you with love on a daily basis. Cats on the other hand are happy to take your affection but some won’t even sit on your lap! I think it’s safe to say that most cat owners don’t mind giving without receiving.
As much as I love our little Saus, she was a nightmare in her first year. She had a hard time using the litter tray and used to pee all over our house. Shedding fur is an ongoing issue too. Don’t even get me started on fleas and worms! Instead of letting it get out of control, my husband armed himself with a super-powered vacuum cleaner and a cupboard full of pet-friendly solutions and sprays to keep everything spotless. Pet owners aren’t scared of a little mess – I knew I could depend on him to help out around the house.
I don’t know about where you’re from, but in Ireland where my husband and I met, there’s a massive stigma against cat owners. As a cat lover myself, I was branded with the “crazy cat lady” stereotype. I was openly jeered in work. In the early days of dating my hubby, I turned on the car radio to hear a talk show saying that single men who own cats are basically weirdos. I couldn’t believe it! It makes me so angry, but sadly it’s the pervasive opinion in my home country.
The fact that my husband owned a cat and proudly shared her photos on social media showed me that he was confident and self-assured. Owning and loving a pet is nothing to be ashamed of, and anyone who thinks so can take a hike.
In her early days, Saus loved using her claws and teeth. I was her favorite victim! I don’t think she was being malicious – rather she didn’t know how to play safely. Instead of getting angry with her, my husband was patient. We needed to keep her claws short to prevent damage but using the clipper on her was a battle! We had to wrap her up in a towel to stop her attacking us.
So that’s my take on what makes pet owners so special. What do others think?
Annie Cooper blogs at catobsessed.com. She lives in Australia with her husband and two very fluffy felines. Apart from cats, Anne loves traveling, DIYing and all things cute.
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Wasn’t that a great guest post! Sincerely hope we will be hearing more from the “crazy cat lady”.
P.S. The following photograph was taken here at home last night.
Araña is one of the remaining three cats from the original seven ex-Mexican rescue cats that came with us back in 2010 when we moved from San Carlos, Mx. to Payson in Arizona.
For Casey and Yours Truly!
At 1pm yesterday, I had an appointment with the medical assistant at the Department of Urology, Three Rivers Hospital, in Grants Pass, following my ten days of ‘wearing’ a catheter. The good news was that the catheter was removed (and I must now remember I can’t pee anytime I like!).
The more sobering news was that for at least until the end of March, I must not engage in any lifting, pulling or pushing, or any exercise that would run the risk of another bleeding episode. I have an appointment with Dr. Mayer, the urologist, at the end of March and really want to be signed off as fully fit at that time.
So far: so good!
For dear, sweet Casey he is facing a very long haul. Dr. Jim, our vet neighbour and close friend, recommended that Casey start taking a steroid and he is now on Prednisone.
This has the effect of making Casey very lethargic. No bad thing because the only chance of his spinal disc and pad healing up is that he takes very little exercise. In the picture above you can see Casey avoids lifting his head up when he looks at you.
Jean has also paced Casey’s food bowl on a small stool because Casey found it painful to lower his mouth down to floor level.
Dr. Jim says that there is a very good chance that Casey will heal himself but that we are all looking at quite a few weeks.
So for Casey and me we sincerely hope that the end of March has us both firmly down that road to full recovery.
This is a very special guest post from a very special person.
My father died on December 20th., 1956. I had turned twelve some six weeks before this day.
My mother, some eighteen years younger than my father, in due course remarried a professional musician, Richard Mills, and in 1959 my mother gave birth to a girl who was named Eleanor. Those who can do the arithmetic will calculate that I was fifteen years the elder brother to Eleanor. Indeed, almost to the day for I was born on November 8th and Eleanor was born on November 16th.
Thus followed a very special relationship as Eleanor grew up regarding me as her big, protective brother. I am so fortunate in having close relationships with both my sisters: Eleanor, who lives in Johannesburg, and Elizabeth, who lives in Tokyo. (Happy Birthday Elizabeth for today, the 21st February.)
Thus it is with very great pleasure indeed that I offer a guest post from Eleanor.
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by Eleanor Hamilton, February 21st., 2017
We bought Zina as a puppy just over 2 years ago. She was the most adventurous of the litter and a “liver nose” Ridgeback, which is a silky type with no black markings on her face.
We knew from the onset that she was a bright dog, but usually for her own benefit.
She quickly learnt that if she was shut out of the house she should run around the house trying every door in case one was unlocked. She did this by stretching up so her front legs acted like arms on the handle. She also managed to prise open our sliding patio doors to get in on one occasion.
We soon realized and made sure that all doors were locked.
Living in South Africa we have some extra security measures you might not be familiar with. Obviously most people are aware of high walls and electric fences, but some houses have internal security gates (often called slam gates). We use one at the bottom of the stairs just as a precaution as we don’t activate any alarms. Sometimes if we want the dogs downstairs (and off the beds!) we lock this security gate.
We were mystified to find that after a few minutes Zina was jumping up and opening our bedroom door after obviously negotiating the security gate! On one occasion we thought we’d hide and look over the stairs to watch. She had learnt that if she put her paws inside the door frame she could shake the metal and gradually work the lock loose. We hoped the burglars weren’t as clever!
Her intelligence also spreads to her understanding of the other animals in our house and the need to look after them and make sure they are happy. She is quite enthusiastic in licking everything to say hello, which doesn’t always go down too well. Her friend, Dylan the Jack Russell, is well used to her large boisterous nature and puts up with these slobbering kisses!
Our cat usually tolerates the first kiss then decides to gently warn her with a little pat of her paw. After that Zina is a very polite dog.
What is most unusual is her attitude to my bearded dragon. I rescued it from an owner who was mistreating it and although I would never choose one as a pet, I couldn’t bear to see it badly neglected.
Zina always goes over and gives him the usual kiss, which strangely is accepted by Blizzard (the lizard!)
I usually discourage Zina from going on too long with this greeting as although Blizzard is tolerant he can also get fed up.
Since developing her newfound maturity and maternal urges, she has become very loving to all our family of pets. It is lovely to see how caring this dog has become and how she definitely puts herself as alpha female and keeps her pack happy and safe.
![[Ed: Those feet bottom right look strangely human!]](https://learningfromdogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/21b5953a-1a83-47f4-9ea8-24e594d5accf2.jpg)
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What a heart-warming account of yet another special, loving dog.
Thank you, Eleanor.
I asked Eleanor if she wanted to offer you dear readers a little of her background. This is what she sent me:
As you may know, I’m Paul’s younger sister. I grew up with cats, as mum never liked dogs. I secretly always wanted a dog and always loved those models of the Labrador which were used to advertise the guide dog association.
After moving to South Africa it was very common to have dogs, frequently 2 or 3, so my first dog was a Labrador, closely followed by a rescue Jack Russell, another rescue Jack Russell then our Ridgeback.
[Ed: I added the following]
Eleanor Hamilton
Studio Music Teacher, Redhill School
Website: http://www.redhill.co.za
The school’s mission is to be a world-class, South African learning community, building leaders for their time.
Redhill School is a Member of the Independent Schools Association of Southern Africa (ISASA).
I’m sure that I voice a hope from me and many others that there will be more animal stories from sister Eleanor.
Another crossing of the Rainbow Bridge
Yesterday, in came an email that brought a tear to my eye:
Dear Paul,
I came across your blog this morning and saw the post on ‘We shall not forget them’ to pay tribute to our fur babies.
My black Labrador, Max, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on November 28th. He’s on my mind all the time and I have constantly been trying to do little things that make me feel his presence.
I was hoping I could pay a tribute to him on your blog. Please find a small poem and a portrait of him that I had penned down earlier. This is the original picture I sketched of him.
The email came from Samyuktha Sridhar and it is a wonderful honour and privelege to offer Sam’s tribute to Max.
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by Samyuktha Sridhar
Max, our handsome black labrador who was eleven and a half years old crossed to the other side of the Rainbow Bridge on 28 November, 2016. We miss him like crazy and it hasn’t yet fully sunk in.
There is no way we can make the pain go away, but we need to move on and learn to live with the beautiful memories. Every person has a different way of dealing with loss and sadness. I like to put my thoughts on paper. It helps me get things out of my system.
So here’s what I did..
If memories could bring us closer, if tears could bridge the gap
I’d cross the oceans to see you, in warm wet hugs we’d wrap
I opened my eyes to reality, to warm wet tears instead
The pain in my heart was real, as the voices in my head
Echoed, “No teary goodbyes were exchanged, no words of farewell spoken,
Would it have made it easier, if we had that chance?” I’m torn!
If I knew t’was the last time, that you’d look into my eyes
I’d have cradled your head upon my lap, stayed by you as you lay.
Were you in pain that fateful night, when the big brown clock struck three?
Sadly I’ll never know, would I? If you’d reached out to me.
With every breath you took you filled, my heart with so much love
You took a piece of my heart with you, the piece that belonged to you.
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Again and again we are reminded of what our dogs mean to us. So beautifully expressed by Sam.
Please, if you want to offer a tribute to your dearly departed dog do share it on these pages.
Learning from Dogs 