lovingtributes The One Gift We Cannot Give Them
“And it is exceedingly short, his galloping life. Dogs die so soon. I have my stories of that grief, no doubt many of you do also. It is almost a failure of will, a failure of love, to let them grow old–or so it feels. We would do anything to keep them with us, and to keep them young. The one gift we cannot give.” –Mary Oliver, from her book of poems Dog Songs
Losing a beloved pet is one of the hardest things a pet owner has to endure. Having it occur
during an uncertain time like the pandemic has made it even more trying. Here are just some of the friends we’ve lost this year with thoughts from their humans.
In Dreams
Mama was the distillery dog at Palm Ridge Reserve. She had wandered out of the Ocala National Forest and onto the farm with her two puppies in 2011. They became part of the family that included the distillery owners Dick and Marti Waters, various farm animals, other dogs, and Roni the cat. Mama crossed over the Rainbow Bridge on Sunday, June 7. Dick and Marti received this message from the Waters’ daughter Chandra on Monday, June 8. “I rarely dream about my pets who have passed on. I’ve been
told that when you do dream about someone you love who has passed, it’s them letting you know that they are okay. I don’t get those visits as often as I'd like (like never). However, Sunday night, I had a dream that involved Kei-Li, my dog who passed. In it, she was walking around with another dog that looked similar to her. Here’s how our conversation went: Me: Kei, who is that with you? Kei: It’s my friend! Me: But Kei, you preferred to be a loner, why are you with a friend now? Kei: I’m showing her around. Fast forward to Monday afternoon. I received a call from
my mom. She had some sad news. Sunday afternoon, very unexpectedly, they had to put Mama down. Now, my dream made sense. It appears that Mama was met at the Rainbow Bridge by my sweet angel, Kei-Li. I always figured Kei preferred to be an only dog since she
never became close with my other two dogs, Jax or Ben. But I guess, in the end, she just wanted a gal pal. I’m happy these two sweet girls have each other on the other side.” We were told by Dick and Marti that there was a double rainbow at the distillery on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 9.
New Beginnings
Bella had a boutique named after her on Anna Maria Island. Bella By The Sea. After she passed, suddenly in May, this is what her human, Jo-Ann wrote. “Every night before I go to sleep I ask Bella to give me some sign that she is over the Rainbow Bridge. Today John and I picked up her ashes that arrived here, and as we were sitting on the couch it started pouring rain with sunshine, and this appeared (rainbow shown right). My Bella is home.” Jo-Ann, Anna Maria Island, now in Tuckasegee, NC
www.TheNewBarker.com THE NEW BARKER 85
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