Gomer Has Crossed The Rainbow Bridge

Last night, at 7:15 p.m., I held Gomer's head as he quietly walked across the rainbow bridge.

He noticeably hadn't felt well for about a week, which I attributed to the stress of moving to a new place, then leaving on vacation, then bringing back a puppy from Ohio to live with us for a week. But, when he wouldn't eat at all, I noted that he was severly jaundiced and rushed him into the vet at Pet Crossing Animal Hospital. The bloodwork, of course showed very high liver values.

I tried very hard to ignore his pleas to let him go; I wanted the analytical me to win. To run all the tests and get all the information before making the ultimate decision. But, after five hours of treatments and IV fluids, I looked into his eyes and he asked me to please let him go. It was one of the most difficult things I've had to do. But I know in my heart that I did the right thing. Maybe not for me, but for him.

I miss him horribly and expect that I will for a very long time. I take comfort in knowing that I am a much better person for having accepted the scared little dumpster dog into my home, my life and my heart.

To steal a post idea from Hercules' dad when Herc crossed the rainbow bridge, here's a short list of things that I learned from Gomer. As those who knew him will understand, he taught me so much more than the items listed below... but these are the things I remember today.

Things I learned from Gomer...

• This world is a scary, dangerous place. But, with the right people to watch your back, everything will turn out ok. That... and a lot of the things that we fear the most aren't really all that scary once we understand them.
• Every single being, no matter what their faults and how mean they can be, has value. Even the guy who threw Gomer in the dumpster had value… if he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had Gomer as a part of my life for the past nine years.
• With the right encouragement and acceptance, every single one of us can excel at fulfilling our purpose in life. Gomer’s first evaluation was that he’d always be feral and never be a good pet. Luckily, enough of us believed more in him than in the opinions of the “experts.”
• Don’t always act in the way that someone else believes is appropriate. Sometimes you need to run around like a crazy person and release pent up energy. And, sometimes you just need to lie down and let someone who loves you rub your belly.
• Life is what you make it. You can be scared, dissatisfied and blame others for your problems… or you can accept what it is and hold onto the hope that the rewards and treats will always come later.
• If your people can’t hear your words, talk to them with your eyes, your paws and your tail. And keep communicating how much you love them until they understand.

Opie and I are doing fine, all things considered. Thank you for listening with your eyes today.

Dogmom

Scooby Crossed the Rainbow Bridge

We don't think any of you knew our Scooby. He didn't have a dog blog. But that doesn't mean he wasn't a special puppy. He was too busy keeping our friends' house in order and protected from all the threats that can occur in Arizona.

Like blowing tumbleweeds and dust and birds that land on the patio.

We think that maybe Scooby went across the rainbow bridge in order to smooth the way for Stetson. Dogmom said that Scooby's mom and dad described him best:

"Our best companion and protector for over 16.5 years, Scooby, crossed over the rainbow bridge on Saturday, July 5th. His spirit remained strong until the end. He was at peace and ready to go. We were able to let him go from the physical world and know that he will always remain in our hearts.

Please smile when you think of him and hug somebody you love today. Scooby brought us immeasurable joy and taught us many life lessons. He was also an incredible healer with a heart of gold and a warrior spirit. We miss him greatly. The attached pic is of his majestic self in our backyard in 2005.

It has been a week of huge loss in terms of losing a friend to cancer and other animals we know with a resounding lesson of learning to let go. May God Bless them all. We honor the circle of life and acknowledge the many blessings we have, including all of you. We pray peace for all.

Our heartfelt thanks go to some very special people who have helped and supported us taking care of Scooby physically and spiritually along the way over the past few months and right up until the end."

Give your masters, owners, dogmoms and dogdads extra hugs and puppy licks from Scooby today, k?