Do People Go Over The Rainbow Bridge, Too?

Dogmom is very sad today.

We've been licking her face most of the night and it tastes salty.

She said that her friend Stetson in Arizona went to heaven yesterday morning. We don't know where heaven is... but we don't like it if it makes dogmom sad.

We do like Stetson, though. He was a very special guy. Not only because he was a Colonel in the Air Force. Or because he had a handle-bar mustache and a shiny head. Or because he had a turtle named Prince. Or because he was the bestest ever guy to everyone he met.

Stetson loved dogs. He especially loved Weimereiners... but he pretended that we were part Weimereiner when we lived in Arizona... because he loved us, too.

When I, Gomer, was a puppy, and Stetson found out that I was afraid of men and baseball caps, he always wore one whenever he came over to our house. And he laughed when I barked and growled and bared my teeth at him. Then know what he did? Huh?

He would take off his baseball cap and throw it. And I would chase it and bite it and try to shred it apart. And he would laugh. And dogmom would be horrified. And Stetson would say that he has lots of baseball caps. And then he'd put on another one and we'd start the game all over again.

Know what? I'm hardly afraid of men in baseball caps anymore. (Except the really scary ones!)

And, when Opie came to live with us, Stetson really liked his sillyness. He thought Opie acted like a Weimereiner sometimes. He told dogmom that Opie was really smart... even if he wouldn't learn to sit. He used to laugh at Opie. When Stetson would come to our house, Opie would sit down and wiggle his tail. And then, when Stetson wasn't paying attention, Opie would jump up and lick him in the face. This was a feat, see, 'cuz Stetson was 6'4" tall!

Anypaws... Stetson went to heaven yesterday. When we were leaving Arizona (2002), Stetson found out he had some tumors in his liver. They were cancer... endocrine pancreatic cancer that metastasized in his liver. Most patients with his kind of cancer live less than five years.

Stetson did all the treatments... and some that were experimental. Some worked for a while. Some didn't work very much. Some seemed to work really really well.

But, finally, the cancer won. More and more tumors started growing in his liver. And then they started moving into his stomach. And then he passed away.

It's ok, though. He fought the good fight for six years. And, he had a really good quality of life until last Friday. And we know he went to heaven.

So, put your paws together to say a puppy prayer for Stetson's family - especially his wife Tess and their "daughter" (neice living with them) Teresa.

Is Heaven anywhere near the Rainbow Bridge?

Wuf Ya!