Saying Hello

Losing a pet is an extremely difficult thing to go through. It doesn't matter if you have had them a few months or many years, the loss still hurts. I often looked at our Dixie like another child and a part of our family. When she passed away I could still hear her walking through the house, laying in her spot on the couch and standing at the door waiting to get in. I knew in my heart I needed another dog and I prayed each day that God would send us just the right one for our family and within just a few weeks he did.  

 

We visited a couple of local shelters, but not a single dog "spoke" to us. It was a few days later after checking the local humane society's website multiple times a day, we saw a face that we just couldn't forget. We made a trip to visit and fell in love with a tiny little puppy they were calling Shelby. She had been dumped on the roadside , in a trash bag, with her brothers and sisters when they were a week old and had been in foster care since then. We felt like she was the perfect dog for us, but we had no idea how perfect until she settled into our family.  We decided to call her Mocha Joy because her coloring looked like coffee after creamer was added. The vet believes she is Boston Terrior/Chihuahua/French Bulldog mix, but I think she believes she is part Pit Bull. She is protective and fierce when she has to be, but loving and gentle the rest of the time.  

Why did we get another dog you may ask?

Companionship was the biggest reason for me. I really missed that little fur baby running around the house and keeping me company.  I thought it would be interesting to see how others felt about dog ownership and I found the following blog spot that explains it perfectly. 

https://barkpost.com/discover/17-reasons-why-a-dog-would-make-your-life-more-awesome/

I am so very thankful that we waited and let God send us the perfect addition to our family. We still miss our Dixie and Mocha will never take her place, but having her has made the loss easier to bear and filled that empty place in my heart (except for that tiny space that will always be for Dixie).

"That's my 'two cents worth', what's yours?" 

Saying Goodbye

 A while back I blogged on my little furry companion, Dixie. It is with a sad and broken heart that I report to you my readers of her passing away.

It was a Sunday afternoon in the summer of 2017.  We came home from church that afternoon and found her. My heart shattered into a million pieces. She had been my guard, my friend, my secret keeper. She laid by my side when I was sick and comforted me in my grief.

I remember how tiny she was when we first brought her home. We made her a bed in a cardboard box and she cried all night long. The second night she somehow managed to escape and I woke up with her sitting next to my bed howling.  She slept with me every night after that for 4 years, then she started sleeping with my daughter.

She hated cold weather and loved to lay in the sunshine. At times she drove me crazy, but I loved that dog with all my heart. She was twenty-five days shy of her 13th birthday when she passed, but she loved us more in her 13 years than most humans can love in a lifetime. Right after she passed away I discovered this story. I touched my heart because it described my Dixie perfectly.

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolf hound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.
As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.'

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.
He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life - - like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

I don't know if all dogs go to heaven, but Pastor Billy Graham once said, ""I think God will have prepared everything for our perfect happiness. If it takes my dog being there (in Heaven), I believe he'll be there."I pray every day that God will let my Dixie be there in heaven to meet me when I cross over.

  "That's my 'two-cents worth', what's yours?"

My Return

I hope this short post finds my readers well, if any of you are still hanging around. This year has been full of adventures, life milestones, college for two living in this house and just everyday living. I am hoping to get back on the blogging wagon in the upcoming year, but I don't think it will be a regular part of my life. As I continue in college, with two internships coming up in the next year, I can only hope to get a little time for blogging. I have a few things I want to work on in the coming year and goals I want to work toward. I hope that you all had a very Merry Christmas and that you are looking forward to the new year to come. I look forward to doing more writing this year and sharing our adventures and misadventures with y'all!

 As always, "That's my 'two cents worth, what's yours?"