Creek Running North

I don’t blame you one bit.  I’m glad you’re hiking, though.

This morning at the campground we ran across a nice guy who took an immediate liking to Indy.  While doling out lots of scritches, I told him Indy’s age, at which he said he had a 15 year old sheepdog, which had just died four months ago.  He clearly was still keeping time.

All I could do was express my sympathy.  And let him hug my dog as long as he wanted.

{{{{Chris}}}}

lost my cat (of 14 years) recently to the pet-food fiasco and for days afterward all i saw were black & white cats (as was my friend).  like that, indeed!

I realize that everyone has to do his or her own thing, but it is a sad day indeed when dog lovers can not or will not bring themselves to adopt another dog in need.

I realize that everyone has to do his or her own thing, but it is a sad day indeed when people feel free to lecture a total stranger on replacing the love of his goddamn life.

chris-
i understand where you are, exactly.
i’m suprised when well meaning people say the same thing to me; my 14 year old dog, bunny, has been missing since january 11th.
the ‘roots sunk into my heart’ only grow deeper..
we’ll know when the time is right.
rose

really Ramona?  do you really wanna lecture us, people who love their animal companions so much that for a time after they’re gone we are so devastated that we can’t immediately go out and get a new one?  c’mon. 

my sympathies for you Rose.  i hope that if you can’t find Bunny, you can at least achieve some sense of peace eventually.  it must be so heart-wrenching.

Rose, I can’t even wrap my mind around what you’ve been going through.

Now here, here, Joanna .
First of all I thought that blogs were for people to leave their opinions, ideas and comments on but you’ve decided to parrot Chris choice of words “lecture” without giving it any thought.

Secondly I have nothing but sympathy for anyone who has lost a beloved pet and I have offered my condolences every step of the way. I have dogs and cats of my own, some so badly neglected and abused when I got them that their chances of finding a home were practically zero.

Lastly I realize that everyone has to move through grief in their own way. What was meant as a poke I got a slap in return.
That’s Ok.  Peace all

Ramona, your original comment was atrociously inappropriate. You came out and said that my not having adopted another dog yet was a failing on my part. If you think of that as a “poke” then there’s something seriously wrong with your perceptual capacity.

And condolences like that I don’t need.

Let me suggest to you that if your goal is to encourage people to give dogs homes, making those people feel stupid and selfish for grieving those dogs is not going to help your cause any. You think I don’t know that there are animals out there who need homes? You think you’re doing the world some sort of service by “poking” me about them as I write about mourning Zeke? And you can’t even make it a neutral comment — “maybe adopting another dog might help.” Hell, even a cheerleading comment like “hey, go adopt another dog! They’re waiting for you!” would have been perfectly acceptable.

No, you have to phrase it as an insult.

Never mind that getting another dog wouldn’t help me miss Zeke any less. (How shallow do you think I am?) Never mind that I’ve written about how having a dog has interfered with marital travel and vacations, and that we’ve been talking about taking a few years to focus on that aspect of our lives, and that my adopting a new dog would (rightly) be seen as a spousal snub. Never mind that Becky is mourning Zeke as fiercely as I am, and that it’s our decision and not just mine. Never mind that I have written at some length about having a rabbit, and that adopting a dog less gentle with small animals than Zeke was — which is, approximately, all of them — could be disastrous.

Never mind all that. You see this post and your reaction — and trust me, my word “lecture” was significantly blunted from my initial description — was to say that I “can not or will not bring [myself] to adopt another dog in need.”

And then you whine about the reaction you encounter?

I recognize that writing about such intensely personal issues opens me up to intensely personal feedback, ranging in nature from the sage to the idiotic to the hateful. Yes, blogs are places where people can leave their opinions, ideas and comments, and you are welcome to do so here. But here’s the thing: you’re not the only one who gets to do so. If other people find your comments sanctimonious and off-putting, they get to say it.

chris-
again, i thank you and your readers for the comments about my dog.
may i share with you a little about bunny?

almost 14 years ago, we got a call from our vet about a dog who was supposed to be a guide dog for a blind person, but couldn’t quite cut the mustard.  we went to see her, took her home and she became one of the family.

she looked just like tramp, from ‘lady and the tramp’, but she was white- 25 lbs. or so.  her little beard was kinda pink (probably from her food.)
she loved crunchy, raw veggies.  especially carrots.  she was really cute and people made comments about her frequently.  she had a boyfriend named shadow and they took lots of walks together.  on walks she didn’t need a leash- she heeled perfectly.  she had a great sense of home and never, ever got lost.  she loved to run and when she did, she looked like a rabbit- hence the name bunny. 

2 summers ago, my brother took care of her while we went on a trip.  (we live a mile or so apart.) we returned very late one night.  a couple hours later i awoke to what sounded just like bunny, barking.  i thought i was dreaming- but i kept hearing her.  so i went downstairs and lo and behold, she was at the back door!  she had pushed open my brother’s screen door and come home.  (remember ‘the incredible journey’?) amazing!

in the twilight of her life (almost 14, deaf and partially blind), she had taken to standing in the yard and just gazing.. 

it’s the not knowing that’s the worst part.
i keep thinking about the terrible things that could have happened to her.  there are places your mind will take you that you never even realized existed. 

but the image i hold onto is the one where a kindly person who happens to be in my neck of the woods sees her, is concerned for her, and picks her up.  they live far away because they never see the posters or adds or anything..  and they take her home and love and care for her until it’s her time to go.

one night i dreamt the she was in her bed- looking wonderful- young and glorious again, and i was beside her and calling her name and hugging her and she was trying to put her paws on my shoulders..

oh, iwantmypuppy…