Picture of the day - November 16, 2006

"At Rest"

In our back yard stand three simple wooden crosses, each marking the final resting place of one of our beloved dogs who have passed on since we moved into our new place in October 2005... First there was "Nanook", a beautiful 90+ pound malamute with a heart of gold and a terrifying fear of lightning and loud noises that literally drove her temporarily insane on occasion (actually, every time a thunderstorm or hot air balloon passed over). 'Nook was with us for several years, but she passed away shortly after we moved. We wanted to have her near us so we buried her beside the creek under the weeping willow tree in our back yard. Thus began the start of our personal pet cemetery... One day last week, Cheria and Tami visited our local animal shelter, and while they were there a gentleman brought in a box containing 5 three-week-old puppies - an adorable mixture of border collie and pug. The mother was missing and he didn't know how to care for the young pups, so he brought them to the shelter hoping to get them "adopted out" into a good home. Before Cheria and Tami left the shelter, a couple had taken three of them home with them - leaving the two smallest (and weakest) ones behind. In order to give the two frail puppies a fighting chance at making it, they made the decision to bring them home with them and return them to the shelter when they were old enough for adoption. Sadly, the smallest one died in its sleep the second night she was with us. We tearfully placed her in a shoe box and buried her beside 'Nook under the willow tree. But we were consoled by the fact that the other one seemed to be much stronger and healthier, and she was eating well. Cheria and Olivia spent the next few days hand-feeding her, playing with her, and falling in love with her. I was determined that I wasn't going to allow myself to become attached to her, but it was no use. She was just too tiny, cute and friendly for me to resist. But still I had to hide my feelings because I knew we really couldn't keep her indefinitely. Well, we woke up yesterday morning to find our cuddly little friend very cold and barely able to breath. We rushed her to the nearest animal hospital where they tried for quite some time to raise her body temperature, but in the end she was just too sick and weak to make it. With tears in our eyes, we brought her home and buried her beside her loving sister. Now we have two 1-pound puppies resting beside the 90 pound 'Nook, and something tells me she's looking after them at this very minute, teaching them how to run and play. They have been adopted after all.   Submit a photo                       Picture of the day archives