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StridersSis

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    Shadow

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    I dont really know Lisa (my cousin) because of family politics but she sent this to my dad to let him know her dog had passed... It is a very nice story that I thought I would share here. Ironically there are greyhounds in this story....

     

    God Speed Shadow :gh_run

     

    I am so sad to write and let everyone know that we had to put down our

    > beautiful, loving Shadow today. Through my broken heart and tears tonight I

    > felt the need to write this tribute to her. I hope that you don't mind me

    > sharing it with you.

    >

    >

    > DREAM DOG

    >

    > by Lisa Decker

    >

    > She came to me first by a voice spoken in a dream, "Someone will call and offer

    > you a dog." I woke puzzled about such an odd dream, no vision seen, just one

    > sentence heard. An hour later the phone rang. It was Debbie, a woman that had

    > brought us together with another animal a year before this call. In an attempt

    > to help animals displaced through Hurricane Andrew, we had opened our home to a

    > dog from Andrew's Ark. She turned out to be a gnarly, old, bull dog that didn't

    > like sharing my attention with my young children. That dog had not worked out.

    >

    > This time Debbie was calling to offer us a dog that she had heard about from her

    > friend, Tim. He had found this dog abandoned on a construction site and he had

    > been trying to find the owners through signs, ads and alerting the pound. No

    > one had called to claim her. Would we be interested?

    >

    > Now at the time 10 years ago, I had just recently been diagnosed with breast

    > cancer and multiple sclerosis. On top of that, after considering the bad dog

    > experience I had with Debbie the last time around and the fact that I was on

    > chemo, I really didn't think it was a good time to get another dog. I thanked

    > her for thinking of us, but the timing was not right and we couldn't do it.

    >

    > The very next night, I dreamed of this dog again. Only this time I could see

    > her. Running around playfully, was a large black dog with white paws, a white

    > chest and a white streak between her eyes. She showed me her magnificence in a

    > vision so clear that I knew that I must meet this "Dream Dog."

    >

    > I called Debbie back the next day and told her I would be interested in just

    > talking with the friend. She gave me his number and I called right then. Tim

    > was very nice and explained that he couldn't keep her because he rescued grey

    > hounds and already had six at the time! He said she was very friendly and only

    > had one problem. I thought, oh no, here we go, another problem dog. So of

    > course, I asked "What's the problem?" He responded, "The dog never wants to

    > stop playing. She really needs a family with children to play with." With 3

    > little girls running around at the time, we had no problem taking care of that

    > problem!

    >

    > He offered that he would bring the dog to meet us, no obligation. Tim even went

    > as far to say that if she didn't work out, he would take her back and find

    > another family for her. At that point, I thought, "What do I have to lose?"

    > We set up a time for next week. But I just couldn't stop thinking about her.

    > The kids were so excited they didn't want to wait. So I called Tim back shortly

    > and asked him how soon could he come by? He was going to be in the area the

    > next day so that would be perfect.

    >

    > Tim came with 2 of his racing dogs and the dog we would soon name, Shadow. The

    > racers jumped out of the van first, then we saw the black head of this dog

    > peeking out cautiously. She even tried to duck back into the van but Tim coaxed

    > her out by showing her a pine cone. "Watch this," he said, as he threw the pine

    > cone across the yard. We stood in amazement as this dog took off like

    > lightning, running even faster than the grey hounds who ran behind her. She

    > came back for more over and over again. Now I understood what Tim had meant by

    > needing some children to play with!

    >

    > We talked a few moments with Tim and then our whole family decided we would give

    > her a try. My husband, Ron and Tim kept talking and I took her into the house

    > to get some water. Surprisingly, she followed me right in and never looked

    > back. I gave her the water and then sat down on the couch. She walked right

    > over to me and put her head in my lap, then looked up at me with these

    > incredible, deep eyes that said, "Can I stay, oh, please can I stay?!" It was

    > instant love for both of us with that first look.

    >

    > Shadow followed me everywhere I went from that moment on. That's why I named

    > her Shadow. Wherever the family was, that's where she was too. This dog

    > brought laughter and happiness into a home that had at that point in time been

    > filled with so much sorrow and sadness after both my diagnosis'. She became the

    > catalyst for healing.

    >

    > This "dream dog" really did turn out to be a dream dog. Fully house broken, she

    > never once chewed anything up, while knowing basic commands and listening like

    > she understood every word I said to her. She was fixed and thought to be about a

    > year old. A black lab, great dane mix, she was elegant and sleek with a shiny

    > coat. She personified beauty in motion. Running after balls and pine cones is

    > what always made her happiest. She could actually fit up to 6 pine cones in

    > her mouth at one time! Loving, and a gentle giant, she was always very

    > protective of our family.

    >

    > About 3 months after we got her, we were out for one of "our walks". My

    > neighbor, Val on the opposite end of the block came out and said to me,"Where

    > did you get that dog?". I became uneasy thinking that she might know who she

    > belonged to. At this point I was totally attached and I was not giving her back

    > to anybody. I asked her cautiously, "Why do you want to know?"

    >

    > "Well, I got a call about a dog that was abandoned on a construction site from a

    > friend of a friend. We went out to this guy, Tim's house to take a look. He

    > said had too many dogs already and couldn't keep her." Val continued, "He told

    > us she liked to play and chase pine cones, but she wouldn't chase one for us.

    > Funniest thing, she looked just like your dog, but that dog wasn't friendly at

    > all. Wouldn't even come near us. We said, thanks, but this isn't the dog for

    > us."

    >

    > Amazingly, that dog was our Shadow. Soon after Val saw her is when she came

    > into our lives. She had been waiting for us.

    >

    > Shadow was over now 10 years old. Two weeks ago in her excitement to take our

    > walk, she feel down the stairs in front of me and slammed her chest really hard

    > into the floor. Although she was stunned, she appeared ok as she stood up and

    > shook herself off happy to take our walk. Within a week of the fall she started

    > to drool excessively, something she had never done before. Then I noticed that

    > when she laid on her side, it looked as though a big, beach ball was in her

    > stomach, her chest heaving with slow labored breathing.

    >

    > We took her to the vet and she diagnosed it as a diaphragmatic hernia. When she

    > had fallen the diaphragm that separates the heart from the other organs had torn

    > and natural barrier between the organs was no longer there to do it's job. Her

    > body was withering as her organs were now crushing on top of each other.

    > Because of all these pressures in her body she was growing anemic too. Though

    > she didn't appear to be in much pain, she had no energy or appetite and had lost

    > over 10 pounds. She passed out in front of me the other day and hit her head on

    > the cabinet. She has been getting weaker by the day. At 10 years old it was

    > doubtful that she would make it through the risky surgery necessary, and if she

    > did, she would have faced a long painful recovery. We just couldn't do that to

    > her. And so tonight, because we loved her so, we put her down before the real

    > suffering started.

    >

    > I can't help but think of some of the ways that she will be missed.... For 10

    > years she has been my walking buddy, rarely did I ever walk without her... now

    > we will have to fix the doorbell as we don't have our alarm, Shadow, to alert us

    > that someone is here anymore...and we will all miss the way she howled for

    > happiness whenever we would return home late.

    >

    > I grew up with many, many animals in my life, from snakes to a monkey and many

    > things in between! I have had to put down a lot of them along the way. It has

    > never been easy or fun. But this old girl was special. There will never be

    > another like her.

    >

    > Because this dog was literally heaven sent, I know that she will always be with

    > me in spirit. Those of you who have ever had the privilege of having a that

    > strong a connection with your pet will surely understand. Those of you who

    > haven't, I wish for you that you do some day.

    >

    > ###

    >

    >

    > It's been a long time since I sat down and wrote a story. This used to be a

    > passion of mine. Maybe losing Shadow has rekindled that spark and this will be

    > her last gift to me. Thanks for reading

    Tigger

    in Remembrance

    Posted · Edited by StridersSis

    Jenn Im so very sorry for your loss. Tigger was a very special boy :gh_run

     

    My thoughts and prayers are with you :grouphug :grouphug :grouphug

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