I Remember....

Blogging Friends.... Thank-you, Molly, Freya, Tweedles and Ruby for your encouraging comments on the other day's lengthy post!! I appreciated them more than words can even express!! Update. I am now swallowing yet a third pill form of medication. But it is not for treating F.D. . No. This medication--I am calling it Plan C--is for treating severe acne. Which I haven't got!! Thus, I am a bit skeptical about whether or not Plan C will even be effective. Guess what? I still don't give a damn!! My next checkup appointment with Dr. Erin is on August 1st. Love you later.

   

I composed this poem before Shadow passed away. Yoda was my feline. He wandered away and disappeared in 1999. Goldie was our family cat. He was euthanized in 2004.

 

My heart is like a mansion;

Where abundant love dwells in;

It's designed with rooms aplenty;

For pets who have gone before me;

Your special place is deep inside;

When you die, that's where you'll abide;

Next door to Yoda and Goldie;

A place with lots of memories.

Losing your beloved canine and friend is the worst way to begin a Summer. In my experience, anyway!! After I euthanized Shadow on June 15th, 2010, we drove to countless birthday parties. In parks, of all locations!! And seemingly everywhere I observed--whether they were being walked or running leash-free--I saw canines!! Here I was, dog-free for the first time in over one decade. And everybody owned a canine but me!! Or so it felt. I opened my Inbox last week to find an e-mail from some dear friends. It bore heartbreaking news. Their 14-year old Beautifully Unique Mystery Dog--they guessed that she was an Australian Shepherd/Doberman mix--will be euthanized on June 21st, 2014. The first day of Summer. Ginger has now taken up full residency in my heart's mansion. She is next door to Tejas and Andy, who have gone before her. For those of you who did not understand that. Tejas and Andy were my dear friends' other canines. Tejas died in 2000. Andy? He died in 2011. My sister and I used to walk down our old city neighborhood block, cross the street, unlock their door, then play with Ginger {As well as Andy!!} while her Moms were away at work. We even walked Ginger {Alongside Andy!!} around neighborhood blocks. I remember.... That Ginger--who was mostly ebony-furred with some white and tan markings--suffered from a bad case of separation anxiety during her puppyhood days. {Despite Andy's companionship!!} I remember.... That as resulted to Ginger's separation anxiety, she chewed/clawed her Moms' upstairs wooden windowsill. What an unforgettable memory from her wild puppy days!! I remember.... That Ginger needed to be locked in a kennel. This arrangement obviously protected both herself and the house from harm. But. She "grew out of that" and was eventually granted freedom!! I remember.... My first Beautifully Unique mutt, Shadow's "first impression" on Ginger. Now. Shadow was very aggressive toward her own kind.... As though she were a trained dog fighter. My girl would growl, lunge forward and bark at every canine we saw. Ginger was not exempt in Shadow's mind. Yes, she growled, lunged forward and barked. But that did not deter Ginger from  becoming Shadow's best friend!! Somehow. Because Ginger won Shadow over!! What a girl. I remember.... That my sister and I used to occasionally walk Ginger {Alongside Andy!!} with Shadow for mile-long walks through our city neighborhood, past a brick Elementary school, {My landmark to home!!} and through other people's neighborhoods. I remember.... That Ginger was an energetic little girl with almost deer-like hind legs. They were great for running!! I remember.... That my sister used to "race" with Ginger full-speed down a hill!! While holding her leash, of course!! I remember.... That Ginger was my sister's "dream" dog. Well-mannered. Obedient. Sweet-natured. Like Rose!! I remember.... Ginger.