For anyone who has lost their best friend

A pet's life span is only a small portion of ours, sometimes only a few short years, sometimes many more. The most difficult time we face is when our friend and companion has to leave us.


LEND ME A PUP

I will lend to you for awhile,
a pup, God said,
For you to love him while he lives
and mourn him when he's dead.

Maybe twelve or fourteen years,
or maybe two or three.
But will you, 'till I call him back,
take care of him for me?

He'll bring his charms to gladden you
and (should his stay be brief)
you'll always have his memories
as solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay,
since all from earth return
But there are lessons taught below
I want this pup to learn.

I've looked the whole world over
in search of teachers true,
And from the folk that crowd life's land
I have chosen you.

Now will you give him all your love
Nor think the labour vain,
Nor hate me when I come to take
my sweet Pup back again?

I fancied that I heard them say
"Dear Lord Thy Will be Done,"
For all the joys this Pup will bring,
the risk of grief we'll run.

We'll shelter him with tenderness,
we'll love him while we may,
And for the happiness we've known
forever grateful stay

But should you call him back
much sooner than we've planned,
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes,
and try to understand.

If, by our love, we've managed,
your wishes to achieve
In memory of him we loved,
to help us while we grieve,

When our faithful bundle
departs this world of strife,
We'll have yet another Pup
and love him all his life.

~author unknown~


"Here lies one who loved us and whom we loved".
"No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail. I will always love you as only a dog can."

from "The Last Will & Testament of an Extremely Loved Dog" written by Eugene O'Neillfor his wife Carlotta a few days before their Dalmatian passed away from old age in December, 1940.

(posted at the suggestion of johnday)

awesome Jim

This one has been all over the 'net. There are so many versions, but I like this one best.

RAINBOW BRIDGE
Just this side of heaven
is a place called "Rainbow Bridge".
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here,
that pet goes to "Rainbow Bridge".

There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends
so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine,
and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor;
those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again,
just as we remember them
in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content,
except for one small thing;
they each miss someone very special to them,
who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together,
but the day comes
when one suddenly stops
and looks into the distance.

His bright eyes are intent; his eager body begins to quiver.
Suddenly he begins to run from the group, faster and faster.
You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend meet,
you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again.

The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head,
and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet.
So long gone from your life
but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross "Rainbow Bridge" together……

"All Dogs Go To Heaven" - a story about a man and his dog was written by Earl Hamner Jr. (circa 1962). Earl was the creator of the TV series "The Waltons".

It was also used as the basis for an episode of the "The Twilight Zone".
______________________________________________________________


An old man and his dog were walking down a dirt road with fences on either side. The country they were traveling through was strange to them and a little unsettling.

On both the left and right the man saw a magnificent panorama of fields, streams, hills and valleys - just the sort of country a man and his dog can only dream of - but all long the fences on either side large "NO TRESPASSING - KEEP OUT" signs were posted every few feet, so they walked on.

Soon the two companions came to a magnificent gate chased with gold and encrusted with precious stones. An imposing figure in a flowing robe of the purest white stood there beside it.

"Welcome to Heaven" the man in the robe said.

The old man was stunned beyond words. He hadn't even realized that he was dead! At least, he thought, his hound, the closest friend he had in all the world, had made the trip with him. With a sigh and a smile, the old man started through the gate with his dog at his side, but the gatekeeper stopped him.

"Dogs aren't allowed." he said. "I'm sorry but he can't come in here with you. He'll have to stay out on the road."

"What kind of Heaven won't allow dogs?" asked the old man. "If he can't come in, then I won't either. I'll just stay out here with him. He's been my friend all his life. I can't walk away from him now."

"Suit yourself," said the robed figure, "but I have to warn you, the Devil's on this road and he'll try to sweet talk you into is place. He'll promise you anything to get you inside, but the dog can't go there either. If you won't leave the dog, you'll spend Eternity on this road. There's no room in Heaven or in Hell for a man's dog."

So the old man and his dog went on their way.

In time, they came to a rundown fence with a gap in it - no gate, just a hole where a few boards had fallen off or been removed. Another old man, humble in appearance, was fishing in a pond just inside the fence. The man and his dog stopped at the gap. "Excuse me, Sir", the old man said. "My dog and I have been on this road for a long time now. We're getting mighty tired. Mind if we come in and sit for a spell?" "Of course!" said the man inside the fence. " Come right on through.

There's some cold water under that tree over there. He gestured toward a huge old oak tree with majestically spreading branches. At it's roots a bubbling spring rose, cool and refreshing. "Make yourselves comfortable. You're welcome to stay as long as you please."

"You're sure my dog can come in, now?" the old man asked. "The man down the road said dogs weren't allowed anywhere around here."

"Would you come in if you had to leave the dog?" asked the fisherman.

"No sir, I would not!" the old man replied. "That's why I didn't go to Heaven back down the road. The man there said my dog couldn't come in with me." He shrugged and continued. "We'll be spending Eternity on this road, I suppose, just the two of us. A glass of cold water and some shade would be mighty fine right about now, but I won't come in if it means my friend here has to wait on the road."

The man behind the fence smiled a big smile and said, "Welcome to Heaven, friend."

"Hold on, now! You mean THIS is Heaven?" asked the old man, quite surprised. "Dogs ARE allowed? How come that fellow down the road told me different?"

"That was the Devil back there." St. Peter replied, for indeed, the old, ordinary seeming man behind the fence was none other. "He gets all the people who are willing to give up a lifelong companion for a little comfort. They soon find out their mistake, but by then it's too late."

"The dogs can still come in here," he continued, " but the selfish people stay back there. God wouldn't allow dogs to be banned from Heaven. After all, He created them to be man's companions in life, how could he separate them in death?"

A smile that went from ear to ear broke out on the old man's face. He reached down to his side, ruffled the fur on his dog's head and said, "C'mon, boy!" And with that, the two of them passed through to the other side of the fence.

The two of them walked up the gentle rise to where the shade of the oak and the cool water from the spring awaited their coming.

"Tribute to the American dog"

I know that I have posted this before, but it is worth posting again for those that haven't seen it before....... Junk

Eulogy to "Man's Best Friend" The Dog


Gentlemen of the jury:

The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most.

A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its clouds upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.

Gentlemen of the jury, a man's dog stands by him in prosperity and in poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side.

He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer. He will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by his graveside will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death."

~By Sen. George Graham Vest of Missouri.


On Oct. 28th 1869 in Johnson County, Missouri a hunting dog by the name of "Old Drum" was gunned down by a sheep farmer. The farmer's name was, Leonidas Hornsby. Prior to killing "Old Drum", Hornby threatened his neighbors by stating "he would kill the next dog he caught on his property". This so happened to be "Old Drum" owned by Charles Burden. Burden sued Hornsby and hired three lawyers (George Graham Vest, Wells Blodgett and John Phillips) to defend his case. Hornsby was defended by two other prominent lawyers, Thomas T. Crittenden and Francis Cockrell. During the trial in Warrensburg, Missouri (Sept. 23, 1870) Vest is reported to have stated that "he would win the case or apologize to every dog in Missouri." The preceding was the text to Vest's "Tribute to the American dog":

George Graham Vest won the case in Warrensburg and won it again before an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court. In memory of this event, a statue honoring "Old Drum" and the words of Vest was erected in Warrensburg. Sen. George Graham Vest, U.S. Senator, C.S. Congressman, Confederate veteran, conservationist and champion for the rights of Native Americans, died in August 9, 1904 in Sweet Springs, Saline Co., Mo. He was buried in Bellefontaine cemetery in St.Louis, Mo.

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Beyond the Rainbow