Our Joy is Now Our Sorrow

Sammy; David & Sammy; Teddy at bottom.

Gift of Thistle (click for music)

I hope to publish another blog soon for our family pets but today Our Lady's Little Scribe is the place we will remember and grieve for two precious ones, Sammy and Teddy, lost this month. Sammy was hit by a speeding car yesterday, December 30th, in front of his home. For some reason, he left his yard (during his potty break), crossed the street and wandered off for a few minutes. He was on his way home again when he was hit and gone in an instant. He was a bedlington terrier, very, very smart, funny and full of life. I groomed Sammy once. He was so good, very still and seemed to enjoy the whole process. He had a regal air about himself. I felt as if I were the attendant to a prince tho he occasionally bared his teeth in an ungentlemanly fashion. This happened if anyone became too bossy with him, not to threaten us but only because his nose itched when he became aggravated. He leaves behind his human family of mom, dad, and three brothers along with his special companion Lucy the dog and other furry ones. Sammy was my granddog. We are heartbroken.

Teddy came to live with us in the spring along with his lifetime companion Rosie, who is almost blind. They were rescued from the local shelter. Teddy was a Maltese mix, a very sweet and loving companion who followed my every step. I think he was happy living with us, maybe the happiest he had been in a long time. He seemed to be as he ran around the yard, barked at squirrels, and chased a cat or two, but he had a severe collapsed trachea, the worst our vet had ever seen. Breathing was very difficult. The medicine became less effective, and x-rays showed that the collapse was progressing with the possibility of a smothering death coming soon. On December 18th, my husband and I and Rosie accompanied Teddy to rainbow bridge where he waits for us. I held him in my arms as he crossed over. Our joy is now our sorrow.

How can we explain our tears to those who do not understand and have never experienced the deep devotion and bond between a dog and his humans? I know an elderly couple whose little dog was killed by a car (driven by a negligent friend). The husband told me that all they could do was cry. Day after day, they cried.

To bond with a dog is to know joy, laughter, affection unlimited, touch, love, the end of loneliness and always forgiveness. Always forgiveness. To share life on this level with one of God's creatures is, for some, the beginning of understanding of God himself.

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of Mercy!

Our life, our sweetness, and our hope!
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve,

to thee do we send up our sighs,

mourning and weeping in this valley, of tears.

Turn, then, most gracious advocate,

thine eyes of mercy toward us;

and after this our exile show unto us the

blessed fruit of thy womb Jesus;

O clement, O loving, O sweet virgin Mary.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.