Monday, April 13, 2009

We're home/Thank you/Figuring things out

Oh, friends.

Your amazing outpouring of kindness makes my fragile heart smile.

Thank you for understanding.



I probably shouldn't be blogging. What I write will be neither cheery nor entertaining. Dear Readers, please do feel free to go to the next blog and check back in a little bit. Writing (next to hugging my hounds) is the best way I know to process "stuff" and I need to do that.


Carolyn and Greg had years ago named three friends in their will to take care of placing their dogs, should something happen to both of them. I was one of those three. (Never in our wildest dreams did we think... ) About four weeks before she died, Carolyn asked me to keep her oldest two, eleven year old siblings Easy and Spice. Easy had been a great good buddy of my Fat Charlie's, and Spice was Maria's mirror image. (Actually, Carolyn said - tearfully - that she was worried about where they would go. I said they were welcome to move in here, and she said that would be good.) Easy had surgery to remove his cancerous thyroid last year. It was supposed to give him a good quality ten months to a year. We prayed that Easy would outlive Carolyn. And bless him, he did.

Carolyn had helped us immensely, by letting some of the dogs go "visit" friends in the fall, knowing that they would stay. She couldn't bear to place Easy and Spice, Early, Beauty, or Jack, and trusted us to do that for her.

We had homes for the others, except Early. Early had lost a hind leg in a freak accident (actually after two surgeries to repair a fracture) as a six month old puppy. Carolyn had taken him through all his training and gotten him certified as a Therapy Dog. It was important to her to find a home for him where he could be a whippet and run and play, and where he could work miracles as a therapy dog.

I was on a mission. Not that generous people who would adore him hadn't volunteered to give him a loving home. But I felt a strong, personal burdon. I put out some quiet feelers. And then God, or the Universe, or a higher power, or whatever you believe in took over. Susan had two whippets. Her aged greyhound had just recently died. She had been active in greyhound rescue for years. She had been active in Animal Assisted Therapy and still does visits regularly. She has a perfect whippet yard, and goes to the beach. She trains obedience. She has a happy heart.

Even getting Early to Susan - from western Pennsylvania to southern South Carolina - was a breeze. We would all meet in Atlanta. I would be there just a day for the board and general membership meetings. Another friend (one of the three) was driving down and could bring Early. Susan had entered her whippets in Obedience and would be there. It worked.

We had to wait for the reading of the will, and though I knew that the dogs were getting excellent care, it haunted me to think of them sleeping in the house alone. It haunted me.

And then all hell broke loose.

[But the sun just broke through and I'm going to walk now. I hope I can hang on to Easy and Spice when they see all the Stupid City Squirrels around here.]

hug your hounds

26 comments:

  1. Hopefully Easy and Spice will be just the ticket to help heal your broken heart -- and you theirs.

    --Lindsey and Phoebe.

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  2. Maybe you, Easy and Spice can heal each other's broken hearts. We are sorry Giacamino and Carolyn passed away but you know they'll be watching over you.

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  3. All we can think is this: God never closes one door without opening another.

    We'll be back for the rest of the story.

    Love to you and Bill and the waggle, including Easy and Spice!!

    Joan and Jack and the Barkies

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  4. Now, we have heard that when Dog closes a door, he opens a window. Must be one of those small differences in regional coloquialisms (hmmm?) We will be watching for "The rest of the story" and yes, we listen(ed) to Paul Harvey.

    gussie

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  5. We will be here for happy, sad, incoherent, and overjoyed bloggies. We hope to hear more of this story and more about Easy and Spice.

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  6. Easy and Spice are blessing you, Patience, and so are we!

    Love ya lots,
    Maggie and Mitch

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  7. We too will be back for the"rest of the story"(we know Paul Harvey too.)and like Joey said count on us during good and bad times to be there for you.Love A+A+PL2

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  8. we're here for any story you would like to share, we hold you in our hearts.
    hugs
    puglette

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  9. We are waiting to read when you are ready to write ... and H-Mom believes that circles don't ever close, they link and continue and that's the way life is ...

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  10. w00f's, isnt that what blogging is about, with each other throught the good and the bad..rocky is a wild one when he sees a squirrel too..

    b safe,
    ~rocky~

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  11. w00f's, isnt that what blogging is about, with each other throught the good and the bad..rocky is a wild one when he sees a squirrel too..

    b safe,
    ~rocky~

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  12. Lady and I are always here for you if you need us and always happy to share your joys and sorrows as well.
    I was wondering what was happening with Greg and Carolyn's dogs, but I knew that with all the friends they had in the Whippet community that their dogs would find good homes.
    I'm glad that Easy and Spice are joining the Waggle and that Early has found such a perfect home.
    Love,
    Sheila & Lady

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  13. We are here for you.
    Kisses and hugs
    Lorenza

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  14. many hugs to you from the hairy lurchers. i hope things feel less painful soon.

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  15. How gracious - taking a few more into the Waggle - we are not surprised but, like others, await more .....
    Bflo Gayle and the whippets

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  16. WE awe also hewe fow you, whatevew you want to tell us is always moving and wowf weading..sometimes a giggle, sometimes lots of tisshoos.
    We will be back to heaw the west of this bootiful tale
    love and smoochie kisses
    ASTA

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  17. I thought that that was what a blog is for - to process whatever your experiences are! It doesn't need to be good writing (for me, that happens just once in a while anyway:) ) And you had plenty on your plate, lately! We just want to know how you're doing :)

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  18. We have faith that the best will happen for Easy and Spice. We know that you will make it so.

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  19. Patience,
    The writing doesn't have to be good or cheerful.
    I still haven't been able to write about my Dad's death. Through it all, I think there is a message for me in his death, but I just haven't been able to write it down, and I have been barely able to speak it. I hate that my job hasn't given me the time to do that (or many other things that NEED to be done).
    Sending some positive whippet beams in your direction...
    Celeste

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  20. We're not the kind of friends who're only there in good times so there's no need to worry. We'll be here to read what's going on in your lives right now. ;)

    Hope you had a good walk - and we're waiting for the rest of the story.

    Hugs,
    Ane & the boys

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  21. I'm glad you're blogging this. It will help.

    But, of course, we need to know the rest of the story.

    I doesn't sound good.

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  22. We know you will do the right thing for all the pups! They are very lucky to have you as their servant! We'll keep all our paws crossed for all of you!

    Aire-hugs,
    Poppy,Penny & Patches

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  23. So glad that you are home! Next time I see you I've got a special hug all prepared with your name on it.
    Blessings...V

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  24. Writing is indeed therapeutic, as is walking the dogs. We wait on the edges of our seat for the rest of the story, and understand that you must tell it in your own time and your own way.
    Blessings to you, Patience, for add two seniors to your waggle of whippets.

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  25. How wonderful that Early is in such a special family and that Easy and Spice are home.

    Your words are such gifts to all of us, even in your pain. Thank you for sharing your heart.

    Stardusted/Kathy

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  26. Even those of us whom you don't know well are here for you. The love that you have put to words has traveled far, landed in places you'd never have imagined, taken root and made beautiful (even through pain) the lives of so many. Now we want to be able to give some of that back. To you.

    Take good care of yourself.
    Keep writing.
    We will definitely keep reading.

    Fondly,
    Jake and Fergi

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