Thank God !

[Guest Anonymous]

I went out last night, just after midnight, to make sure all the heat
lamps
were working in the goat, chicken and turkey houses. The temperature
was supposed to go to zero or below. All the dogs had long gone to bed and the
night was silent. Stepping on the porch I was greeted with the sight of
a crystal clear sky and multitudes of stars. Turning on the flashlight
(we
refuse to have one of those blasted dusk to dawn monstrosities that
keep the stars from shining) I made my way to the barn.

Earlier in the evening I had taken some straw to freshen the farm animal's
bedding, and had dropped a flake outside the gate that I failed to retrieve.
Walking down the drive, I saw a set of bloody paw prints pressed into
the snow, that came out of the woods and ended at the pile of straw by the gate.

Curled on the pile of straw was a dog. Medium sized. Could have been
anykind of dog. It was hard to tell in the darkness. The only thing for
sure
was that it was a dark color. I put my hand on the back and felt cold
ribs.

I took my gloves off and felt behind the front leg. A heart beat.
Then
I heard a faint thump. The end of the tail was going up and down making
a slight impression in the snow, but the head didn't move. I saw the
deep brown eyes that seemed to say, "please don't run me off. I can't take another step." The feet were cracked and bleeding. I checked to make
sure the heat lamps were working and gently scooped up the frozen dog. No resistance, just the thump of the tail. Not much weight for the size
of the bundle. I made my way to the front door.

Coming inside I laid the dog down inside the door. It never moved.
Checking to make sure everyone was still asleep, I began the search for
a blanket. I was pretty sure we had used the last dog blanket for our
latest rescue. Nothing in the closet, nothing in the dryer, nothing on the
couch.
I went to the bedroom and gently retrieved the one off the bed. Even it,
was old and beginning to fray around the edges, but it was the last one available.
I folded it and set it by the heat register closest to the furnace.
Then I picked up the dog and laid it down on top.
After midnight, on New Year's Eve, in a very rural area of Southwest Missouri no way I could get a Vet to see this one tonight. We would
have to try tomorrow. I went to the kitchen and took a container of chicken
broth out of the fridge and popped in the microwave. I went back to the
livingroom and set the bowl down next to the blanket, within easy reach of
the cold nose. Another thump of the tail, was the only movement.

I reached down and put my hand under the chin, gently lifting the
head.
Now inside I could see that the dog was black, at least on the parts
that had not turned grey. Almost the entire face showed the white signs of time
past, and the pupils surrounded by those dark brown eyes were blue. The ears were that of a Lab and so was the tail which thumped every time I came near.
The body was skin and bone. There were no front teeth. The canines
were worn or broken down to nubs, and I was able to see three teeth in the back.
I didn't want to pry to see if the old dog was a male or female. It really
didn't matter anyway. I told the old dog I was going to go to bed and patted
it's head which was met by another thump of the tail.

On my way to the bedroom, I wondered how in the world the dog had
gotten to our farm. It came through the woods which were large and uninhabited.
I also wondered why here. The answer was simple. The hand of God had brought
the old dog to the right place.
It's morning now and I've been up for a few hours. The bowl of broth
was empty and the blanket was much as I had left it. No bloody paw prints
on the carpet, only on the old blanket. Sometime after I went to bed, the old dog lapped up the chicken broth and licked the bowl clean. The blanket had been
fluffed a little and the old dog had curled into a tight ball with the nose tucked inside the tail. When I bent down to say good morning, there was no
thump of the tail. I knew then that the old dog had crossed the Rainbow Bridge in the night. Kneeling there in front of the old dog, I thanked God
for the one old blanket I had left and for the hand that gently guided the old dog to Rainbow Farms. It was then that I thought of the poem that
Walt had written for us:
> > >
> > >
Listen to the kindness, spoken softly,
Often lost behind the tears.
Place your hand upon my shoulder,
Let it take away my fears."
- --Walt Zientek

May the New Year bring you closer to the hand of God, and all the old
blankets you may need.

Permission is given to repost anywhere - maybe it'll catch a few who don't appreciate the gift they

Again I do not take credit for this, just thought you all may enjoy it!


Rgeards,
Goblin

[alicat613]

Aww man, I was hoping for a happier ending! You guys and these sad stories...well, it was sad but sweet too. At least (s)he had a nice evening of warmth and quiet before passing on.

[Guest Anonymous]

Oh. Man.

That was a hard one.

So happy the dog got one last night of comfort.

Crying now.

All my coworkers are looking at me.

Can't really tell them why I'm crying cuz I should be working, not reading about dogs......

[Guest Anonymous]

I just thank God I have an ofice! can you picture a 260lb guy starting to cry in the middle of the work day......people would not know what to do....do we console him or run?? :wink:
Well just glad some of you enjoyed reading it and the message that went with it!


Regards,
Goblin


Ps. Look for us in the show ring, we will be the one with the blue ribbon :P

[Guest roo]

Goblin :(

no words just tears :angel:

[Guest Anonymous]

Sasha,


After hearing about you pure animal abusive use of bitter apple on your dog I'm not sure Goblin could handle the change from stick beating...uuuumm I mean training to chemical warfare :lol:
and on top of that I'm still wondering if he has puked up all the x-mass ornaments he has eaten yet and I'm not giving him up till I get ALL of them ornaments back :D

I do need to get some recent pictures as he is maturing well. The show season is about to start and I'm deciding if I was to continue to bulk him up of get him a bit more cut up by dieting. Also if I can find the release forms he is about to be put into an official UKC APBT calendar...weeeeee
Not sure if you guys remember his puppy picture but I guess it was good enough to be accepted.


I kinda feel bad for him right now with all the rain he is not getting much exercise other than sexually harassing his pillow....poor guy has way too much energy and hormones running through his system....he thinks he is a porn start on speed. Their are times I just close the bed room door and shake my head.....I wish he would give me as much privacy :o

On second thought Sasha are sure you still want him?

Regards,
goblin

[Guest Anonymous]

Goblin napisał(a):

I just thank God I have an ofice! can you picture a 260lb guy starting to cry in the middle of the work day......people would not know what to do....do we console him or run?? :wink:
Well just glad some of you enjoyed reading it and the message that went with it!


Regards,
Goblin


Ps. Look for us in the show ring, we will be the one with the blue ribbon :P

OHH!!! What the heck am I looking for?????

[Guest Anonymous]

OH FUNNY! Poor puppy!

[Guest Anonymous]

:de :dg 8) :dw :dg :-[ :-] :-I :dw :6 :m :dv

[yellowlabsrule]

Nice story. :cry:
At least he had some love, a nice meal, bed, and warmth before he passed on.

[behle]

Thanks for the story Goblin. :cry: After wiping the tears from my eyes I cut and pasted it into a word document to share with my fifth graders Monday morning. The world needs a little more tenderness and caring all the way around. :angel:

[mcobbin]

o.k....i just got through watching miracle pets...already surrounded by my own pool of tears..then i read THIS?!?! has anyone got any floatation devices or water wings.....an old inner tube.....anything? because i'm positively SWIMMING in tears right now! :cry: :cry: :cry: