High Desert Life

A letter to my dog

Posted by: calpoppy, 18:23 GMT le 29 mai 2012

I know you have a couple of paws on that bridge right now, so I thought I would write this letter to you now, while you are still here. So here’s to you Dre.

We had fun, didn’t we!! You, your sister Ali and I. We hiked all through the San Gabriel Mountains and all through the desert. You never knew what a collar was or a leash ( except for those icky vet visits).

You probably don’t remember but I used to sneak you and your sister into work with me when you were just little pups. I couldn’t very well leave you at home by yourself, so I built a small pen and a shelter at the garden center and there you stayed with me, well until we got caught! Darn owner, said if he allowed me to take my dogs to work then the next thing people would want to take their kids to work. LOL But by then you were old enough to stay by yourselves. But I know you missed your MacDonald’s cheeseburgers on Sunday.

There was the time you were riding in the back seat of the car and all of sudden I heard you yelping! I turned around and saw the window had closed around your neck, you had stepped on the window controls!! One more time you did that, and I locked those controls!!

How about that time I showed you and your sister how to swim? Well, I didn’t exactly show you but I did push you both in, didn’t I! That was at Big Rock creek, there was a nice deep pool of water and you and Ali just wouldn’t go in. A little encouraging push and you were both swimming. You and Ali found out how much you loved it! I couldn’t get you out of there!

Remember Emmett, Marie’s pup? He crossed the rainbow bridge way before his time, just like your sister. A silly airedale he was, but he always had a crush on you. Remember the bear?? We were hiking with Emmett and his friend and the hair on you and your sister’s back went straight up. With quiet woofs you let me know it was a bear ahead. And sure enough out he bolted across the trail about 30 feet ahead of us. You and Ali stayed like the smart dogs you are, but Emmett took off after the bear. I think he was showing off to you! Luckily he came back. He thought he was pretty brave that day!

Then you met Mr. P and the pack!! You loved everyone of them, well maybe not Maggie but Maggie didn’t like anybody. Pete, Dawn, Shadow, Maggie and Skirt. Skirt was your favorite, you and her would play until you were exhausted!

What a great place to be for you and your sister! A pack to belong to, rabbits to chase and not a fence in sight!! Your humans trusted all of you and you never let them down! Before long two more dogs came into your life. Bear and Rocky. So a nine dog household began. All of you packed into a 600 sq. ft. cabin.

One by one your friends have crossed over, I am so sorry your turn is coming!!

But we had such fun, didn’t we.

Here is a picture of us a few years ago with most of the pack, I think there is only 6 here. It was so hard to get them all together, camera shy they were!

Here is Mr. P with seven pups coming back from a hike.

And here is Dre, in the water that she loves so much. When the creek by us runs a neighbor up the way makes a dam so the dogs who like water can go in. And Dre was always the first one in!

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1. auburn (Mod) 18:43 GMT le 29 mai 2012
Nice... Member Since: 27 août 2006 Posts: 538 Comments: 46640

2. Proserpina 19:11 GMT le 29 mai 2012
Yes, I have tears running down my face! What a beautiful tribute to Dre! So much human love in his life, I am sure that he is going with happy thoughts. I empathize with you as my own Koko is declining and she too will be going to doggie paradise in the near future. Sending warm thoughts for you and Dre. You write beautifully! Member Since: 6 mai 2008 Posts: 152 Comments: 16720

3. unclemush 19:13 GMT le 29 mai 2012
I love this!!! :) Member Since: 7 juillet 2001 Posts: 59 Comments: 13132

4. NEwxguy 21:14 GMT le 29 mai 2012
cal,that is a great note. We all as dog lovers face this eventually, my Prince is reaching that point,with congestive heartfailure,we are holding on to him with medicines and he is holding on,and doing pretty well right now, but like your Dre,he's approaching that bridge. Every day now I let him know how much I appreciate what he has given to our lives. Member Since: 6 septembre 2007 Posts: 815 Comments: 13069

5. Ylee 02:34 GMT le 30 mai 2012
Can't think of a better tribute for a cherished companion, cal. On a brighter note, the sled dog puppy cam should be up on my blog by the morning! Take care. Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

6. GardenGrrl 02:41 GMT le 30 mai 2012
Dre's not my dog and his story is not close to any of my dogs historys, yet my eyes teared up in perfect recognition of the one thing our dogs have in common; Love. Reading something so heartfelt and beautiful makes me grateful for those I have and those who have passed on. Member Since: 25 Mars 2007 Posts: 218 Comments: 7244

7. calpoppy 14:48 GMT le 30 mai 2012
Just a quick stop by to say hello to all of you that stopped by. I will be back a little later with comments. :) Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

8. MissNadia 15:09 GMT le 30 mai 2012
Very touching Mrs. P Thanks! Member Since: 27 juillet 2008 Posts: 0 Comments: 2674

9. calpoppy 20:13 GMT le 30 mai 2012
Hi auburn! Thanks for stopping by, don't see you out beyond your own blog to much anymore. Have a great WU reunion!!! Hi Pros!! I cried when I was writing it. Sadness and joy combined. Thanks for sharing it with me. It did make me feel better getting it out in writing. I know Koko is not doing well, I hope she has a way to go for the final crossing. Hi NewGuy!! Thank you for reading the letter! It sounds like Prince has a ways to go. thank goodness they have meds to keep our pups going longer. It sounds like he has a very caring friend in you by his side! Hi Ylee! 3 cheers for the puppy cam!!!! I looked this morning but no pups, I am going to look again when I finish writing. Hi GG!! In a way I wrote this for all my dogs that have crossed the bridge. Everyone of them were special. Some had very hard lives before they found us, but they found peace with us. Hi MissNadia!!! Thank you for stopping by! Also a super thank you for keeping me up to date on the Kodiak shootings!!!! It really is a very interesting case! Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

10. Ylee 07:01 GMT le 01 juin 2012
White rabbits, white rabbits, white rabbits, cal! Hope you have a great June! Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

11. WatchinTheSky 16:30 GMT le 01 juin 2012
Nicely done, sounds like many wonderful memories. Such is the reward for adding animals to the family, whether pooch - kitty - bird - etc. Time to dry the eyes and get back to work for me, Happy June 1st! Member Since: 20 septembre 2005 Posts: 115 Comments: 808

12. BriarCraft 17:59 GMT le 01 juin 2012
{{{Poppy}}} What a wonderful tribute and reminiscence! You did good! I know it's tough. Heck, I'm crying just from reading this blog. I particularly like the first photo, of you and Mr. Poppy and the pack. ... and I thought we were bad when we had 7 cats! Member Since: 21 juin 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2410

13. sp34n119w 21:55 GMT le 01 juin 2012
Took me awhile to get up the nerve to read your letter, calpoppy. That is beautiful and very touching. What a great idea to remember your guy and focus on what a wonderful time you've shared together. He's a beauty, btw :) You know I had a soft spot for your Bear since he became the Upside Down Dog. Is that him in the pic with Mr. P, right in front, smiling? Thanks for sharing your memories and photos. Member Since: 27 janvier 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 4043

14. Ylee 10:41 GMT le 02 juin 2012
Not to be anal or anything, but it strikes me funny that several posters here refer to Dre as a male, when you clearly stated she's a female! :) I guess the name sounds masculine? Hope you, Mr. P, and Dre are doing well! Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

15. sp34n119w 17:00 GMT le 02 juin 2012
You're right, Ylee, and thanks for pointing it out. I don't know how I did that. I'm sorry, calpoppy and Dre. Member Since: 27 janvier 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 4043

16. calpoppy 17:47 GMT le 02 juin 2012
Just a quick comment. SP, don't worry about making a mistake about what sex Dre is. Most everyone that has met her thinks she is a boy, Mr. P has been calling her a boy most of her life, LOL! Now if you got me mixed up I might have an issue! :0 I will be back later today or tomorrow. See you all then! Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

17. Ylee 17:19 GMT le 03 juin 2012
Not being an expert at such things, mind you, but I'm pretty confident at my ability to discern who is Mr. P, and who is Mrs. P! ;-) Hope you are having a nice Sunday! Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

18. RobDaHood 18:40 GMT le 03 juin 2012
What a wonderful thing and a fitting tribute to an old friend. Didn't quite make me cry, maybe a tad misty eyed for a moment, but then huge smiles from the invocation of similar memories of friends present and departed. Thank you for sharing this. I've been through it too many times. Always so hard. Nothing in this world quite like the love of a dog. ((hugs)) Member Since: 2 septembre 2008 Posts: 78 Comments: 25904

19. calpoppy 21:30 GMT le 03 juin 2012
Hi Ylee!! Thank you for the 1st of June greetings!! LOL on your comment #17! My youngest son (the one in the Coast guard) named Dre after Dr. Dre the rapper. I never did care for the name, but it stuck! That is why people get her mixed up with a he, plus she looks very boy doggish. The neighbor up the way calls her Grey, she doesn't seem to mind. :) Hi WTS! You must be busy, haven't seen you out in the blogs lately! Weather is getting to hot for me right now, in the 90's but another drop in the temps for Tuesday for us. Hi Briar! It was good for me to write the letter, you know we will only have the one dog left, Shadow after Dre goes on. And she is 13 and not in good health either. After she goes we are taking a break from pups and hopefully travel. I had fun going through the various pictures of all the dogs, though I can't believe I didn't have one shot with all nine of them!! Hi SP! Yes that is Bear. He was a big beautiful goof ball, who was very abused by what ever human he was with before us. Along with his best buddy Rocky, they were an emotional mess when they decided that food was more important then fear and they came to eat with the other dogs. In fact as long as we had Rocky, if he saw you uncross your legs he was gone as fast as he could run on 3 legs. Some painful memories just don't go away! Hi Rob! Thanks for the hug, :) Dogs are a big part of our lives, and as I told Briar we are going without their companionship after our last dog goes. At least for a couple of years. It will be hard, I already saw a litter of pups in front of the grocery store that were calling me! But for a couple of years we want to travel without the guilt of leaving the pups by themselves. And then get a couple of pups who can travel with us. Another big temp drop this coming week, on Tuesday. Looking forward to it. But it climbs right back up the next day. Harvested my garlic today. A different crop then last year, certainly not as many. My seed garlic went bad before planting time so I had to order new garlic bulbs to plant. I was pleased with the Susanville and the Polish White. The Kilarney Red was good also, but it missed the cold this winter. Now the squash and melons can take over the garlic garden, I am planting the Indian way this year. I will have corn in the garden also. That way the squash can shade the roots of the corn. I haven't grown corn for years, should be fun. I will have this blog up for a little while longer, then on to something not so sad!!!! Have a great rest of your weekend!! Stuffed bell peppers on the menu tonight, Tuesday carnitas! I haven't made either one of these so it should be fun. Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

20. sp34n119w 22:27 GMT le 03 juin 2012
See, that's why I was mad at myself! I am usually more aware. My most recent dog was always mistaken for male - not a big deal but, you know, when even people who've known her for years repeatedly call her "he", it gets annoying, LOL Makes more sense in a house with 9 dogs - one might easily get confused! Funnily enough, my dog was, I think, named for a male rock musician, which didn't help matters! I didn't give her the name (and she never answered to it anyway) but I didn't change it. Oh poor Rocky. I've known several dogs (and cats) that couldn't fully heal and it's always sad. How lucky for the two of them (all of your pups!) to have found a patient and caring home! Say, if one wanted to grow garlic in a pot, how deep would the pot have to be, do you think? They don't have long roots, do they? I have seeds, old seeds (can you even grow garlic from seed?), that I could try to ... wait. Who am I kidding? I only just cut down the parsley from last year that'd survived the winter and gone to seed a month ago! Thank goodness there are wuers who garden so I don't have to ;) Member Since: 27 janvier 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 4043

21. SBKaren 03:12 GMT le 04 juin 2012
Oh Cal - what a wonderful heartfelt letter! I can totally relate having recently put down our 18 1/2 year old Chihuahua. They are our family....aren't they? You know, our Sadie girl, the Border Collie mix we have now, must have had a troubled beginning too, as she still jumps when someone claps, or something makes a loud noise. When I take her on walks, I honestly don't have to use a leash, but I do for various reasons, the biggest one that when we approach another dog, she avoids the dog at all costs, sometimes stepping in to the street. She is always so excited to see me when I come home, even if I've only been gone for 30 minutes. She acts like it has been all day! I love her for that! I guess you have been getting very hot - at least according to the weather reports I've heard. We've had a visiting Mr. Eddy - who has been clearing - sometimes completely, sometimes not so much, but the temperature has been comfortable regardless. I planted lots of new lettuce, and now it is all gone. It's like someone just plucked it right up out of the ground. First time I've seen this. Could it be birds? Only thing I've noticed that is truly different. We have so many crows around .... do they eat lettuce??? I've got 7 more work days and about 3 more social functions to attend before I can call it summer. I'm looking forward to some 'down' time. I want to finish painting the house and then get new carpeting. I swore I would wait until our little Missy girl was gone, as she had so many accidents right before we put her down. I just had to wait until she was gone (and then the house was painted). So now, it's up to us to get busy. Guess we'll have to wait until after vacation, we head to Lake Tahoe early July with family coming on the 4th. Don't think we can get all the painting done in 2 weeks! Anyway, I'm thinking of you and Dre and hoping for a peaceful passing. That would be a blessing. Member Since: 21 février 2005 Posts: 191 Comments: 14182

22. Ylee 15:48 GMT le 04 juin 2012
I have a stepbrother who was named after a rock musician(don't ask, lol!) Have a good day, cal! Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

23. calpoppy 21:55 GMT le 06 juin 2012
Dre crossed the bridge yesterday afternoon. She was ready. When Mr. P was burying her next to her sister, something strange happened. On her sisters grave is a painted stone that a customer painted for her when she died. On the stone is her name and a snake. The snake is the symbol for resurrection in some native americans religion. Out from behind the stone came a gopher snake and it went up to Dre and just stopped and just stayed there until Mr. P moved. A coincidence I know but all the same it was really neat! Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

24. SBKaren 01:33 GMT le 07 juin 2012
Cal - I'm sorry to hear of Dre's passing, but it sounds like it was time. The snake was there to tell you something....I have no doubt! Member Since: 21 février 2005 Posts: 191 Comments: 14182

25. Ylee 11:54 GMT le 07 juin 2012
I'm sorry, cal. I know there's some comfort knowing she's no longer in pain, but it's still gotta hurt lots. Take care. Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

26. Proserpina 12:05 GMT le 07 juin 2012
I am so sorry, I just realized that Dre has joined her sister in doggie heaven. Interesting story about the snake. Maybe coincidence or not but I have had similar experiences with the passing of loved ones, but not snakes usually birds. Leaving my sympathy and warm thoughts. Member Since: 6 mai 2008 Posts: 152 Comments: 16720

27. BriarCraft 23:51 GMT le 08 juin 2012
Maybe the gopher snake came out to show Dre the way over the Rainbow Bridge. Saying good-bye is tough, I know, but just think of all the rabbits she's happily chasing again, without any aches and pains. Member Since: 21 juin 2004 Posts: 49 Comments: 2410

28. Ylee 09:57 GMT le 09 juin 2012
Hi, cal! Working this weekend? One more night for me, then I'm done for 48 hours! Take care! Member Since: 3 février 2011 Posts: 65 Comments: 11298

29. RobDaHood 00:41 GMT le 11 juin 2012
A coincidence, perhaps...or not. Truth lies mainly in the perception. It can be a different thing for different folks. Take it for what it is worth to you. There are many strange things in this life, many that can not be explained, but sometimes, perhaps, things happen for a reason. I often tell myself, that when the current pup is gone, that I will take a break. That things will be so much simpler without the responsibilities. Then I think how this one made my life so much easier when the last one left me. Whatever you choose to do, whatever you choose to believe, I know that the world was a little better place for the love shared between you and a dog. Funny how that works. God Bless! Member Since: 2 septembre 2008 Posts: 78 Comments: 25904

30. sp34n119w 05:08 GMT le 11 juin 2012
Just thinking of you, calpoppy. You have a nice warm week ahead. Okay, so "nice" may not be the right word. I like the snake story - that is really neat. Member Since: 27 janvier 2007 Posts: 77 Comments: 4043

31. calpoppy 16:38 GMT le 11 juin 2012
Thank you, Pros, Briar, Karen, Ylee, Rob and SP!!!! Your comments and condolences mean a lot to me. We have the last of the nine left, Shadow. Fitting that she would be the last since she was the Alpha of the pack of nine. Internet problems are keeping me off the internet at home. They say they won't have it fixed until thursday..grrrrrrrr!! I might have to go to town and find a wifi so I can do some updates. If I do I will have a new blog, we were adventuring yesterday! Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

32. SBKaren 02:27 GMT le 12 juin 2012
I just finished a book by Jodi Picoult, The Tenth Circle, and in it, they mentioned Dr. Dre. I wouldn't of had a clue about Dr. Dre if it weren't for you. Coincidence? Hmmmmmmmmmmmm Member Since: 21 février 2005 Posts: 191 Comments: 14182

33. code1 02:51 GMT le 12 juin 2012
Ahhh Cal, just seeing this. My heart bleeds with both of yours tonight. It's never easy, but you will know in time the great gift you gave her, the others, and she, them, you. I get the time off. You've been a great dog mom to many. Need to take time for yourselves to travel, to be the best dog mom again when you get home. Salute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Member Since: 18 septembre 2005 Posts: 66 Comments: 13872

34. calpoppy 13:38 GMT le 12 juin 2012
Hi Karen! Lol on Dr. Dre! Are you finished with your school year yet? I haven't read any Judy Picoult books tt she is on my list though. Right now I am reading the Game of Thrones series, on book 3 now. I have always liked stories that go on and on, and this one sure does that. Member Since: 18 février 2008 Posts: 33 Comments: 2429

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