Monday, March 23, 2009

Ode To Friends That Have Passed

I wrote this small Ode to Sparky after we lost her a few months ago but was unsure if I'd post it for the world, with the passing of my mom's dog Winston, it seemed like a good time to share the thoughts...


Sparky "Sparkplug" - The Plugg Dogger:


Sparky was a dog who could explain life to you in one glance. Who could make you laugh with one silly act of mischief or ungracefulness. She was the kind of dog who you forgot was a dog, instead you felt she was an old friend. When I first met Sparky, I was sitting next to her master, my future husband - and she let me know just who was there first. Over time she let me in and we grew to not only love - but understand each other. To depend on each other for comfort when we were sad or just having a lazy day. Her heart and soul will be with mine forever. Sparky, I will miss you, I hope you are finally pain-free and able to do all you wanted.

Love you...

Winston:


Last night my mom's dog Winston passed away. He was the kind of dog that made you want to be a better person. I have a few stories to share that I think will let you know what I mean. See Winston was born with some genetic abnormalities - I don't know the technical terms, but he was born with little lesions on his brain and either missing kneecaps, or having severely malformed knees on his back two legs - these two things combined meant that he had a had time walking at all, or even standing for that matter. The joke was that he was drunk all the time, cause that's how it looked. My mom found him on a website, he was all the way in Russia and because of his physical problems he was going to be euthanized at the young age of ... well I don't know the details, but he was definitely still a puppy. My mom argued and faught for him to have a chance, and eventually had to pay perhaps too much in some peoples eyes to have him shipped to the states so she could give him the life he deserved. The day he arrived I remember sitting in the front yard with him, my mom was unloading things from the car. He was a little parana! I was wearing a skirt that day and he was in my lap nibbling all over the place wiggling like a little worm. At this point, he seemed extra wiggly, but not really any different then a regular puppy... but as he started to grow up and need to move more on his own, his difficulties really began to show. Playing with him in the backyard when I'd go over to their house was always such a happy occation, and one time when he was about a year old I remember playing with him and he was having an especially hard time getting up, and moving around, he just kept falling down. This is the moment that signified who Winston was as a personality for me... so he's falling down over and over for like a good minute straight, so he takes a second, as he's laying on the ground, takes a deep sigh as if he's saying "OK... next time I'm gonna stay up!" and he looked proud and determind as he stood up and with a big ol' silly pup-grin comes barreling down the way towards me. He was a strong, happy, life-lovin dog who never let his disabilities weigh him down, something I think we could all learn from. As time went by my mom payed for various surgeries and options for him to have an easier time, and that along with lots of practice and hard work, and happiness on his end, towards his end he rarely fell over at all, he was just a happy go-lucky little guy, and his gorgeous spirit will surely be missed.

Thanks for listening,
Kela