Fabulous Furry Friends

DOG

When GOD made the earth and sky, the flowers and the trees,

He then made all the animals, the fish, the birds and bees.

And when at last he'd finished, not one was quite the same,

He said, "I'll walk this world of mine and give each one a name."

And so he travelled far and wide and everywhere he went,

A little creature followed him until its strength was spent.

When all were named upon the earth and in the sky and sea,

The little creature said, "Dear Lord, there's not one left for me."

Kindly the Father said to him, "I've left you to the end,

I've turned my name back to front and called you 'DOG,' my friend."

~Author Unknown~

I am a dog lover! Not just any dog, my dogs. Although I think most canines are cute, there's a little something more in the two I've called my own. Kind of like my children, I guess!

On Tuesday, June 15th, 1993, my childhood dream came true. I was 16 and always wanted a dog. Pebbles, a 14-month-old Shih Tzu, was advertised on the radio. This was the best $200 my parents ever spent on me.

Pebbles added so much to our family. At first we were not sure what adventures a puppy would bring, afterall we were a family who had never owned a pet of any kind. It didn't take long for her to win our love and move into our hearts. She was a great dog! Pebbles spent just over 12 years and 7 months with us. She was two months shy of her 14th birthday when we had to make the very painful decision to have her euthanized. Although I often wondered if we should wait just one more day, to do so would have been selfish. On February 2nd, 2006, with heavy hearts, Jeremy and I carried our beloved family pet into the veterinary hospital, said our final farewells and gave our last nose kiss. Shattered, numb, empty. I found that looking through photos and scrap booking her life helped dry my tears. Our daughters were sad as well however, there were times that I felt they were tending to my loss more than I to theirs. Pebbles was MY childhood dream come true. She was MY dog - and now she was gone!

Pebbles’ Last Wishes

When you see that I am weak,
And pain is keeping me from sleep.
Will you be strong when I am not?
And know the battle I have fought.
You will be sad but no less,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
Take me to where my needs they’ll tend,
And stay with me until the end.
Hold me tight and talk to me,
Until my eyes no longer see.
And though my tail its last has waved,
From hurt and suffering I’ve been saved.
Think of memories through the years,
And fill your heart with happy tears.

Love, Shauna

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My search for another dog soon began. Some may have thought of this as replacing Pebbles. How dare they? There was such a void in our home that welcoming a puppy could only lift our spirits. As a family, we had so much to offer a dog. On April 7th, 2006, after many phone calls and emails with a breeder who was 8 hours away, we anxiously waited in the cargo area of the airport for our 12-week-old Shih Tzu to arrive.

We decided on the name ASJA (pronounced Asia). Her name is the acronym of the four initials of the members of our family. ASJA has been an absolute delight to have. She has an entirely different personality than Pebbles, although many of her mannerisms are similar (specific to the breed, I'm sure.) Comparable to the feelings of adding children to the family, some may wonder if you'll feel the same as you did with the first. It's amazing how the human heart has a way of multiplying when another is loved...there is no such thing as having to divide your love! This is how we feel about ASJA. We told her from Day 1 that she had big paws to fill, she is trying her best!

Here is a poem I wrote for ASJA on the day we picked her up.

On this beautiful April day,
Little ASJA has come our way.
To lift our hearts and ease our tears,
As we remember the wonderful years.
That Pebbles filled with fun and love,
Her tail is wagging from up above.
And each new day with ASJA we spend,

Will remind us how great Pebbles was ‘til the end.