In
celebration of The Raisin’s time on this earth she asked me to have her turn posting
on my Facebook page and to also post her thoughts on our Adventure Blog since
she was part of so many of our family adventures. Although Raisin is the resident electronics’
expert at the Dally household she will admit that she is all paws on the
keyboard. I now turn today’s(technically
yesterday’s) posts (and this blog posting) over to The Raisin.
I
knew when I joined the Dally household over 9 years ago today that my time would
be limited. I had my work cut out for
me. It is no small feat to attempt to
properly train a batch of stubborn, unpredictable and know-it-all humans but I gave
them every ounce of energy, attention and determination I had in my stocky furry
body. I may have shown up with rolls of
wrinkles, soft perfect pink paws and a wagging tail but inside my pudgy package
beat the heart of a warrior. Some of
their flaws I have had success in modifying (they need constant daily training)
include keeping a strict schedule each and every day. Although it was tempting to let them sleep in
on the weekends, eat at different times each day and come and go as they please
I have worked tirelessly to keep them on track.
I
have also broken down their irritating habits of attempting to keep their
floors spotless (muddy paws will happen), sleeping all night (when you gotta go
you gotta go) and not sharing their human food with the furry family members
(my little brother Jay will need to continue working the perfect puppy dog eye’s).
Being
part of the Dally family has also been a slightly undignified and embarrassing experience. I have attempted daily to teach and share the
way of the Shar-Pei with them. Stoic,
regal and unmoving are my personal Pei motto and yet they continue to be goofy,
silly and way too emotional. Whoever
created dog clothing must be punished. I
ask you is it really necessary for us to wear matching outfits to every dog
fundraiser in town? And don’t even get
me started on Halloween costumes and pictures with Santa Paws. Thank goodness I never cracked a smile for
the employees at drive through windows, have always growled at anyone at the
front door (even if I already know them) and have managed to look unimpressed
with every stranger I have met.
I
have taken my job as personal human protector, home invader preventer and schedule
keeper very seriously. To date our home
has never been breached by cats, squirrels or Fed Ex drivers. I have also managed to maintain my personal
decorum while camping (no bear, deer or fish attacks), at the dog parks (don’t you
dare expect me to fetch that) and on the trail (don’t even look at my human or
talk to them).
Today
was a fantastic Pei day! Two walks in
the neighborhood, an off leash walk at Eagle Island State Park, Coffee “Puppuccino”
from Starbucks, my very own Happy Meal from McDonald’s (mom said no Diet Coke
for me though) and quality time with Alex.
And the best news of all is I am finally free from lung cancer. Thank you Dr. Kathi for a beautiful and
peaceful send off this afternoon.
I
have left my legacy in my baby brothers paws.
I will admit I do have my reservations about Jay filling my shoes. Seriously no respecting Shar-Pei asks for
belly rubs. And he can be seriously
goofy and annoying wanting to play with his toys (everyone knows they are only
for shredding and not playing). But I
have done the best I can to mentor him in the fine arts of being an Alpha
dog. Such important lessons as selective
listening when being spoken to, pretending to be asleep when it is time for
early morning walks (I fooled them many times and got to sleep an extra hour) and
how to growl without barking (why waste the energy) have been demonstrated time
and time again. I have also imparted
with Jay the tricks I use to try to sit up in the front of Daddy’s truck and where
the best sun beams are in the living room during the day to nap in.
You
may be wondering what I have in store now that I can breathe again and am free
from constant discomfort and pain. I
have heard a lot of whispers and rumors about Rainbow bridges, peaceful meadows
and endless frolicking but you know a warrior Pei like me is meant for much grander
missions. You see I have also heard of
people on earth who mistreat my furry brothers and sisters in this world and it
has always bothered me that I was not there to stand up for those that could
not. So a word to those who have not
treated the canines of this world with love, respect and kindness. My name is The Raisin, I am waiting for you
and I am permanently off leash!
This made me cry! The last paragraphs remind me of a book called A Day in Dogtown (don't read it unless you want to bawl your eyes out). So sorry The Raisin is gone but I'm glad the pain is now gone and The Raisin is whole again.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry, Kelly. I can only imagine how hard this is for you. You're in my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful tribute. I am so sorry for your loss, but happy that the Raisin had such a thoughtful "parent".
ReplyDeleteThank you everyone for your kind thoughts and words. I was just in my craft room and it was my first time down there without her sitting directly behind my chair. A thousand reminders each day of where she should be but is no longer. So hard. Her lung cancer diagnosis came as a complete shock on the 5th and there was nothing we could do. Ironic that I purchased a cancer rider on both dogs insurance policies when they were pups and there were no options to fight it. It was simply too late. I pick up Raisin's ashes this week and have a beautiful personalized box to keep them in until I feel comfortable spreading them. That will be a hard errand to run. Thank you again for the support.
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