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A Special tribute
Wings of Pegasus
Fiji 8th March 1994 & Patch 4th May 1996
Fiji (Terrier) - 1982-1993, aged 17 years
(she was estimated by the vet to be six years old when we found her)
Patch - 1982-1997 - aged 16 years old.
(He was one year old when we got him from Bristol Dogs Home)

Until we meet
by Christine Wyndham-Thomas


You both listened when I talked
as we went on our daily walk.
You both were there when you so tried,
to comfort me when I cried.

My memory will never fade,
Of the joy you brought each day.
So au revoir to both of you,
'til the day we meet anew.
Fiji was the first dog we ever had. Clive found her just after Christmas walking a railway line. She had no name tag and looked in a bad condition. He brought her home. We soon discovered she had seizures. The vet put her on tablets and said she would have to remain on them for the rest of her life. However, she got worse and one day, just after she collapsed, I threw all her tablets away and got Denes herbal remedies. Over the years, her seizures reduced and she lived until 17. She's the one dog I've still got a bond with even now. She was a very very clever dog. Benji (my other dog) and her would have made a superb couple. Both extremely clever and with a mind of their own.

One day when I was at home playing computer games and really engrossed, Fiji tried to gain my attention, but I ignored her and told her to go and play in the garden. I heard her going out of the lounge door and I did ponder what she was doing. I didn't hear her come back in, but the next thing - there she is sat right in front of the television I was playing my game on, holding her empty water bowl in her mouth.

When I took her for her evening walk, one day she pulled me in the opposite direction to where we normally walk. I decided to give in to her, because she wouldn't budge unless I did, and decided to go where she wanted to go. She took me right outside the Fish and Chip shop, sat down and refused to budge. So I decided to buy her a piece of fish. She ate every mouthful but never again did she do that. Whether she had hoped I would get her chicken......!

Fiji and my husband never got on...well, more so her with him! She was a one-person dog, and that person was me. Shortly after having her, she jumped up on an old chair that nobody used, but hubby told her to get off. She looked at me and I told her she could stay there and that that chair in future would be hers. I am really not exaggerating when I say this, my word of honour, but she looked at Clive and gave one flick up and down of her tail as if to say "so there!"

Even now, I miss her terribly.

Patch was a typical dog. He always enjoyed finding a way out of our garden and going wanders on his own, but always returning four hours later. We never knew where he went, nor how he got out. He always knew if we were watching!
We got Patch to keep Fiji company when we were at work. They got on quite well together, but Fiji was the boss and she made sure Patch knew it. When the postman came, they'd both go running towards the door and God help Patch if he got there first. Mind you, Patch knew how to get his own back. If Fiji was chewing a chew and he had had already eaten his, all he had to do was bark and Fiji would run straight to the door, thinking someone was there or that it was the postman. Patch would then grab her chew. She'd come back wondering where it had gone! They were like Tom and Jerry, but in a nice way.

1993-17th December 2007
Pippin filled the void that was left by Fiji.
(She was one year old when we got her from Holly Hedge Sanctuary)

Au revoir
by Christine Wyndham-Thomas


Thank you life for the times we've had,
the fun we've shared and it makes me glad
to know you as a Special Soul:
loving, caring, warm, not cold.

Your time on Earth was never dull,
living every day life to the full.
Girl, you were a timeless treasure
that Father Time cannot measure.

Sadly, you're no longer with us,
and I'll do my best to make no fuss.
But you were loved and full of lovin',
Au revoir, precious Pippin.
Sadly, we had to have Pippin pts. She was aged 15. About a month ago we took her to the vets and was told that her condition was due to old age. About a week ago she gave up eating; could eat but simply didn't want to. If we put food in her mouth she would simply drop it to the floor. She would just lie on the floor all day and only get up if she needed to go into the garden. We treated her homeopathically and for a while she did start to show a small interest in food, but it didn't last. When I got home from work yesterday Pippin wasn't there, so I knew Clive had taken her to the vets. It was the right thing to do. I think she would have gone by the end of the evening.

We didn't leave her at the vets but took her to a place called Companions Haven, which is a family-run crematorium for companion pets. They have a Chapel of Rest where you can say your goodbyes before she's cremated and the ashes returned to you. We scattered them in her favourite place in our front garden by the gate where she loved to sit and look at the house, as if she was keeping watch.

She was a great girl and like a mother to our other two dogs, especially Benji, because she loved puppies. When we first brought Benji home he was three months old and she adored him. I remember one day they were both sat in the kitchen while I was doing some toast. I gave Pippin a piece of toast and she dropped it in front of Benji for him to eat first.

She has given us such wonderful memories, but there are two that will stand out the most and both occurred in Snuff Mills - a place I liken to a fairyland in the heart of Bristol. In those days she ran like a bullet, and we were walking through there one day when she suddenly just took off and headed straight towards an old lady with a very small puppy. Well, the look on that lady's face when she saw this black labrador running like a bullet towards her I can't help but laugh about it now, but I was just too far away to make her hear that Pippin wouldn't hurt her. It was the puppy that Pippin was interested in. She was licking it all over as if she was cleaning him. i apologised to the lady, but she could see that Pippin just genuinely loved the puppy and she didn't mind.

The other occasion, and I wish I'd had a camera on me, was when I was walking through Snuff Mills with her on a beautiful summer's day and I was miles away in a daydream - Snuff Mills gets you like that - and I suddenly heard a little girl's voice say, "That dog's got my bread." I remember ignoring it and carrying on walking. She then became a little louder and again said, "That dog's got my bread." For some reason I thought to myself, dog, bread. I knew Pippin ate bread, because she would eat all the bits and pieces I threw out for the birds. Anyway, I came out of my daydream and I will never ever forget what I saw. There were nine baby ducklings all huddled together in a section of the river near the bank - and I could have picked all nine up in the palm of my hand, that's how small they were - and there was Pippin in the river catching the pieces of bread that the little girl was trying to throw for the ducklings. She came out when I shouted at her and shook herself all over me. Mind you, I did need cooling down at that point because I was in a fret that she may have snapped the ducklings accidentally.

She's had a very good life and a lot of wonderful experiences and every year she went on holidays with all of us, so she has thoroughly enjoyed her time on Earth.

I hope Patch is at Rainbow Bridge to meet her, because he idolised her; so too did Sly, my sister's dog, who was pts a few weeks ago and was also a Labrador-x., similar to Pippin.

To us she will always be known as Mother Pippin. Time to move on, girl, to pastures new!
Lucky
1997-26th September 2008 - aged 13 years.
Lucky filled the void that was left by Patch
(He was two years old when we got him from Holly Hedge Sanctuary)

Au revoir, not goodbye
by Christine Wyndham-Thomas


I shed tears that you have gone,
but in my heart, you still live on.

I close my eyes and see you clearly;
My memories of you I hold so dearly.

I hear your bark and I look down,
Are you saying you're still around?

Lucky, you held a Special Place,
No other dog can fill that space.

But life goes on, and so must I
It's au revoir, but not goodbye.
Nine months after saying goodbye to our Pippin, dear old Lucky was sent to join her. He hadn't been himself for some months, and the vet said he could give him a booster to boost his energy levels up, but there would not have been quality of life and so we decided to do the best thing for him.

Lucky was aged 13. We got him from Holly Hedge Sanctuary at the age of 2. They classed him as a juvenile delinquent. He had had two homes before us and neither could cope with him - so We were third time lucky. We decided to keep his name - Lucky by name, Lucky by nature!

We didn't know then there were any problems with Lucky except we were told by the Sanctuary that when they found him he was in such a bad state they didn't think he would live, and that a carer used to stay at the Sanctuary during the night just to comfort him because he was so distressed.

Poor Lucky was such a traumatised dog that it took two years of him being with us before I actually started seeing a difference in him and knew that at last he was beginning to settle. He used to fear anything that moved, even a leaf; even little puppies that were no bigger than the palm of my hand that just wanted to play with him he wouldn't walk past them, I had to carry him, and if one did start coming towards him he'd run in the opposite direction with tail between legs and ears right back.

Everytime I came home from work he would look at me as if I was a total stranger. If I talked to him to try and reassure him, it would make him worse. In the end I found the best course of treatment was to ignore him totally and not even speak to him, but just go about my business as if he wasn't there. If I did that, he would be the first to come round me and lick me and rub into me to gain my attention. He was fine then but I had to let him come to me; not me go to him.

We had him vaccinated when we had him, because we didn't know about the vaccination issue, and within three months of doing that I suddenly found he had no fur on his leg. It was then that I took him to a homeopathic vet and within two weeks of just giving him three little tablets and monitoring progress, his fur had started to grow back. And it was around about that time that the World in Action programme was shown with Catherine O'Driscoll highlighting the scam of the yearly vaccination programm.

Lucky's the only dog I've ever known turn his nose up at a raw meaty bone. It's not that he can't eat them, because unbeknown to me he had managed to grab a cooked lamb bone from a dustbin I'd thrown out one Sunday lunch time, a big one at that, and my god he wouldn't let anyone go near him. He will eat raw tripe, but try putting down any other raw meat - forget it; he'd rather starve than eat it and I am not exaggerating.

He soon gained confidence and became a much loved dog. Without Lucky I would never have taken an interest in Homoeopathy, so I thank him for that.

Lucky was a character and there'll never be another dog like him. Pippin had a lot of patience with him (bless her), because up the field he used to love to chase her, jump on her back, and pull her down. He'd come running back towards us real pleased with himself. Pippin took it all in her stride and never once lost her temper with him.
rainbowsbridge.com
www.angelbluemist.com
Many beautiful poems on grief can be found at
Poetic Expressions

The Rev. Dale Turner
Pets who gave us love in this life are waiting to greet us in heaven.
Darcy
Darcy 2001 to 19.04.2006 (Satu)


Memories are made of this
A wavingtail,
Brown eyes that greet you with delight,
The morning raptures after night.
Memories are made of this
The slowing down, the frequent sleep,
Yet still they surface from the deep
And greet you.
Memories are made of this
We sit, remembering, and capture
All those moments of brief rapture.
We know
That when they go
We will miss them ... even so
Memories are made of years
Of dogs beside us.
Don't deride us
If we shed tears ...
They gave us pleasure without blame
Cared not if we were rich, or lacked all fame;
When we needed them they came.
The roll call grows too long -
Memories are made of this.

from A Dog Beside Me - a book of poems (For Sorrel) by Joyce Stranger
Fiji 8th March 1994 & Patch 4th May 1996
Fiji & Patch (Christine)

GoodBye
by Melanie Safka


And it's the saddest thing
Under the sun above
To say goodbye
To the ones we love
But I will not weep
Nor make a scene
But say: "Thank you Life
For having been"
 Chippy 29th June 2004
Chippy
28.09.1990 to 29.06.2004 (Maxine)

What is Dying?
by Bishop Brent


A ship sails and I stand watching
till she fades on the horizon,
and someone at my side says,
"She is gone." Gone where?
Gone from my sight, that is all.
She is just as large as when I saw her...
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her.
And just at the moment when someone at my side says,
"She is gone," there are others who are watching her coming,
and other voices take up a glad shout,"Here she comes!"
..... and that is dying		 Silver
Silver (LizJay)

I am not there


Do not stand by my grave and weep
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow;
I am the diamond glint on snow;
I am the sunlight on ripened grain;
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there; I did not die.
Merrie 21.04.94-02.05.05
Merrie (Anne Grose)

Treasured Friend


I lost a treasured friend today
The little dog who used to lay
Her gentle head upon my knee
And share her silent thoughts with me...
She'll come no longer to my call
Retrieve no more her favorite ball
A voice far greater than my own
Has called her to His golden throne.
Although my eyes are filled with tears,
I thank Him for the happy years
He let her spend down here with me
And for her love and loyalty.
When it is time for me to go
And join her there, this much I know...
I shall not fear the transient dark
For she will greet me with her bark.
 Senate 5th December 2004
Senate (Pat Richmond)
Missed so very much by all his family.

Shades of Gold


As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played,
I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade.
I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free
Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity.

I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side
Were meadows rich and beautiful -- lush and green and wide!
And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see
Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be!
My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new
And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do.

I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright
That this place is truly wonderful, then a bright Glow pierced the night.
'Twas the Glow of many Candles shining bright and strong and bold
And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold.


For although we may not be together in the way we used to be,
We are still connected by a cord no eye can see.
So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart
If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart.

Sasha
Sasha (Carolann)

Sorrow
by Robert Browning


I walked a mile with Pleasure
She chatted all the way,
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne'er a word said she,
But oh the things I learned from her
When Sorrow walked with me.

 

Tread Carefully
by Celia Danks


Tread carefully when you load yourself with guilt,
and step around the feelings you yourself have built.
Caress the air and breeze as it blows across your face,
and know that here on earth may not be the better place.

Tread carefully when you feel that sorrow in your heart -
better to have known and then to part.
For never to have known is such a barren place;
and never to have loved is never to have grace.

Tread softly in that space you think you cannot fill,
the spirit of your loss is real and with you still.
Now let that spirit leave and find its peace;
send it on with love and sweet release.
Do not bind it to yourself with sad regret;
had you instead wished you'd never met?
For though you had the sadness and the sorrow,
you also have the joy of sweet tomorrow.

Now take it in your heart, this new born day;
keep it with your pain, it need not go away.
Pain is but a part of life's great scheme -
the reality, yes, but not the dream.
Let the feeling deep within you grow and swell.
You loved; you cared; you tried; you did it well!

C.D. 2003

Written for a friend who felt guilty that he did not do enough when his sweet dog died

 
Pinkie 2nd May 1995
Pinkie

She has gone
author unknown


You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she's gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love & go on.
Valentine
Valentine
It is with GREAT Sadness, I had to say good bye, to my little best friend

God's Garden


God looked around his garden
And found an empty place,
He then looked down upon the earth
And saw your tired face.
He put his arms around you
And lifted you to rest.
God's garden must be beautiful
He always takes the best.
He knew that you were suffering
He knew you were in pain.
He knew that you would never
Get well on earth again.
He saw the road was getting rough
And the hills were hard to climb.
So he closed your weary eyelids
And whispered, 'Peace be Thine'.
It broke our hearts to lose you
But you didn't go alone,
For part of us went with you
The day God called you home.

To this World

Flash ShananRo
Flash "ShananRo Sheer Indulgence" (Linda)

To this world you came !
To this world what a game !
To this world you were a wonderful mother !
To this world you started to suffer !
To this world you left peacefully......
for another !

Memories

by Joyce Stranger Wilson

There are shadows in my garden
That only I can see
The dogs so gaily playing
That once belonged to me

They run round in sunshine
They lie panting in the shade
They are racing through the hedges,
They are chasing through the glade.

They come to me at nightfall
They are lying by my chair
Yet, to other people,
There is only one dog there.

Personal Tributes to dearly departed companions

His Journey's just begun
by Ellen Brenneman


Barney
Barney
click for orbituary

Don't think of him as gone away--
his journey's just begun
life holds so many facets
this earth is only one.


Just think of him as resting
from the sorrows and the tears
in a place of warmth and comfort
where there are no days and years.


Think how he must be wishing
that we could know today
how nothing but our sadness
can really pass away.


And think of him as living
in the hearts of those he touched...
for nothing loved is ever lost--
and he was loved so much.
a penny coin

I found a penny today
Just laying on the ground,
But it's not just a penny
This little coin I've found.
Found pennies come from heaven
That's what my Grandpa told me.
He said "Dog-Angels toss them down."
Oh, how I loved that story.
He said, "When a Dog-Angel misses you,
He tosses a penny down,
Sometimes just to cheer you up
To make a smile out of your frown."
So don't pass by that penny
When you're feeling blue,
It may be a penny from heaven
That your dog has tossed to you.
Author Unknown

Sleep well Freddie and Barney....................until we meet again

love and hugs from mum, dad, Ricky, Eddie, Danny & Gizmo XXXXXX

a penny coina penny coin
 Freddie
Freddie
click for orbituary

A Poem on Parting


Don't grieve too long for now I'm free
I'm following the path God set for me
I ran to Him when I heard His call
I wagged my tail and left it all.

I could not stay another day
To bark, to love, to romp or play
Games left unplayed must stay that way
I found such peace it made my day.

My parting has left you with a void
So fill it with your remembered joy
A friendship shared, your laugh, a kiss
Oh yes, these things I too shall miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow
My life's been full, you've given so much
Your time, your love and gentle touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all too brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief
Lift up your heart and share with me
God wanted me now, He set me free.
Danny
Talraz Talent Scout (Danny) R.I.P.
aged 15 (click for orbituary)

Danny

Only we who grieve


Tis only we who grieve
They do not leave
They are not gone
They look upon us still
They walk among the valleys now
They stride upon the hill
Their smile is in the summer sky
Their grace is in the breeze
Their memories whisper in the grass
Their calm is in the trees
Their light is in the winter snow
Their tears are in the rain
Their merriment runs in the brook
Their laughter in the lane
Their gentleness is in the flowers
They sigh in autumn leaves
They do not leave
They are not gone
tis only we who grieve		 Phoebe

Phoebe was about ten weeks old the first time I saw her, playing with her two sisters Rosie and Rachel at her breeder's (Miss Pat Jones).... three such pretty babies.... I had long admired their handsome sire Shep (Ch Wellknowe Craftsman) and loved the temperament of their clever mum Panda (Wellknowe Four Seasons) so took a special interest in this litter.

Click here to read more - In Memory of our Beautiful Girl Phoebe

Danny