Comfort for when our best friend departs…

 

Dog’s Purpose, (from a 6-year-old)

Being a veterinarian, I had been called
to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named
Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their
little boy,Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were
hoping for a miracle. I examined Belker and found he was dying
of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything
for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia
procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they
thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to
observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something
from the experience

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat
as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so
calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I
wondered if he understood what was going on.
Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition
without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together
for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud
about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than
human lives.

 Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, ‘I know why.’

 

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his
mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.    

He said, ‘People are born so that they can learn how
to live a good life — like loving everybody all the
time and being nice, right?’ The six-year-old continued, ‘Well, dogs already know how
to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jacobsburg Experience

Sunday Stroll

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter Heidi, Blu  and I took our first springtime walk at our favorite trail at the Jacobsburg Historical park which is the site of the old Henry Homestead.  This is former site of the Henry gun works and forge.  It is a beautiful park especially in the springtime. 

We chose the Green trail to walk which is located at the western side of he park.  It is the more quiet and less traveled part of the park. Most of time, you can walk the trail circuit without seeing more than two or three hikers, a couple of cyclers and an occasional horse back rider or two.  The natural beauty of this area is well worth the 25 minute ride from the house even with the price of gasoline so high. 

The Bushkill creek is the main attraction of the trail and meanders quietly through the rural woodland and farm fields under the watchful eyes of the Blue Mountain Ridge in North Eastern Pennsylvania.  Blu loves to visit the creek and it is one of the main ways we have of taking a dent out of her endless energy levels.  A Siberian Husky, as you may know, is a nuclear power plant on four paws.  So we have to do as much as we can to wear her out.  The creek is just the thing to drain a husky of that energy. We love to watch her pace up and down the creek plowing through the water and swimming here and there.  She loves to experience the cool splash of the clear icy water as she frolics through it and explores the world.  She is like a kid in a toy store with all the smells and natural beauty of the wild which take over all her senses.  It is really a delightful thing to witness.

Mornings go too fast

It Sure was a fast morning.  I slept in until nearly 9 AM with Blu scratching at my door informing me that I had quit enough time to sleep thank you.   But how could you be mad at that face?  So I shook off the cobwebs and rolled out of bed after a really bad night of sleep having come home from work very late. 

My granddaughter Kyana was also waiting for me to wake up.  The Husky’s and her were ready to go for a walk, but the wife had other plans.  A trip to the grocery store was to be the first priority of the day.  This is never much fun especially with my wife Cindy doing the shopping. She is a stickly by the list shopper.  No extras, no humor, no fun, no fooling around, because we are here to resupply and that is that.

Eventually, we get that ordeal over with and it is back to the waiting pack. With tails wagging and tongues hanging with excitement, we are off on our daily adventure.  

As any Siberian Husky owner knows, the first priority is to satisfy a Husky’s social needs.  So the first stop on our walk is to the neighbors house to visit their best friend Angelo. He spoils the girls more than anyone in the community and that is saying a lot.  So after about 2 minutes of howling and barking at the bottom of his back porch steps, he comes out bearing treats in his fisted hand.  The dogs of course, play it for all it is worth carefully preparing their victim for the next encounter, by fussing over the man and making him feel god like.  No, the next time they come over he will be ready to spoil them again.   

Now it is time to do some four pawing as we call it. The girls hit the forest with vim and vigor sniffing every tree, bush and branch.  Kyana was with us today, so she held Maggies leash and I had Blu.  Kyana asks me every day whether she could hold Blu’s leash, but the kid would not stand a chance if Blu saw a wild animal or another dog.  Blu is just too powerful for a 10 year old girl, even if she is only a test away from getting her Black Belt in Karate.

Today’s walk took us through the woods near a creek where both dogs enjoyed a short dip in the stream.  This always further invigorates Blu and soon she is a wild beast wanting to run run run.  To satisfy this craving, we headed to the small path by the baseball field.  Kyana played fetch with Maggie, which is her favorite game and I played chase and dig up the dirt with Blu.  

Soon we were all exhausted (well not Blu, she never runs out of energy). So we all headed back home so that I could get ready for work.  It was a nice warm day so it was not as difficult to get the two girls inside where there was a shady place to rest on the couch. 

But it was a short lived rest, as lunch was done and the mooching began in earnest.  Kyana was completely surrounded by hopeful Husky’s wagging tails and getting ever closer to her lunch plate. In the end, the human weakness prevails as always and they are satisfied with a small taste of each of our lunch fare.                                            

A nice day for a Husky walk

It was a very nice day today for a Husky walk.  Spring is here at last in my little valley of Pen Argyl Pennsylvania.  Azure sky sprinkled with a few phantom clouds and happy birds of all kinds flying here and there made for a delightful backdrop of this late April day. The girls and I took advantage of it all, by taking a nice relaxing walk through the wooded land near the local baseball field and then around the circumference of the ball field itself.  The dogs were in a particularly playful mood today and we played a lot of games.  Blu (my black and White) husky was really hyper.  I absolutely love to see her run and could watch her all day long as she cuts the air ears back and tail horizontal.  Maggie (the white husky mix) is 14 years old and still has a lot of puppy in her too, thanks to the miracle drug glycoflex which we give her religiously each day. 

Blu’s favorite game is called “Catch the deer”.  Hi, my name is Wayne the buck.  My job is to run away as fast as I can dodging this way and that while the nasty old wolf dog hunts me down and tries to latch his jaws about my wrist and bring me to a stop.  Of course, when I stop, I skreetch like a horrified pig about to be gobbled up by the vicious fox.  This really gets Blu wound up and she actually growls at me in frustration. Husky’s are a man’s dog through and through…sorry ladies, but if you can’t run with the Husky pack..stay on the porch.

Maggies favorite game is Fetch.  I have to watch though, because her teeth are not as strong as they used to be and she sometimes will get a loose tooth from biting sticks to hard. For a 14 year old dog, she can run with the best of them.  Sometimes though she can not stop herself in time to grab the stick and tumbles head over heels.  She keeps on picking herself up and dusting herself off and has yet another go at it. She is 90% heart and 10% everything else.  She really is a great old dog.

Husky’s don’t like hobbies. « Huskylord’s Weblog

I have been working on this Wizard counted cross stitch project for 3 years now.  It is rare that the Husky lets me alone long enough to enjoy my hobbies…she is a very jealous girl and will not be ignored.  So I am surprised that I was able to finish the Wizard part of the art this weekend.  It only happened because we took the girls for a swim in our local creek and they slept all day.

Grandpa and the Siberian Husky Adventure

These are my girls Blu (the siberian Husky and Maggy the Husky mix and there I am enjoying the scenery of the great Appalation trail on top of the Blue Mountain Ridge of cold and windy Pennsylvania.