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The hardest part is not knowing.......
Skoal, our fluffy little elkhound-spitz mix, disappeared without a
trace
a few days ago. If he was a young, healthy dog we would be holding out
hope, circulating pictures, calling far and wide. But he was 16 years
old, hard of hearing, almost blind. He had a stroke last year, and
although he recovered somewhat quite quickly, as dogs can do, he still
had trouble walking in a straight line. Although he was slowing down
by
the week, he was still bounding around like a yo-yo (he always would
rather run than walk), eating well, routinely harassing our two
rottweilers that outweighed him by at least 230 pounds. We knew he
wouldn’t be with us much longer, and maybe he just knew it was time.
We
just wish we knew.....
Skoal, you were the most obedient, unobtrusive dog we’ve ever had. A
companion so loyal and dependable we didn’t pay anywhere near enough
attention to you, since you were always there, happy to be bounding
along with us walking in the backyard or sleeping at our feet or even
in
a closed room, as content to be somewhere near us as we were oblivious
that you were. Now that you’re gone it’s obvious how important
your
presence in our lives really was. The night after you disappeared
Levi,
our first Rottweiler who we lost to a car when he was only a little
over
a year old, appeared to me for only a few seconds in a dream. He said,
in perfect English, of course, “Don’t worry, he’s here with us
at the
Rainbow Bridge,” and then faded away as fast as he’d come. We’d
never
heard of the Bridge, but we know about it now. Skoal, we hope you are
at
the Bridge with Levi, and all the rest of our friends, Cinnabar and
CinCin, Casey Jones, Pocahontas and Pocahontas No. 2 (PokeyTwo) and
Katmandu, Miki, Zephyr, and Raja, Alli (that’s Alli with Skoal in
the
picture) and Quartz, one of Alli’s kittens, who disappeared in the
same
way.... we hope your trip was quick and gentle. We love you and miss
you, Skoal. From Dad and Mom, B and B, Blazer and Leah, Angel and
Mocha,
Till we all meet again at the Rainbow Bridge!
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