If there is a poem, story or joke you would like to share,
please e-mail me and I will post here. Thank you.

I STOOD BY YOUR BED LAST NIGHT

I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep. I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear, "It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea, You were thinking of the many times, your hands reached down to me.

I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you, that I'm not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "it's me."

You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know, that I was standing there.

It's possible for me to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty, "I never went away."

You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew, in the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.

The day is over... I smile and watch you yawning and say "good-night, God bless, I'll see you in the morning."

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out ... then come home to be with me.

- Author unknown

The little dog arrived at the Rainbow Bridge, and a pack of dogs rushed up to greet him. He braced himself expecting a fight, but this was the first pack that wagged their tails and kissed him instead of attacking him. It was beautiful here, and everyone was nice to him. None of them had been born in a puppy mill, like he had, and used for dog-bait fighting and left to die in a shelter because he was a mix-breed battle-scarred cur and wasn't cute.
They explained why they were waiting...for their humans who loved them."What is love?" he asked, and God let him go back to earth, and find out. Warm and dark, he squeezed in with the others and waited for the day to be born. Scared, he held back as long as he could, but finally got dragged out by his hind feet.

Hands without fur held him gently and rubbed him dry and opened his mouth and guided him to a warm nipple with milk. He didn't get a good hold on it because one of his big fat brothers pushed him aside. The human hand moved the other puppy to another nipple and held his body, so he could drink. "Ahhh, that's better, " he thought, and drank until his jaws got tired and he curled up to sleep next to his warm hairy mother. "I remember this," he mused... " Too bad I'll have to grow up to be hit, left out in the cold and rain, and used for dog-bait fighting, and die as an unclaimed rescue dog. I remember what it's like, being a dog." he thought sadly.

That night, he crawled up to his mother and tried to nurse, but he kept getting pushed off to the side. When they were full, the big brother and sisters got their bottoms cleaned and he finally latched on to a nipple, but the human hands weren't there to hold him up, and there wasn't any milk in any of the nipples anyway. He was weak and so tiny. It was even hard to stay upright, and he fell over on his back and couldn't get upright himself. So he began to cry, and suddenly the human hands were there, holding him up and putting a rubber thing in his mouth. It didn't taste or feel like mother, but it was warm and made the ache in his tummy go away.

He was having trouble breathing ... His lungs weren't fully developed, because he had waited too long to join the others in the womb, as he took one last romp at the Rainbow Bridge. He could feel the heartbeat of the human, who had laid him on her chest and covered him with a soft cloth, keeping him warm, and soothing his bony body with gentle circling touches.

He kept thinking of his new friends who had been so nice to him at the bridge, and he asked God if he could go back. God said "Yes, but not just yet. You wanted to experience love."

So for several hours (seemed like days but it was dark and he couldn't tell what time it was), the human supplemented his feeding and let him experience the warmth of his mother's body and tongue, and the pile of warm soft littermates. He got weaker, and the human held him more often, leaving the littermates to sleep in a pile while he got caressed, kissed, and got to listen to the heartbeat which was strong and loving.

Finally God came back and asked, "are you ready to come back to the Rainbow Bridge?" "Yes", he responded with a little sorrow, because the human didn't want to let him go, and was crying. He pushed the air out of his lungs and floated back to the Rainbow Bridge and looked back at the human, who was still crying and holding the limp body that he had borrowed for his trip."Thank you, God," he said. "Love is beautiful, and I will wait near the Bridge and let the human know, when she arrives, that I loved her, too."

by Joy LaCaille lakai@iag.net

The following was sent to me by Sheri - It brought tears to my eyes.

Only A Dog

Do you remember thinking it was time that the kids learned some responsibility and scanning the newspaper ads for a cheap dog for sale?

Do you remember bringing home this little ball of shivering fur and putting her out in the yard on a chain that was too heavy on a night that was too cold?

Of course you don't remember this. After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember this baby crying because she was afraid and alone?

Do you remember screaming at her to be quiet and finally going out there to kick her to drive home the lesson?

Of course you don't remember this. After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember the many times you noticed her water bowl was empty and her food bowl was covered with mold and thinking that it was the kids' job to take care of her?

Do you remember seeing that her coat was dull and lifeless and, in many places, chewed away down to the skin because of the parasites no one took the time to rid her of?

Of course you don't remember this. After all, she is only a dog.

Do you remember her first heat and the neighbor's male visiting her night after night?

Do you remember thinking that letting her have the puppies would be a good experience for the kids?

Do you remember that every one of those pups died because their mother was no more than a puppy herself?

Of course you don't remember this. After all, she is only a dog.

I know you remember the animal control officer coming to the house, accusing you of animal cruelty and taking her away because you couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

After all, she is only a dog.

I thought you might be interested in how this girl is doing today. You see, once she found a home that gave her love, attention and proper care, she blossomed into a beautiful, loyal companion.

To these people, she is much more than only a dog.

She became a therapy dog and now goes to nursing homes and hospices where she brightens the lives of the infirm and dying. To some of these people, she has given hope. To others, she's given them a reason to keep living. To even others, she's given them the will to die peacefully, with a smile on their lips.

To these people, she is much more than only a dog.

Just last week, she helped find a little boy that was lost in the woods. She spent a long, cold winter's night, lying over him to keep him warm and risked her own life to protect his.

To this little boy and his family, she is much more than only a dog.

What is the difference? Why did that filthy, flea-ridden animal chained in your backyard suddenly become so important to so many? Because she never gave up her trust in people and she never once thought,

"After all, he is only a human."

Author Unknown

Something for the holidays -

"Nite Before Christmas"

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

With no thought of the dog filling their head.

And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,

Knew he was cold, but didn't care about that.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Figuring the dog was free of his chain and into the trash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But Santa Claus - with eyes full of tears.

He unchained the dog, once so lively and quick,

Last years Christmas present, now painfully thin and sick..

More rapid than eagles he called the dogs name.

And the dog ran to him, despite all his pain;

"Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN!

On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN!

To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!

Let's find this dog a home where he'll be loved by all."

I knew in an instant there would be no gifts this year,

For Santa Claus had made one thing quite clear,

The gift of a dog is not just for the season,

We had gotten the pup for all the wrong reasons.

In our haste to think of the kids a gift

There was one important thing that we missed.

A dog should be family, and cared for the same

You don't give a gift, then put it on a chain.

And I heard him exclaim as he rode out of sight,

"You weren't giving a gift! You were giving a life!"

- Stacy V. Clark