Comments on: Misha my love. . . .

By: Paul Moor

Paul Moor — Sat, 23 Jun 2007 23:03:13 +0000

Thanks so much for this nice note, Ryan – and best wishes and belated thanks also to Trish. Depending upon your age, you may or may not recall Will Rogers – at one time one of the most famous people in the USA. What you write about that native American belief about animals reminds me of a favorite Will Rogers observation of mine: “If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.” You’ll far more likely remember Snoopy, the dauntless Beagle in the immortal “Peanuts” comic strip. When its creator Charles Schulz died – and the strip, by his own request, died along with him – I saw a newspaper cartoon (I don’t recall by whom) showing Schulz and Snoopy arriving at the Pearly Gates to encounter a “No dogs allowed” sign – but also a St. Peter who said in effect: “For you, Mr. Schulz, I think we can make an exception….”

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 20:53:48 +0000

Mr. Moor, I linked to this post from Trish’s website and what I read was truely beautiful. My heart goes out to you and to Misha. My mother once told me that there are several native american tribes that believe that when you die and pass into the next realm you stand at a bridge guarded by the animals with whom you have had contact in your life. If you were an unkind and unrespectful person, you would be turned back. If you were a kind respectful person you would be allowed passage across the bridge. I don’t know if what they believed is true, but I would like to think that when we do cross over into whatever is next that our four legged partners, because thats what they are, will be waiting to grant us passage. Best of luck.

By: Christine

Christine — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 06:07:11 +0000

Thank you so much for reviving your memories especially for me and sharing them with us. Though heartrending they may be for the reader, I know that they are just memories for you. As time goes by …
But there are the funny parts and the good old twinkle in the eye too. I just loved it.
Naturally other people’s memories trigger off one’s own.
There was Molly, the barrelshaped mongrel (mostly Jack-Russel-Terrier) who decided one day to live with us instead of who, we never found out. In the end she was too sick to move house. On the way back from the vet I nearly caused an accident …
There was Bonamy the Rhodesian Ridgeback, born and raised in South Africa, forever frightened by thunderstorms, who loved chasing the Postman’s car until he was run down by it. I found him completely unblemished lying by the roadside.
There was Balu, the Hamburg born Rhodesian Ridgeback, who died with his head in my arms after a long discussion with the vet about the pros and cons of major surgery. In the end ratio succeded. One is allowed to treat pets more humane than human beeings. But that is neither here nor there.
And there was our 12 year old. But as time goes by….
As a reply to Paul’s comment I have to add, that there is a fundamental difference. One knows about the approximate life span of a pet, but one expects that children outlive their parents. But life is fragile and has to be lived from day to day.

And where please are the funny memories? They are there as well, and that’s why we can live with our memories.

By: Tish

Tish — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 16:00:56 +0000

Perry Nelson recommended your blog to me, and as I scanned it for the first time, this post caught my attention. I read it, and it brought me to tears. As one dog lover to another, I’m so sorry for your loss – even though it was so many years ago. I imagine that it still feels like yesterday.

I am a single woman with two dogs (Molly and Cruella) and those dogs mean everything to me. I’ve gone through so much with them this year – one being diagnosed with Cushing’s Disease, and the other being diagnosed with a three different types of cancer. Molly is being treated for Cushing’s and seems to be doing pretty well. Cruella went through some serious problems related to the cancer (she developed peritonitis shortly after removal of a malignant tumor attached to her colon) and almost didn’t pull through just a few months ago. She was transferred to the University of Tennessee, and when they told me that she may not pull through the peritonitis, I broke down like I’ve never broken down for a human being. I am happy to say that she did pull through the peritonitis, and she then transferred to Oncology. She iscancer-free at the moment, and I pray that it stays that way. It has been a long, difficult road, and I will be paying back the thousands of dollars in vet bills for a long time to come. But you know what? It’s a small price to pay.

I love those dogs, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do to ensure their health and happiness.

Best of luck to you. Thanks for sharing your story. Misha was a beautiful dog and will never be forgotten.

By: Paul Moor

Paul Moor — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 20:27:08 +0000

Jerry, I once read that one reason dog-owners so sincerely mourn the death of a pet has to do with the maximum life-span a dog can expect – making that comparable to the death of a child . . . and you know how much mourning that causes.

By: Jerry Pounds

Jerry Pounds — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:48:14 +0000

Our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is only 4 years old, but I cannot prevent my imagination’s persistent urge to visit his aging and demise. I hope for Toby the same fate as I wish for myself–going to sleep and not waking up. The ordeal of euthanizing Toby would be onerous beyond my endurance.

By: Perry Nelson

Perry Nelson — Mon, 11 Jun 2007 13:09:03 +0000

As I know I’ve told before, it was reading this piece that first blew me away with your writing skill. It wasn’t just that you wrote so well but it was also your subject matter that touched my heart in this piece, and at least in part it was the inspiration for my writing this at a similar moment in my life.

Since “Misha my love” first caught my eye when you posted it on the ILink Writers conference, you’ve brought me to tears many times. And then you’ve turned around and caused me to fall over in laughter at other times. Through both the tears and the laughter you’ve entertained me and educated me. I wonder how many other people down through the years would have loved the opportunity to speak such words directly to their favorite author. Thank you for sharing yourself with me.

I’ve always been a dog person whether they were in their puppy years or in their old dog years, and I think I always will be.