Favorites
The words of the Rainbow Bridge poem set to music. Tastefully done. A must-see.
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| From time to time<topmargin=”2″ leftmargin=”2″>From time to time, people tell me, “ lighten up ,it’s just a dog,” or, “that’s a lot of money for just a dog.” They don’t understand the distance travelled, the time spent, or the costs involved for “just a dog.”Some of my proudest moments have come about with “just a dog.” Many hours have passed and my only company was “just a dog,” but I did not once feel slighted.Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by “just a dog,” and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of “just a dog” gave me comfort and the reason to overcome the day.If you, too, think it’s “ just a dog” , then you will probably understand phrases like, “just a friend,” “just a sunrise,” or “just a promise.” “Just a dog” brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. “Just a dog” brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.Because of “just a dog” I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it’s not “just a dog” but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.“Just a dog” brings out what’s good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day.I hope that someday they can understand that it’s not “just a dog” but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being “just a man.” So the next time you hear the phrase “just a dog,” just smile, because they “just don’t understand.” |
When I am old…
I will wear soft gray sweatshirts… and a bandana over my silver hair….. and I will spend my social security checks on wine and my dogs.I will sit in my house on my well-worn chair and listen to my dogs’ breathing. I will sneak out in the middle of a warm summer night and take my dogs for a run, if my old bones will allow…When people come to call, I will smile and nod as I show them my dogs… and talk of them and about them… …the ones so beloved of the past and the ones so beloved of today….I will still work hard cleaning after them, mopping and feeding them and whispering their names in a soft loving way.I will wear the gleaming sweat on my throat, like a jewel and I will be an embarrassment to all… especially my family… who have not yet found the peace in being free to have dogs as your best friends….These friends who always wait, at any hour, for your footfall… and eagerly jump to their feet out of a sound sleep, to greet you as if you are a God.With warm eyes full of adoring love and hope that you will always stay, I’ll hug their big strong necks… I’ll kiss their dear sweet heads… and whisper in their very special company…. I look in the Mirror…and see I am getting old…. Please accept me for who I am. Author Unknown
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| “Unless a man has a natural love of dogs he will never make a success of keeping them, for he must be willing to cheerfully sacrifice his comfort and leisure hours doing what is necessary for them. He must see in them something more than simply a means to an end.”
“The best animals in the world have always been bred for the love of them or the love of breeding and caring for them, rather than purely for The Profit they bring; and the person who does not like dogs had better not attempt to keep them at all.”(Milo G. Delinger) |
Sallie the Staffordshire Bull Terrier mascot of the Civil War
“Sallie” a brindle Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was regimental mascot for the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War. Sallie, came to 1st Lt. William R. Terry when she was but four weeks old. Always by the side of Lt. Terry, Sallie grew up among the men of the regiment. She followed them on marches and into battle.At the battle of Gettysburg, July 1st – July 3rd 1863, Sallie was separated from her unit. Unable to find her way, she returned to the Union battle line at Oak Ridge, where Sallie stood guard over the dead and wounded. Sallie continued her faithful service until February of 1865 when during the battle of Hatcher’s Run, Virginia, Sallie was struck in the head by a bullet and killed instantly. Sallie was buried on the battlefield while surrounded by enemy fire.
In appreciation of her loyal devotion, a monument of Sallie now stands in Gettysburg, directly in front of the monument that commemorates the 11th Pennsylvania Infantry.
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