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Ernie George - the Dogfather of Sunset Road

Thanksgiving 2011 - Ernie's Legacy and Paying it Forward

Dear Ernie,

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving this year. I know how much you particularly loved the holidays, mainly for the taters, but also for the extra time you got to spend with Mama & Papa, home all day from work.

You really knew how to live life, Mama's Boy.

I have so much to be grateful for this year. Things I couldn't necessarily see for awhile. But you knew them all along.

When you left me, I felt like God took my family away. We were a family, even if your Papa & I couldn't have kids. We were still a family. And then you got cancer, and Izzy had cancer, and she seemed to be going any day, at the time. Or so I thought.

Once Izzy joined you in heaven, it would just be your Papa & Me. Our little family destroyed. The little life we'd carved out for ourselves would be gone. And it was so unfair. How could God do that to us? Wasn't it bad enough that God wouldn't let us have children of our own?

I wanted a little Scottie puppy, so desperately, Ernie. So so bad. I wanted another baby, who would be just like you. Who I could raise from a tiny baby to be my pride and joy, the way you were.

But no matter where I looked, all the avenues were closed to me. All I found were backyard breeders, mill dogs, puppies would materialize and then be gone.

And I found Bacon on Petfinder. He was listed as a Scottie. But he didn't look anything like a Scottie. He was obviously NOT a Scottie.

And a couple months later, I looked on Petfinder again, and there was Beanie, listed as a Scottie. I remember when we waited for 5 hours for the rescue transport to arrive from Missouri, to get Beanie from the Rescue, they finally brought Beanie out and all I felt was crushing disappointment. He was too tiny to be a Scottie. He had no gigantic hinder to speak of at all. I agreed to foster him, but the minute we got in the car, I turned to your Dad and said, "I don't want him. I want my Scottie. I want Ernie."

And your Grandma and Papa both said to me, no matter how many dogs you get, you're never going to be able to replace Ernie. It won't be Ernie no matter how much it may look like him.

Ain't that the truth?

I knew intellectually how difficult saying goodbye to you was going to be. And I had the most amazing friends, thanks to you, again, my angel. You introduced me to the most amazing human friends. But knowing how hard it was going to be, didn't prevent me from becoming severely depressed. I don't know what I could have done differently, to have kept it from happening. Maybe I was always depressed and this was meant to happen. Now when someone loses a pet, I don't know what to say anymore, how to provide comfort, because I feel like I failed the test, I fell into a severe clinically diagnosed depression.

It was Dogster friends who encouraged me to get help. And I finally did, in August.

I got help, and your Mama feels like your Mama again.

And now that the fog of depression has lifted I am so GRATEFUL to YOU, Ernie, and to God, for helping me to get better.

Since I've started to get better I can finally see what has been in front of me all along, that Beanie & Bacon were EXACTLY the angels who were meant to be a part of our family, that Izzy is still here, and we appreciate every day, one day at a time. And that even though our family here on earth has changed, we are still a family.

You and God knew that those little dogs were meant to be Beesuns from the moment they were born. They are the most loving little creatures. They make me laugh every single day, in a hundred different ways. And that little Beanie, that I looked at and said "I don't want him" (that changed about 15 minutes later, of course) is my constant companion, and he spoons beside me in bed every night until I fall asleep. No one, not even your Papa, has shown me the love and devotion that that little dog has shown me.

You knew those little dogs needed me, but more importantly, you knew how badly I needed them.

I am so grateful for my dogs this year, for all my dogs, for their love, compassion, forgiveness, acceptance. I am grateful for the wonderful human beings my dogs brought into my life. I am grateful that I know now that no matter how hopeless I may have felt, things can and will get better. That I can tell others from experience, DO NOT GIVE UP. You will be happy again. You will feel joy again. There is so much to look forward to in life.

This is all pretty sappy and cornbally for your Dogster post, Ernie, but I wanted to write it, because I wanted to tell your friends that their encouragement helped me to get better. And also, because if there is anyone out there who feels sad, or hopeless, or like there isn't any reason to go on anymore, I want them to know, that they can get help, too.

It does get better.

And also, I wanted a chance to shout from the rooftops, I love me some BACON & BEANIE so much I think my heart is GONNA EXPLODE! Seriously, I am so grateful for those two little babies, Ernie. So thank you, and thank God, for friends, family, health and happiness. I am thankful for every day.

RAINBOW BRIDGE RED CARPET BRIGADE for V.I.D.

OH MY DOG!!!

Ernie George has not sleepeded in days. I just eated taters and whoopee pies and ran around chasing the skwerls cause Ernie were so nerviferous!

All the angels was zooming around fluffering up the cloudses and polishing all the halos.

We had to get our wingses drycleanered and the brass band were OOOOM-PAH-PAHING, and bannerses were unfurlering, and Elvis were flewed in for a speshull performerance, and you know they don't brings in the King for just anybody.

Finerly Ernie couldn't take it no longer, and I say to my furriend Cookie, Who ARE COMING? WHO ARE COMING?

And Stryker sayeded, "SSSHHHHHH, it are a surprizer! It are a VERY IMPORTANT DOGGIE!" Well that are not how he sayed it, but that are how Ernie hearded it.

And then the Welcoming Commiteases of the Academy of the Elitest Angels finally came swooping in with harpses and flootses, and they lighted up the heavens with the BIGGEST FIREWORKSES Ernie evfur seened, with Welcome, FRED! bursting through the clouds, all glowy and purple and blue, and then Ernie just keeled right ovfur, straight aways, kerthud!

MY BUDDY FRED? The Greatest Dane that evfur were? OMD!!!! Ernie nevfur in a millyun years thinked or hopeded I would meet Fred here so soon! This is the mostest PAWTACKLYAR day in the Most WONDERFUL PLACE since evfur I remembered. And then the Gigantickull, HARLYKWIN Great Dane Doggie whose name were also Ernie, (WHAT A GREAT NAME!!!) came galloping up to greet his brofur Fred, and all kindsa madderness and merry-makering ensueded!

But then Ernie felt a strange tingling sensertayshun in my ginormous hinder, and I knew it meaned my Mama were heartbrokered again, and that remindered me of all the othfur hoomans and furriends down on earth, who would miss the one and only Freddy Bear.

So all us angels, including Fred & Othfur Ernie, sayded speshull prayers for Miss Michele and Fred's Papa Eric, and all the othfur people whose heartses were broken to lose Freddy Bear so soon.

Dog Bless YOU, Hoomans, we hates to see you sad. Huggies and Smoochers from the Most Wonderfur Place.

Fred

Last Will & Testyments of Ernie George

Upon the one year anniversary of Ernie's Appointment to the Academy of Angels, his Mama was doing some organizing of Ernie's important stuff, when she came across this document. Beanie & Bacon said copies mysteriously appeared on the kennel doors of their respective shelters last year. This is the furst time, his family however has seen it.

I, Earnest George Bailey Beesun, the Dog, the Myth, the Legend, being of sound minds and ginormous hinder, do solemnly bequeaths upon some very lucky terrier-type doggies, all of my earthly possesshuns, until which times said possesshuns (including peepoles) does get angelfied, and then they BELONGS TO ERNIE GEORGE AGAIN!

Ernie bequeaths upon you lucky dogs, the entire block of the Sunset Road in Mound, Minnesnowdah, upon which the big yellow house called 5777 are sitchymataterd.

This whole block are now yourses, pups. That are a PAWESOME responsimabiliteases! They didn’t call me the Dogfather of Sunset Road for NUTHING you know! When you are the Dogfather you have to comportmentalize furselves in such a way that evfurryone KNOWED that you are THE BOSS. You are in charge! If Ernie G. finds out that youse is shirking your doodies, Ernie will not hezzytates to fly on down to the Sunset Road and make ghostie times on your heinies! You does not wants to be haunted by the ghost of Ernie G. No Sirree! ERNIE ARE TERRIERFYING! ARRRROOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Member that Scottish play by WillyIam Shakespeer? The Macbeth? That were about Ernie G. Ernie made him’s face appear on the Lady’s handses and she furreaked out and went CRAZAZY like my Mama when I used to mark hers pots of plants for the howlyday times.

Anyway, you guys better does a good job of keeping the Sunset Road free of the varmintses and stuff. And look out for that George Cooney. He are a MONSTER RACCOON GUY who were my archienemmersis.

Also, Ernie are leaving you my Ginormous Boat, the Ernie G, the Ernie G. Magic Splorer Bus, my favorite walks to the Lost Lake with Mama, all my future Eggie Weggs on the weekends, all the good sniffs in the backyards, the moley guys, all my toyses, blankies, remote control carses, George the Sock Monkey Guy, all my plaid tieses and hatses, and bunny costumers (oh brofur) and bumble bee costumers, and footsie ball costumers,the Mama’s little Punkin boy costumer, and little Elfie hat that Mama maked me wear for howlie day times. Them are ALL YOURS! BOL! GOOD RIDDANCE!

I am also leaving you ALL MY STINK PIES. But only on the condishuns that you REALLY ENJOY THEM the way Ernie G did. You gotta get in there and roll with yours whole body. Grind that stink pie in, and kick your feetses up in the air like nobuddy’s busyness!

Finerly, and most importertantly, Ernie George are leaving you my most VALYOOBULL and TREASURED POSSESSHUNS…MY FAMILY. My Mama, Papa and sisfur Izzy, we were a family.

One year for Halloween, my furriend Rascal made me a funny picfur where Ernie G. were Stitch from the moofie Lilo and Stitch, on accounts of Stitch had a big black nose, and big pointy earses and big sad brown eyeses, just like Ernie G. Mama said him looked just like me. Stitch lived in HaWhyYEEEE and his most famousest line that Mama said just like Stitch in him’s funny alien voice all the time, was “OHANA MEANS FAM-A-LEE.”

Families are the most important THING IN THE WHOLE WORLD, cause if you got a FAMILY you gots LOVE FUREVFUR. You gots somebody who you can counts on to LOVE YOU NO MATTER what, who will always take care of you, protect you and defends you, puts your happynesses above all else, and when you are together, there are nothing in the whole world that are better! You feel like your heart are gonna SPLODE with the LOVE. NOTHING, not the spaces or times, or the distances from the earths on the Sunset Road to the MOST WONDERFUL PLACE OF HEAVEN can stop a family from being a family, or your family from loving you.

So you take good care of my family, okay and you be worthy of their loves okay? And you make sure you pay speshull attenshuns to my Mama’s heart and her feelerings, okay? She gots a lot of feelerings.

Then one day, when all of youse guyses come up here to the Heaven, possesshuns of the family revert back to Ernie G., and then you will be part of MY FAMILY, too, LUCKY DOGS.

Yours Most Toothifly,

Earnest George Bailey Beesun, the Dogfather of Sunset Road