Dog Heaven

Dog Heaven

When dogs go to heaven, They don't need wings
Because God knows that Dogs love running best.
He gives them fields. Fields and fields and fields.
When a dog first arrives in heaven, he just runs.
Dog heaven has clear, wide lakes
Filled with geese who honk and flap
And tease. The dogs love this.
They run beside the water and bark
And bark and God watches them
From behind a tree and smiles.

There are children.
Of course.
Angel children.
God knows that dogs love children more than
Anything else in the world, so he fills Dog
Heaven with plenty of them. There are children
On bikes and children on sleds. There are
Children throwing red rubber balls and children
Pulling kites through the clouds. The dogs
Are there, and the children love them dearly.

And, oh,
The dog biscuits.
Biscuits and biscuits
As far as the eye can see.
God has a sense of humor, so He makes His
Biscuits in funny shapes for His dogs. There
are kitty-cat biscuits and squirrel biscuits.
Ice-cream biscuits and ham-sandwich biscuits.
Every angel who passes by
Has a bicsuit for a dog.

And, of course, all God's dogs
Sit when the angels say "sit."
Every dog becomes a good
Dog in Dog Heaven.

God turns
Clouds inside out to
Make fluffy beds for the dogs
In Dog Heaven, and when they
Are tired from running and
Barking and eating ham-
Sandwich biscuits,
The dogs find a cloud
bed for sleeping.
They turn around and
Around in the cloud.
.. until it feels just right,
and then they curl up
and they sleep.
God watches over
Each one of them
And there are no bad dreams.

Dogs in Dog Heaven
Have almost always
Belonged to somebody
On Earth and, of course,
The dogs remember this.
Heaven is full of memories.
So sometimes an angel will walk a dog
Back to Earth for a little visit and quietly,
Invisibly, the dog will sniff about his old
Backyard, will investigate the cat next
Door, will follow the child to school, will
Sit on the front porch and wait for the mail.

When he is satisfied
That all is well, the dog
Will return to Heaven with the angel.
It is where dogs belong,
Near God who made them.

The dogs in Dog Heaven who
Had no real homes on Earth
Are given one in Heaven.
The homes have yards and porches and there are
Couches to lie on and tables to sit under
While angels eat their dinners.

There are special bowls
With the dogs' names on them.
And each dog is petted and reminded
How good he is, all day long.
Dogs in Dog Heaven may stay as long as
They like and this can mean forever.
They will be there when old friends show
Up. They will be there at the door.
Angel dogs.

by Cynthia Rylant

Something you may not know about me….

When I moved with Mommy and Daddy to our new house in 2003 I refused to poop on the lawn. A couple times a day Mommy and Daddy had to drive me all the way back to the apartment complex where we use to live. Mommy would take me for a walk like she always did at the apartments, then I would poop. This went on for a long time…then one day I finally pooped at the new house and Mommy did some crazy happy dance and the neighbors probably thought she was on some kind of mind altering drugs.
That is something you may not know about me.

A friend in need...

My friend Sadie and her Mommy need love, prayers and friendship at this difficult time. This was posted in Sadie’s dairy today from her Mommy.
She has congestive heart failure & an enlarged heart. We saw it & it is about 3 x the size it should be. Her heart has pushed her esophigus up next to her spine. She has a tumor on her lungs right behind her heart.
Because of her heart failure she has fluid built up around her organs, ( kidneys,liver,intestines) that is what is causing her abdomen to swell so big. He thinks she may have a mass (tumor) in her abdomen but can't see well enough because of the fluid. He put her on heart pills & lasics for the fluid. Here comes the really hard part....If the lasics don't get rid of the fluid she will have about 2 weeks. If it gets rid of it, because of her heart, she may have about 6 weeks. I have cried all day. I took something & now I am like totally numb. I just hold her all the time.My baby girl, this is gonna kill me. I don't know if knowing about how long we have with her is good or not..We have been up & down with her alnight. Her Dad & I. She has to drink & go potty alot because of the lasics. Please say a big prayer for her,because 6 weeks just isn't long enough with my baby girl. Just over a year ago we lost our other baby girl Samantha. What are we gonna do without both of them?
Well here I go again, more tears. Please pray for Sadie !!!! The more the better.Get well my sweet baby girl, we love you so much......
I Love You All, Mom Jamie

Can you please stop by Sadie Dogster page and show her and her family love and support at this difficult time.
Wags & Angel Hugs, Sadie Boo

Difficult Decision....

It is always difficult to accept that age or illness have compromised a pet’s quality of life to such an extent that it’s time to let them go. When the difficult decision to let your pet go must be made, the following guidelines may be helpful for assessing a pet’s overall quality of life.
-The amount of suffering or pain
-The ability to eat or drink
-The capability to keep clean
-Interest in interacting with family members
-The strength and flexibility to be somewhat mobile’-The ratio of “good days” to “bad days”

Do Pets Grieve?
We all know of animals who have stopped eating, playing, or interacting when another pet in the household has died. They are experiencing a loss of their own; plus they often sense the owner's sorrow as well. After a pet dies, we can help the other pets in the household by keeping their routines as unchanged as possible. Increasing their activity through going for walks or playing with toys may be helpful. This will not only benefit your pet, but help you too. If they are acting depressed or are not eating, be careful not to reinforce or reward their behavior. Giving them extra attention or different food when they behave this way may actually cause them to start using those behaviors as ways to obtain more attention or get special treats.

Today Mommy received an envelope in the mail from Best Friends Animal Society. It was a beautiful copy of the Angels Rest Memorial in memory of me. This was made possible thanks to my Auntie Denise, Gwen, Gretchen, Benny, Vi, Mamie and Decatur due to their generous donation to Best Friends.
If you would like to see my memorial or make one for your angel go to…
http://www.bestfriends.org/theanimals/angelsrestmemor ials/0909/SadieBoo.html

Dog/cat food recall

Wysong Recalls Some Dry Dog Foods
Mold has been found in some bags of Wysong dry extruded maintenance and senior dog foods manufactured in June and July of 2009. These products should not be fed to pets. They should be returned to the store where they were purchased for a full refund. The affected products are Wysong Maintenance and Wysong Senior. The lot numbers of the affected batches are as follows:

Wysong Maintenance lot #: 090617
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090624
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090706
Wysong Maintenance: lot #: 090720
Wysong Senior lot #: 090623
The lot numbers are on the top flaps of boxes and pressed into the bottom seal of bags. Anyone having difficulty reading the numbers on the bottom of the bags should contact the company. Anyone with any doubts about the safety of the food should stop feeding it to their pet immediately and contact the company. Here is Wysong’s contact information:
Hours of Operation
Monday - Friday
9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time
Phone
Ordering - 1-800-748-0188
Customer Service - 1-989-631-0009
Fax - 1-989-631-9280
Mail
7550 Eastman Avenue, Midland, MI 48642-7779
Email
wysong@wysong.net
Depending on which type of mold grows on food, the effects can range from barely noticeable to lethal. Some forms of mold can produce bacteria called Mycotoxin, which can be life-threatening. Pets that eat effected food should be taken to a veterinarian.

Diamond Pet Food Recalls Two Varieties Of
Premium Edge Cat Food
Diamond Pet Foods has issued a voluntary recall on the following date codes of Premium Edge Finicky Adult Cat and Premium Edge Hairball Cat:
RAF0501A22X 18lb.
RAF0501A2X 6 lb.
RAH0501A22X 18 lb.
RAH0501A2X 6lb.
If you or anyone you know has these date codes of Premium Edge cat food, stop feeding them to your pet immediately. Return affected food to the store where you purchased it for a full refund.
Symptoms displayed by an affected cat will be neurological in nature. Any cats fed these date codes that display these symptoms should be immediately taken to a veterinarian.
Product testing proved no contaminants were discovered in the cat food; however the cat foods were deficient in thiamine. Diamond tracked the vitamin premix lot number that was utilized in these particular cat foods and have performed testing on another lot of Premium Edge cat food that used the same vitamin premix, and it was not deficient in thiamine. No other neurological signs have been reported on any other product manufactured by Diamond Pet Foods.
If you require assistance or have questions regarding Premium Edge Pet Food please call:
800-977-8797

Office Hours:
8am-5pm, M-F, Central Standard Time
Address:
PO Box 156 Meta, MO 65058
www.premiumedgepetfood.com/contact_us/
Signs seen of Thiamine deficiency include appetite loss, vomiting, wobbly walking, general weakness, neck curved downward, seizures and tremors. If your pet exhibits these signs take him to a veterinarian immediately. Prompt treatment with thiamine replacements is typically very effective.

Clouds in the making...

I am learning so much here at the Rainbow Bridge. I have learned the real reason thunder and lightening happening. (Which I pawed down about in a previous diary entry) Now I have learned about clouds. Those big white fluffy clouds I used to look at when I was outside in my yard. The humans have all kinds of crazy ideas about clouds. Clouds are made by us doggies here at the Rainbow Bridge. Every time a puppy/dog destuffs a toy, the stuffing makes those big white fluffy clouds that you see. See it really is a simply explanation.

Thank you...

I am so honored that my Dogster friends, Gwen, Gretchen, Benny, VI, Mamie and their Mommy gave a gift in my name to Best Friends Animal Society. Thanks to their kindness and love, homeless pets near and far will have a second chance.
Bless all of you.

Prayers for Quincy...

Dear Dogster friends,
I am barking for your help. My wonderful friend, Cosmo passed away on August 22, 2009. This was a terrible blow to his family who loved him dearly. You could tell by just looking at his pictures what a fun loving Golden Retriever he was.
Now his family has been struck by another tragedy. On September 30th, Quincy their 5 year old lovable Golden has been diagnosed with Lymphoma. I am barking for your prayers & support for Quincy and his family. Pray for remission. Please pray hard. If you have a chance, stop by Quincy’s page a see what a wonderful doggie he is. Lovable, adorable and a much loved family member.

POTP! POTP! POTP!
We love you Quincy! Be strong like Toto!

THANK YOU ROSE!

Mommy went to the vets yesterday and picked up my ashes. My ashes rest in a red container with tiny paw prints all over it. Partridge Enterprises Inc. did a wonderful job with my cremation. Mommy also received a beautiful Rainbow Bridge poem bookmark and a cremation certificate. Mommy will put them in my scrapbook. Mommy likes what a professional and caring job Partridge Enterprises did with my cremation.
When Mommy got home a big box was waiting for her. Mommy was blown over when she saw what was inside. My 2 legged friend Rose drew a beautiful picture of me and put it in a pawsome frame for my Mommy. Rose is 14 years old and is a very talented artist. Mommy is so impressed! Mommy already has the picture hanging in her office. *Chuckles* Mommy now has a wall called the “Rose wall”, because hanging on that wall are pictures of Sophie Bean, Stormy B. Naughty, Kitty and Keisha, all loving drawn by Rose. What a thoughtful little human Rose is to always thing of my Mommy.
Thank You Rose! Your thoughtfulness means the world to us. I am sending you Angel Kisses and Tail Wags.