She's Arrived Mama!

Yoohoo! Wow! It is so good to see Brandy again! She looks like the young whippersnapper she used to be. Hair blowing in the breeze, and feet itching to run! OH! there she goes after the jackrabbit! No fences here to worry about. She has also turned into a great gardener. Must have to do with all that practice she got burying bones in your garden! Look at her go! And I can just hear the yipping she loves to make when on a chase. It sure is good to see her. I'll take good care of her, although that is not really necessary here. Come see us at PetRest soon. I love you.

Pietra
(Pete)

With Gratitude

Dear Pete:
Today marks two years since you walked out the door with Papa never to return. I am so grateful to God for having had you so long (12 years!) How much fun I had with you. You were my first dog and no one can ever take your place. We are still hoping for that white shepherd pup to come along that could help me. I did get to play ball with one middle aged lady named Amber. I even got to brush her. She looked so much like you-- except no dog has ever had your big black rimmed eyes. Intelligent eyes. Mysterious eyes.

I can still see you trotting in front of me on our daily jogs. You loved to walk and hear people stop to ask, " What kind of dog is that?" But you never slowed down--you had some place to go!!!

Guess what? We took some film in and it had pictures of you! What a blessing that was Pete. They were taken a couple of months before you got sick and left. What a beautiful boy you were. A good boy and a loyal one. Thank you Jesus for my Pete.

Dogster.com

Dear Pete:
My good boy! It is raining and I had to renew my dogster account today. Just seeing the word dogster brings a stab of remembrance. I found them when I had been searching sites about people losing their dogs. So now when I see the word I am reminded that you are gone. And then I cry. And I become fearful of losing Brandy. We still haven't found a white male shepherd pup. I wonder if I will ever be able to have another one. Sometimes I think no, that I can't imagine having any others but you and Brandy. What should I do Buddy? I miss you fiercely.
Love,

I miss you still

Dear Pete:
As the anniversary date of your death approaches I am spending more time crying. How I remember so much! I can still feel how incredibly soft your ears were. I know the roughness and softness of every part of your fur. I can still feel the weight of those awesome paws in my hands. And, thankfully, I can still feel your neck fur in my face when I think about hugging you! (You remember, the thing you would put up with for only a few seconds at a time when sitting on the couch)
I find myself crying out, "Oh Pete! I miss you!"
We are getting ready to buy a white shepherd puppy now. I want Brandy to train him the way Grandma G did you before she is too old. She misses you terribly Pete. And she is not doing well now either. Remember how she would chase the jackrabbits in New Mexico until she couldn't run anymore? Now she has trouble walking a mile. And she's losing her appetite. Scares me.
I miss my majestic Pete. My big boy. My best friend.

Too hard

Dear Petie--I miss you more than ever. I have been away from your page a long time because I knew it would hurt too much. And it does. I had to stop looking at your pictures because I can't stop crying. Like now.

Some days are better than others

Hey Buddy!
You've been gone 2 months now. And though I don't think of you every minute anymore, the times I spend reflecting are harder than ever. Oh Pete! I miss you. I wish you were here. Everything still seems off kilter somehow.
We have to move and I am not going to be able to see you in that new place. Now I can look at your favorite spot on the couch or remember how you would groan when you laid against the living room wall under the picture window that looks out on the little knoll you liked to sit on to watch me in the field.

We have to get rid of that dog couch too. The smell has become overpowering now that the NEW GIRL has managed to barf on it several times. You always managed to get outside--except at the end. We got THE GIRL way to early. She is just over a year and too wild from being kenneled all the time. She is very beautiful Pete, but she is not you. There will never be another you. You were never wild. Playful, yes. But SHE can't stop moving and batting at us and Brandy with her powerful paws. She wants to bite, but Brandy does keep her in her place and she can be quite good, especially on walks. You should see her run the fields! That is awesome. I think she would make a great rescue dog if we can get her tamed down. She is quite inquisitve and learns quite fast, but we have to crate her at night and when we are gone. Neither you nor Brandy required that. But each is different.

Listen Bud, I have to fix Papa lunch for work now. I miss you. Don't forget me. I carry you in my heart, as close as a breath. I have to go look at your pictures when I get this way. Lunch can wait. Hugs and kisses.

Hi Buddy!

Dear Petie:
HI Bud! I see you wrote a little note. I sure miss you. I wish I could just wrap my arms around your big furry neck one more time. But I guess the pictures will have to do. Remember the one Papa took of me doing just that last year? When I look at it I can still feel your neck. I would bury my face in your fur and come up sputtering from the little hairs clinging to my face!

I miss having to vacuum up your hair everyday! And hearing you type in your sleep. But I really miss you waiting at the door with Muffin when I would come in. You would run right past Papa to me.

I am so thankful to have had you Pete. I know there will never be another you. We had so much fun! Remember in New Mexico when I was walking you in Pecos and the cattle drive was coming behind us? I knew you would try to take 'em all on so I got you down to the river only to have one of those longhorns follow us down! Up we came on the other bank and almost ran into a cowboy. We sent him down river to retrieve his lost steer. What a hoot!

Sleep well Pete.

Missin' you

I have been gone a month now. I see my mom every night pull up my photos on the computer and whisper goodnight. I have to say that I took some pretty good pictures. Well, I didn't take them. Clint did.

Mom still cries alot. Brandy is trying to hold the fort down, especially now that there is a one year old hyper female shepherd to contend with. But Mom often cuddles with Brandy and tells her it will never be the same with me gone. Aw Mom, it's OK. The original two crew is broken up but look at all those great photos you have. (You know they really do bring her alot of comfort.)

We had a great life together. We lived in New Mexico, PA, OH, and finally (for me anyway) IN. I always tried to humor Brandy in NM when she wanted to chase jackrabbits in that 100 acre field Mom took us to each day, but my heart was in watching MOM. Hey Bran Muffin (I hate that name) remember when you ran through the barbed wire fence and tore your leg up chasin' that rascally rabbit? Then you got it sewed up and pulled the stitches out with your teeth the next day. You were always a hoot. Pure entertainment. Me, I just loved to watch MOM.

Got to go, the choir's tuning up and they need my deep bass voice. Love you all. Mr. Stoic