Our Tribute to a Loyal Friend

My mom has lost the loving companionship of one of her pets this year. It was a painful time for most of my family as she was with us for so many years. While I live in Nebraska now it still brought tears to my eyes when I received the call because I can remember being in highschool and going to pick up our brand new puppy.

She was a Minature Sheltie Collie. My mom had wanted to get a companion for our male Minature. His name was Smokey, his registered name was Cinder Glo Smoke Storm. So, of course, with no little favoratism toward Smokey mom named the new female addition Cinder, with her registered name beign Cinder Glo's Lady Love. She was so small she needed a black tape case holder to manipulate the stairs from our den to the living room.

While she was not bought for the fact of breeding a time came when we wouldn't have minded her having puppies, but she was so small, even for a minature, that breeding just wasn't meant to be. This was okay though because Smokey and Cinder were as close as two could be.

A few years go by and my grandparents had moved to Nebraska, so I decided to hop in the car with my toddler son and take a roadtrip. Sadly, when I got back home to Texas mom met us at the door with tears in her eyes. Someone had reached over the back gate and let Smokey out. We had a really good idea exactly who did it, unfortunately, we couldn't do anything about it. Mom and I scoured the streets calling his name even though he had already been gone for a couple days. In the end we had to say goodbye knowing he would not be back.

Cinder went into an extreme doggy depression and it wasn't until one of my younger sister's received a new puppy, Ashes, that she seemed to pull out of it. Even then though all of her spark was not back, Smokey was her life line and she missed him desperately.

As things go, the years passed, and Cinder grew older. Arthritis set in making it harder and harder for her to even move. Somedays she couldn't even stand. The day came that mom and dad had to say, enough, we need to let her go. The same veterinarian that gave her first shots held her and talked to her as he administered that last final shot. Telling my parents that they had made the right choice in helping her along.

Now, it is little Ashes, who has lost a best friend and substitute mommy, that grieves the worst. My dad has a Siberian Husky, named Sadie, who still looks at the back door waiting for Cinder to follow Ashes out. Even, our animals grieve with the family.

As with many people my mom needed a last final release to help her to say goodbye. She wrote this poem and then sent it to me via email. I cried as I read it, so many memories of our loving dog came back to me. It, also, made me get up and give all three of my babies a little extra loving and tell them I was glad they were alive and well. My son, not used to seeing mommy cry had me read the poem aloud. I must say it was one of the hardest things I had ever done.

I want others to know that a pet passing on is a painful thing and don't be ashamed to cry even if other people can't understand your love for an animal. We are out here, and we do understand. I have added the poem that my mothere wrote, maybe it will help you even if it isn't about your own special beloved pet.

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