About 13 years ago, our little neighbor, Kevin, marched down the hill
(from his house to ours) with a puppy under each arm. With the biggest smile, he asked again if we wanted a dog. “No!” was our answer. But with two wide-eyed little boys at home asking,
no begging, to keep that dog, that is just what we did. Well, that’s what we did after sending Kevin
and his two puppies back up that hill and having a most serious family
meeting. My husband began with the
ground rules - “No dogs in the house!”
which quickly changed to “No dogs in the bedrooms!” which quickly changed to “No
dogs in your beds!” Of course, another battle lost, we sat back and truly began
to enjoy our new little dog, Kaysee.
Kaysee was, from the very beginning, the best dog I’d ever known. She was calm (Really? A puppy?)
She was well behaved, she was trained quickly, and she was smart. She could wrestle with the boys, get sat on
by babies, do the “puppy scrunch” (you know, where they put their little butt in
the air and paws on the ground), she could sit up, sit down, shake, roll over
and lay down. She was our constant
companion and loved each of us with unconditional love. She followed us from room to room, seeming to
say, “Where are you going?” “Is it time
for a walk?” “Time to play?” “Time to fetch, jump off the dock, roll in the
sand, chase my tail?” And, her favorite,
“Is it time to EAT?!” If we missed her
morning or afternoon feeding for even one minute she would go downstairs and
toss her bowl around “Snoopy Style” until we paid attention.
Today we said goodbye to our dear, sweet Kaysee. It’s one of the most difficult things we've done. My husband and I sat next to her on the floor
of the vet and said our goodbyes with tears rolling down our cheeks. We told her thank you for all the years she’s
been our friend. We told her she was a
good, good dog. We told her goodbye.
I want to believe that “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” I want to believe that right now she’s up
there with my dad, my dear friend Annie, and all who have passed before. I want to believe that she is following
people from room to room, that she is still taking walks, fetching a ball,
jumping off a dock, rolling in the sand, and, yes, chasing her tail.
I’ve been praying a lot over the past few days, asking God to take care
of Kaysee. So, I will believe that “All
Dogs DO Go to Heaven!”
So long, dear friend. You will
be so missed.
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is
forgotten before God. Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear
not; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth every kind of animal –
livestock, small animals, and wildlife.” And so it was. God made all sorts of wild animals,
livestock, and small animals, each able to reproduce more of its own kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:24-25
