Monday nights for the past few weeks have been somewhat strange! Dogs and cats scurry everywhere here in ‘doggy heaven’ to try and get a glimpse of the Bachelorette on a tv down on earth. I heard purring and barking off and on as Desiree had her heart broken when Brook decided he didn’t love her! We’ve all been there ... but in the end she chose a new man and realized how wrong Brooks was for her. This started a group discussion, when Rasta, a dog pal from home, asked ‘how many of us have had a broken heart?”
      Susie, a white poodle remarked, “one of my puppies died at birth and it broke my heart”. Cocoa, a chocolate lab barked in, “when my master went away and never came back, it broke my heart”. Lucky, a calico cat purred, “when I got lost and couldn’t find my way back home, it broke my heart”. Sady, a golden lab who is the gatekeeper at the Rainbow Bridge, whimpered, “when a dog or cat reach the bridge to cross over from their earthly home to their new heavenly home, and they are so saddened to leave their masters, it breaks my heart”.
      Kachina, a black lab barked, “How do our hearts heal after they have been broken”? “Somehow, time heals our hearts”, I said. Susie added, “Yes Gretta, somehow over time, hearts do heal. My remaining puppies needed my love and care, and they gave me love in return, which helped heal my loss.” Cocoa barked in, “When my master left I didn’t want to go on. I thought nothing will be the same without him. I went to a new home and my new master was so kind and filled my life again with security and trust, my heart healed too”! Lucky rubbed against me, (still don’t know why cats do that), she purred, “After I was lost, I wondered into a yard, and my new master took me in. I was a Lucky cat, for she treated me like a queen. So even though my heart had been broken, my life changed leading me to a home filled with blessings”.
      Sady barked in, “We all have crossed the Rainbow Bridge when we reach our heavenly home, and I watch each lonely and sad dog or cat cross that bridge. When they get to the other side, I notice them looking around at the beauty that is before them, after they take one last glance back at me, they slowly begin to walk across the meadow before them. Go up over the hill, I bark to them, and once they reach the top of the hill, other dogs and cats run to meet them, old friends, brothers, sisters moms or dads are among them, and off they go, running together. So Gretta, I do agree with you, that time does heal a broken heart”.
      Rasta added, “We all are hurt in ways that break our hearts, but somehow if we put one paw in front of the other, and move forward and allow time to heal, our hearts will find blessings again”. Kachina barked again, “We allowed the beauty of this heavenly place to fill each of our souls, and we found each other’s friendship and love.”
      We all stood and glanced around at each other. Suddenly the creek looked so inviting we all ran down and jumped in. We splashed and shook with joy, and yes...our tails are a waggin!
      Gretta, a Golden Retriever, spent almost 15 years at
      The Boardman News. She greeted all who entered with a wag of her tail! She died in November of 2012. Send your animal tributes/stories to share to: The Boardman News, 8302 Southern Blvd., S2A, Boardman, OH 44512