Friends: I can not count the number of pets I have outlived. Hopefully, though, the day will come that I will meet each of them again. If you feel the same this prayer is for you.
Prayer in Memory of a Pet
Almighty God,
I was fortunate to receive the gift of (pet name) from You
Now that he (she) has left this life,
please help me cope with my loss with strength and courage.
I know that my beloved companion no longer suffers,
and will live on in many fond memories.
May they be treated with the care and respect
As he (she) has enriched my life,
I pray that I may enrich the lives of others. Amen.
Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation.
The following was sent to me from a friend who lifted it from an unknown public website. I see this way too often. It happens way too often. Each of us needs to be on the lookout for this situation in the parking lot of everywhere we shop. CALL THE POLICE AND DON’T BE AFRAID TO ACT!!!
Notice:
It takes only minutes for a pet left in a vehicle on a warm day to succumb to heatstroke and suffocation. Most people don’t realize how hot it can get in a parked car on a balmy day. However, on a 78-degree day, temperatures in a car parked in the shade can exceed 90 degrees — and hit a scorching 160 degrees if parked in the sun!
Even when the outside air temperature is in the 60s, temperatures inside some vehicles can reach the danger zone on bright, sunny days. So many experts recommend not leaving pets or children in parked cars even for short periods if the temperature is in the 60s or higher.
Rolling down a window or parking in the shade doesn’t guarantee protection either, since temperatures can still climb into the danger zone. And if the window is rolled down sufficiently, the pet can escape. Plus if a passer-by claims he or she was bitten through the car window, the pet owner will be liable. What about leaving the dog in the car with the air-conditioning running? Many people do this, but tragedy can strike — and it has. For example, in 2003, a police dog in Texas died after the air-conditioning in the patrol car shut down and began blowing hot air. The air system’s compressor kicked off because the engine got too hot. Many cars, including modern models with computerized functions, are prone to the same problem. In August 2004, a North Carolina couple lost two of their beloved dogs, and nearly lost their third dogs, as result of a similar failure. They had left bowls of water and ice in the car, and the air-conditioning on, during their shopping trip of less than 30 minutes. Animals are not able to sweat like humans do. Dogs cool themselves by panting and by sweating through their paws. If they have only overheated air to breathe, animals can collapse, suffer brain damage and possibly die of heatstroke. Just 15 minutes can be enough for an animal’s body temperature to climb from a normal 102.5 to deadly levels that will damage the nervous and cardiovascular systems, often leaving the animal comatose, dehydrated and at risk of permanent impairment or death.
Note from John: Friends, Imagine…YOU may be called upon to save a life in an overheated car. It could be a dog, or, it could be a child! At certain times in life, we are called upon to be our brother’s keeper. Likewise, at certain times in life we are called upon to be the keeper of our brother’s dog!
I use this blog to tell you about dogs. Today, I am veering from that general topic to show you an interview that was posted on You Tube.
In 1970, yeah, 45 years ago and why would you care, right. Anyway, in 1970 I witnessed the shooting of students on the campus of Kent State University, in Kent, Ohio. It was one of those life-changing events…something I have rarely talked about. Last week, a local news anchor asked to briefly talk with me about what had happened. Interestingly, since then, many have asked to see what was broadcast.
Tim Irr, WSAZ-TV news anchor in Huntington, WV kindly posted his interview on You Tube.
Friends: Following is a story written by Beth Sergent, staff writer for the Point Pleasant Daily Register, Point Pleasant, WV. It’s a dog’s obituary from the dog’s point of view. Original, telling, and heartfelt. This is a story for all dog lovers. John
A dog’s life, like that of a human’s, can take many twists and turns in our search for what, and who, we truly call home.
A friend recently told me dogs should live as long as parrots. Still, another friend remarked dogs have such short lives because the loss of them would be too much to bear if they lived as long as their human companions.
My dog Shaggy recently died, but she was not just my dog. For awhile, she belonged to a community — the community of Pomeroy, Ohio.
In the early to mid-2000’s, people noticed her wandering village streets, searching for food, searching for a safe place to sleep, her head down, eyes never making contact as she apologetically persevered. Those in Meigs County know the rest of the story. They know how those working at the Meigs County Courthouse and in downtown businesses took Shaggy in, fed her, showed her kindness, gave her companionship and she returned all in-kind.
She became a conduit for connecting people who otherwise wouldn’t have noticed each other. Noticing Shaggy in need and wanting to help, caused strangers to recognize something of themselves in others. Shaggy recognized it too, namely kindness. Kindness is often common ground for us all. She followed that trail of kindness until she found her home with me.
Last month, Shaggy died from the ailments of old age and left this earth laying on her dog bed in the same, safe spot she had slept in for years. If not for the kindness of others, it’s hard to say where Shaggy would’ve taken her last breath and if not for Shaggy’s kindness towards others, it’s easy to say something would have been missing in downtown Pomeroy and certainly in my life.
The groundhog population on Mechanic Street alone would also be at critical mass if not for Shaggy’s efforts to control it during her homeless days. Though I could go on about what a wonderful dog she was — and she was — I thought the appropriate send off in the newspaper which celebrated her off the streets would be an obituary, from a dog’s point of view.
So here it is, Shaggy’s obituary containing what, and who, she called home.
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Shaggy, age unknown but suspected to be between 13-15 years old, of Point Pleasant, W.Va., and formerly of Pomeroy, Ohio, died Feb. 22, 2015, at her home with her human by her side.
Known as Pomeroy’s “town dog,” Shaggy was a door greeter at the Meigs County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and later at the Pomeroy Daily Sentinel for several years. She was Pomeroy’s first four-legged grand marshal of its Christmas parade, in which she made repeat appearances. One of Shaggy’s little-known accomplishments was visiting the residents of Overbook Rehabilitation Center in Middleport, Ohio, and consuming nine slices of American cheese given to her by those residents in under two hours — followed by chugging a gallon of water. Her favorite foods included cheeseburgers (plain with cheese only) from fast food establishments and free hot dogs from Tom Tom’s in Point Pleasant.
Her favorite pastimes included sniffing grass at public parks and traveling to places while riding in her very own back seat in a Pontiac Grand Prix. Favorite smells occurred often at Krodel, Riverfront and Tu-Endie-Wei parks in Point Pleasant, with special attention given to a post planted beside the butterfly garden along the walking trail at Krodel. After being homeless on the streets of Pomeroy, Shaggy’s world opened up and she traveled to places like Huntington, W.Va., Columbus, Ohio, Cincinnati, Ohio, and to every corner of Meigs County — from (nervously) witnessing a 21-gun salute at Portland’s commemoration of the Battle of Buffington Island, to searching for remnants of the old Titus Mansion in the Rutland, Ohio, area. The latter adventure resulted in the need to remove several ticks, a process which Shaggy showed much patience for, as she did with most everything in life. Her last big car ride was to Fairfield, Ohio, in May 2014 which also included a trip to Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester Township in Butler County, Ohio, where she ate a chicken sandwich under a shade tree — sometimes life is more about chewing slowly and observing.
In addition to her human, Beth Sergent, of Point Pleasant, she is survived by initial caretakers Donna Boyd, of Pomeroy, Rhonda Riebel, of Chester, Ohio, and Jenny Shirley, of Point Pleasant, with special mention to friend and animal lover Gloria Kloes, of Pomeroy, who helped with her first bath.
She was preceded in death by Sentinel staff writer, and late in life dog lover, Brian J. Reed.
She is also survived by countless employees at the Meigs County Courthouse who provided her with companionship, cheese, lunch meat, peanut butter, drinks of water and a dog bed. She also leaves behind supporters at the Pomeroy Police Department who attempted to keep her safe during her time on the streets, and her Pomeroy Daily Sentinel family which included Charlene Hoeflich, of Pomeroy, Brenda Davis, of Syracuse, Ohio, Judy Clark, of Racine, Ohio, Matt Rodgers, of Gallipolis, Ohio, and David Harris, of Pomeroy.
She is also survived by a generous benefactor from Meigs County who paid for all of her veterinary care at Meigs Vet Clinic over the years and who shall forever remain nameless but thanked. She leaves countless other friends and family behind, including a cat named Alfie who she considered eating in the beginning but later learned to tolerate. We should all show as much tolerance for someone, or something, with the ability to scratch us.
Shaggy’s ashes will be scattered at Krodel Park in Point Pleasant along the trails and water’s edge once spring officially arrives. This way, a piece of Shaggy will be forever at, and forever become a part of, a place she loved, as the grass turns green and life renews itself again … and again, and again.
In lieu of cheeseburgers, consider adopting a homeless animal from the Meigs County Dog Shelter or Mason County Animal Shelter in memory of Shaggy and for yourself. Don’t forget to give special consideration to the adult dogs and cats who have been wandering all their lives in search of a forever home, just like Shaggy.
In closing, a quote from the writings of Jane Austen:
“There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends. I have no notion of loving people by halves, it is not my nature.”
Austen’s quote may refer to the nature of a select number of human beings on this earth, though it with certainty refers to the nature of all dogs. Dogs, like Shaggy, are incapable of loving their people by fractions or with incremental signs of affection. They teach us more than they will ever know by their capacity to be whole with us.
May Shaggy, and her whole heart, rest in peace.
Okay, okay…I may be going out on a rope here and may upset some of you. But, here’s the deal. This is NOT the kind of weather that dogs should be left outside without protection. A thick-coated German Shepherd, curled under the porch, out of the wind, yes. But short haired, single coated dogs, on a chain or running loose, unprotected…let me tell you, they may not live through the night. Anyone seeing dog abuse must accept the responsibility to contact authorities. Period.
The Aztecs used wolf liver as an ingredient for treating melancholy. They also pricked a patient’s breast with a sharpened wolf bone in an attempt to delay death.
The head of the Catholic Church promises that some dogs, at least, do go to heaven
Pope Francis confirmed during his weekly address in the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Square that canines, along with “all of God’s creatures,” can make it to heaven.
The leader of the Catholic Church made the remark in order to comfort a young boy who was mourning the death of his dog, according to the New York Times.
“One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures,” said the 77-year-old Pontiff, according to Italian news sources.
The Bog 