Queenie, all dogs go to heaven

well my dear ones,

Sometimes people or pets

may come into our lives

for a very short span of time.

As my friend, Ashton says,

"I like to think that every life,

 no matter what the length,

 is important

 and enters into the world for a reason."

I concur,

and would even extrapolate that

to include relationships;

I think that all relationships,

no matter how brief,

have something to teach us.

This morning,

I was traveling back from a wedding

and a visit to my brother's house.

While driving down the freeway,

I was passing by a dog in the median

when I saw it get up on its paws

and try to crawl across the road.

I got on the grass of the median

and backed up to where the dog was.

By now it was in the middle lane

of the three southbound lanes.

It was so scared

that it didn't fight me as I picked it up.

A couple of Mack trucks in that lane

switched lanes and nearly drove up

on the grass to avoid us

(which was cool of them)

when they saw

I was trying to help an injured dog.

I put the dog in the back of my truck

and tried to pet it and calm it down.

There was an exit right there,

so I got off and asked a woman

at a gas station there

for directions to the nearest vet.

I kept the window behind me open

so I could talk to the dog

as we traveled down the road,

to try and keep him calm;

I thought he was a male,

so I called him Rexie;

but later learned he was female,

so I changed that to Queenie

(names ending in "e" seem

 to have a calming effect

 on children and animals *shrugs*).

The people at the animal hospital

were really, really nice;

but the doc there said

that Queenie was hurt too badly;

both her hips were shattered,

and that she would have to be put down.

She asked if I wanted to stay,

and I said, "yes."

So the doc and the technician and I

all prayed over her

while she was put to sleep.

(and I cried like a little baby!)

So, what do you think?

In the eyes of God

does it matter that this dog

died in a vet's office

and not all alone in the road?

I think yes.

In the final hour of her life,

Queenie had a name,

and an owner

(I listed myself as her owner of record;

 just like with the sanctuary, as I see it,

 whatever person or animal in need

 God chooses to put in our path

 is somehow our responsibility).

Also, she died surrounded by people

who were praying for her,

and held by someone who loved her

even if it was only for a short while.

And in the final hour of her life,

she affected other people's lives:

the woman at the gas station,

the police woman who had to direct me

the last few blocks to the animal hospital,

the receptionist at the hospital,

the technician,

the doctor,

and me.

Come to think of it,

if you are reading this,

then I guess Queenie is still affecting lives.

Here's a pic of the little spud in my truck:

http://theeverencouragingword.blogspot.com/2012/01/queenie-rest-in-peace-30-jan-2012.html

What a sweet little girl;

I only wish I could have done more for her.

I may have only had her in my life

for an extremely short time,

yet she taught me a very valuable lesson:

love is not some commodity

that you can run out of;

the more love you give,

the more God will replenish it

and give you even more love to give.

There's no limit to the number

of pets or people you can love.

Thanks, Queenie;

I pray for a place for you in Deep Heaven,

and someone to love you there

as you should have had here.

grace, peace, and love to you,

dave



"And God shall wipe away all tears
 from their eyes;
 and there shall be no more death,
 neither sorrow, nor crying,
 neither shall there be any more pain:
 for the former things are passed away."

      --- Revelation 21:4