Flashes of Insight

This past Saturday I had to help my dear devoted dog Appaloosa[Apple] rejoin his beloved Bear[Spirit] both shown here. He was the last of a grooup of 4 of my dogs. Originally he had been Bear’s dog and nearly died of grief when Bear passed and slowly Apple began to totally bond with me becoming more of a people’s dog.
Once he became the “man” of the house he took his job very seriously and regularly and rigorously patrolled the house and yard til the last 2 days of his life when after what appeared to havve been a small stroke, his hind legs gave out.
I knew that I could not pull him off the edge with homeopathy this time and that he was ready to journey on beyond the boundaries of his life long home here at Moonhaven. He was 15, 1/2 German Shepherd and 1/2 Catahoula Leopard Hound,ie a Leopard Shepherd and he came by his “herding” instinct on both sides of his gene pool. Anytime people or other animals were around you could see Apple pop in to take a look and count the number of beings in his care and then move on til a while later when he would do the same making sure that he knew that the same number of beings were still in his flock.
As I grieve.the loss of my dear friend and protector I can still hear him at times making his rounds and given who he was, he probably is checking up on us, his family and flock at Moonhaven.Because he was old and failing for about a year, some thought that I should have let him go sooner but I knew his heart which was so strong and determined to do his job being the strog Capricorn that he was and I could see the joy that he still took every day on patrol. Even when he became deaf,he would do pre-emptive barking telling all that Apple was here to take care of business and he loved doing it too.
It is never easy to lose a good friend and family member and to make the choice to help them leave the earth plane but I felt like he was ready and that there could not be any quality of life for him here.
All of us miss him a lot but I know that he was met by his brother Spirit/Bear,Astarte,Tara and Cherie to name a few of his and my other family members who have gone before.My youngest cat Star,who had to be rushed.to the hospital the day before Apple departed for life saving surgery was Apple’s true buddy in the animal family becoming his ears after he could no longer hear. Star would cry at the door when Apple was ready to come in to alert me and when I started letting Star out for a bit, Apple would go outside to look for Star if he thought that he wa gone too long. Star barely got to say goodbye to his dear friend as he came home from the hospital but I think that they have made their peace now as well. I treated all of us for grief and we are moving ahead without our big strong devoted dog APPLE.
JUST AS HE RETURNED TO US AFTER HE WAS TONKA, HE WILL RETURN AGAIN WHEN HIS TIME COMES. WE WILL NEVER FORGET HIM.
Blessings from Flash,Star,Chinamoon,Red.Jaz and Tucky

* The Wise Woman’s Tarot - http://www.flashsilvermoon.com *