It has been five weeks today since Dugan was pts. It is also the 2nd birthday of my daughter's cat, Jasper. It was so hard going to her apartment and bringing cat toys for Jasper's birthday. She did not want me to do it but I told her that Jasper is here and we have to honor that. I did pretty good until I noticed one of Jasper's bowls was identical to one that Dugan had. I made it to the elevator before I lost it and started crying. My daughter was so grateful that we had come over and I know she did not expect that we would get toys. It was really hard but I wanted to honor those that are still here as all of us know that we never know how much time we have with our furbabies.

If all goes well, the blessing for all three of my babies will be tomorrow afternoon. I will say prayers and light candles for all of your furbabies during the Blessing. You have no idea what all of you have meant to me over the past five weeks. Everyone gives so much support even when you are all hurting also. I don't know how I would have come this far without all of you. I still am in so much pain and grief that it seems like it will never end, and if I am being honest with myself, I doubt if it ever will end until I can see my Dugie at the Rainbow Bridge. I just pray that someday it will be a pain I can live with on a day to day basis.

I know I am not ready to consider another cat, maybe I never will be but I felt I needed to do something! I found a cat on the Help For Homeless Pets website that was looking for someone to sponsor his grooming as he had bad mats. He was a senior citizen looking for a new home and they thought the grooming would make him more attractive. My daughter and I went half and half and the lady who took him to get groomed took a liking to him and wound up adopting him. I can't begin to tell you how happy that made me.

I will let you know how the blessing goes. Thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for being there for me. All of you are always in my thoughts and prayers.

Dugan's Mom

DEAR DUGAN'S MOM,
I KNOW IT IS HARD TO GO AND CELEBRATE WHEN YOUR HEART IS SO HEAVY WITH MISSING DUGAN. OVER 17 YRS IS A LONG TIME IN PET YEARS BUT SHORT FOR US. RAGGS WAS 15YRS AND 7 MOS AND IT WENT BY SO FAST.
I DO NOT KNOW IF I WILL EVER GET ANOTHER PET AGAIN(I LOVE BOTH DOGS AND CATS BUT HAVE MOSTLY HAD DOGS) MY DAUGHTER JUST GOT A 8WEEK OLD BLOND ##ER SPANIEL AND SHE IS SO PRECIOUS AND I HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FILL THE VOID BY GOING DOWN AND PLAYING WITH HER THEN I COME BACK TO THIS PLACE WHERE NO ONE BUT MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF LIVE. WE USE TO TALK ALL THE TIME ABOUT OR TO RAGGS AND I STILL HEAR HIM IN THE NIGHT OR THINK I DO HE USE TO SNORE AND OF COURSE IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO I SLEPT WITH ONE EYE OPEN BECAUSE HIS HEALTH WAS BAD AND HE WAS BLIND.
LIKE YOU SAY WE HAVE TO GO ON FOR THE LIVING THEY DESERVE THE SAME THINGS WE GAVE OUR BABIES. I GUESS THE HARD THING JUST LIKE DUGAN WITH YOU I WAS RAGGS PERSON HIS WORLD REVOLVED AROUND ME NO MATTER WHAT. I OFTEN SAID IF SOMETHING HAPPENED TO ME RAGGS WOUD HAVE TO BE PUT TO SLEEP BUCAUSE HE WAS NEVER RELAXED UNTILL I WAS IN MY CHAIR AND HE BY ME.HE EVEN DID NOT LIKE ME ON THE COMPUTER HE WOULD SET AT MY FEET AND CRY UNTILL I WENT TO THE DEN AND MY CHAIR. I GUESS I WILL KEEP TALKING ABOUT HIM IT KEEPS HIM ALIVE NO KNOWS I AM ON THIS SITE AND PROBABLY THINKS I AM OVER HIM . EVERYONE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE GRIEF. IT WAS JULY 5TH HE WAS PTS. TAKE CARE
JOANNE(RAGGSIE'S MOM)

Dear Dugans Mom,
I hope the blessing went well. I'm sure it was an emotional experience, but one you will cherish forever.
I would like to add my name to the list of us who absolutely adore the pic of Dugan and the poinsetta. Two of my favorite things together- cats and Christmas. He was a beatiful creature and I'm sure the memories of him are just as beautiful.
You are in my prayers this evening.
Peace be with you always,
Steve

I really hope the blessing went well and that it gave you peace at last. I lit a candle for you Saturday and prayed for you and Dugan. Let me know how it went!
Lisa

Dugan's Mom,

I admire you for showing such strength and not only attending Jasper's BD party, but going the distance and buying presents, too, when I know how hard it must have been even LOOKING at cat-toys in a store! Good ON ya for all of that.

I really, really hope the blessing went on as planned and that it went as well as possible for you. I, too, hope it brought you some measure of peace or at least quietude for a time.

And thanks for such a good idea for helping another poor soul, but without having to adopt! That's something I'd never thought of and will keep this in mind for myself, as there's no way we're adopting again until and unless I feel ready to handle all the emotional challenges again, AND my H will agree to commit his heart to another 2 kidlets. At least this way I'd still be helping someone......aside from our usual donations to animal causes and charities. It makes the giving a bit more specific, when you know the individual's needs are being served.

Thanks to you, too, for being here for the rest of us, and for me! And like you, I so appreciate the helping hearts and hands on this board, when we need it most!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to let yesterday sink in before I wrote about it.

I will start with Saturday night 9/23/06. I had a dream that was walking by the bedroom and saw Dugan and Dobbsie curled up together on the bed sleeping. In my dream I thought "Oh this is another shadow sighting." I stopped and went back and there they were there for real, I could see them. Then I woke up and of course it was only a dream but I took comfort in the fact that I could "see" them in my dreams.

I found myself becoming very anxious before the Blessing was to take place. We decided to do it in the Serenity Garden, a place I feel close to all of my babies. It is a space about 5 feet by 5 feet covered with bark under a big tree that the boys used to climb. It has various containers filled with over flowing flowers, a rock inscribed with the word" BELIEVE" and a stepping stone made by my husband & my daughter. We put a small table in the garden and covered it with a green cloth. We placed three candles, three pictures and the three containers of ashes. We were unsure as what to do with Jake? (Springer Spaniel, just turned six) Jake is a wild and crazy dog. He is not good with children and is very protective of his family and yard. I really did not want start out the Blessing with Jake biting Pastor Mark. I let my imagination go wild and could see Jake jumping on the Pastor or worse yet, running off with someone's ashes in this mouth.

We decided to allow Jake to participate if he would behave and if he wouldn't we would bring him in the house. We put him on a leash and waited for Pastor Mark in the backyard.

Pastor Mark arrived on schedule, came in the backyard and we made introductions. Well, he turned out to be a real animal lover and immediately went to Jake. Jake was a little unsure of him and I really got concerned when he got down on one knee and gave Jake a kiss. Jake was so sweet it was unbelievable. Jake is ALWAYS sweet to us but as I said very protective even after three sessions at obedience school. Paster Mark then proceeded to tell us that he was shot during a robbery at Kwik Way a year ago and that his dog, a Lab, really helped with his recovery and he did not know what he would have done without his dog being there for him. He proceeded to tell us that God created animals first so that Adam and Eve could name them in order to create an initimate relationship with them. He said prayers for all of our furbabies, including everyone on the LS website. Then he said prayers for our remaining furbabies that they bring us comfort, healing and that they be under an umbrella of protection. We lit candles and when he spoke of their spirit passing into heaven, two of the candles blew out, followed shortly by the last candle. He then read some scriptures that told of God's love for all creatures. During all of this Jake was laying at the Pastors feet listening to every word!

He closed by telling us that God has a plan for all of us that is so grand we could never imagine and that we will see our babies again and it will be better than we could ever believe. He also said that as humans we try and find the logic in things(how did he know this about me?) and some things are just beyond what we can comprehend.

We cried, we hugged and it filled me with such peace. When we sent inside, I found Dugan's favorite toy (a red hot pepper, filled with catnip) on the floor of the living room. My daughter said it was on the shelf when we took the ashes outside perhaps it was Dugan letting me know he was pleased with the Blessing

Thank all of you for being there for me. I wish each of you healing.

Dugan's Mom
Krissyo

KRISSYO:
ABSOLUTLY BEAUTIFUL. AND THANKS FOR THE BLESSING. IHAVE NOT HEARD OF THAT AROUND HERE IN SOUTHEAST VA.
I KNOW GOD LOVES ALL HIS CREATURES. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY YOU MUST HAVE HAD
JOANNE(RAGGS MOM)

Krissyo,
That was WONDERFUL!!! Dugan was there, you know he was! He let you know in the dream something special was going to happen...and now he is officially an angel and blessed by a man of God. What a lovely ceremony! (I've got a small stone yard sign that says BELIEVE, another that says IMAGINE...great minds think alike!
You have such an amazing dog! Jake must have felt Dugan's presence there too. You've probably known that animals are psychic, especially in a religious setting...and there you go!!
Thank you for the prayers for Precious and for Patches too. I hope that the healing process has begun and you will be beginning a new adventure with a new love someday soon! Not a replacement, NEVER, just an addition. Dugan wouldn't want you to be lonely!
Lisa

Good news, my skill with pictures worked...here is Patches!
Lisa

Thank you all for your kind words. My H has been fiddling with the pictures so I hope I will also be able to post a picture of Dugan when we were on vacation. We stopped at Burger King and he insisted on wearing the crown.

Dugan's Mom
Krissyo

That is a gorgeous picture!! He showed you he was King Of Hearts!!
Lisa

AS USUAL DUGAN IS HIS BEAUTIFUL SELF AND KING AS HE SHOULD BE.
RAGGS MOM JOANNE

ALSO LISA PATCHES IS BEAUTIFUL AND LOOKS LIKE HE COULD JUMP OUT OF THE PIC INTO MY ARMS I CAN ALMOST HEAR A PURR
RAGGS MOM JOANNE

Joanne,
Thank you! That's the first glimpse of Patches I received from his foster-mum Vivian, who is a part-time animal activist and rescuer (she just rescued another kitten from her apartment complex, God bless her!). Patch looks so much bigger in that picture!
Lisa