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Stories to make you laugh
Stories to make you cry

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The Cavalier!

I'm a brave and valiant Cavalier
Facing all dangers, knowing no fear.
I wear leather boots and a feathered hat
And you don't see many dogs dressed like that!
With my flashing sword I am a fearful sight
Driving all villains in headlong flight.
I will rescue damsels in distress
And skewer the monster from Loch Ness.
I'm a Cavalier who is fierce and bold
Like a rollicking Viking, or Knights of old,
Nothing and nobody stands against me..
I had better wake up, as it's time for my tea!

~ Liz Heslop ~

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When God made the earth and sky the flowers and the trees,
He then made all the animals the fish, the birds and bees.
And when at last He'd finished not one was quite the same.
He said, "I'll walk this world of mine and give each one a name."
And so He travelled far and wide and everywhere He went,
A little creature followed Him until its strength was spent.
When all were named upon the earth and in the sky and sea,
the little creature said, "Dear Lord, there's not one left for me."
Kindly the Father said to him, "I've left you to the end.
I've turned my own name back to front and called you Dog, my friend.

~ Author Unknown ~

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The Journey

When you bring a pet into your life, you begin a journey - a journey that will bring you more love and devotion than you have ever known, yet also test your strength and courage. If you allow; the journey will teach you many things, about life, about yourself, and most of all, about love. You will come away, changed forever, for one soul cannot touch another without leaving its mark.

Along the way, you will learn much about savouring life's simple pleasures - jumping in leaves, snoozing in the sun, the joys of puddles, and even the satisfaction of a good scratch behind the ears.

If you spend much time outside, you will be taught how to truly experience every element, for no rock, leaf, or log will go unexamined, no rustling bush will be overlooked, and even the very air will be inhaled, pondered, and noted as being full of valuable information. Your pace may be slower - except when heading home to the food dish - but you will become a better naturalist, having been taught by an expert in the field.

Too many times we hike on automatic pilot, our goal being to complete the trail rather than enjoy the journey. We miss the details - the colourful mushrooms on the rotting log, the honeycomb in the old maple snag, the hawk feather caught on a twig. Once we walk as a dog does, we discover a whole new world. We stop; we browse the landscape, we kick over leaves, peek in tree holes, lookup, down, all around. And we learn what any dog knows: that nature has created a marvellously complex world that is full of surprises, that each cycle of the seasons bring ever changing wonders, each day an essence all its own.

Even from indoors you will find yourself more attuned to the world around you. You will find yourself watching summer insects collecting on a screen. (How bizarre they are! How many kinds there are! ), or noting the flick and flash of fireflies through the dark. You will stop to observe the swirling dance of windblown leaves, r sniff the air after a rain. It does not matter that there is no objective in this; the point is in the doing, in not letting life's most important details slip by.

You will find yourself doing silly things that your pet-less friends might not understand: spending thirty minutes in the grocery aisle looking for the cat food brand your feline must have, buying dog birthday treats, or driving around the block an extra time because your pet enjoys the ride. You will roll in the snow, wrestle with chewie toys, bounce little rubber balls till your eyes cross, and even run around the house trailing your bathrobe tie - with a cat in hot pursuit - all in the name of love.

Your house will become muddier and hairier. You will wear less dark clothing and buy more lint rollers. You may find dog biscuits in your pocket or purse, and feel the need to explain that an old plastic shopping bag adorns your living room rug because your cat loves the crinkly sound.

You will learn the true measure of love - the steadfast, undying kind that says, "It doesn't matter where we are or what we do, or how life treats us as long as we are together." Respect this always. It is the most precious gift any living soul can give another. You will not find it often among the human race.

And you will learn humility. The look in my dog's eyes often made me feel ashamed. Such joy and love at my presence. She saw not some flawed human who could be cross and stubborn, moody or rude, but only her wonderful companion. Or maybe she saw those things and dismissed them as mere human foibles, not worth considering, and so chose to love me anyway.

If you pay attention and learn well, when the journey is done, you will be not just a better person, but the person your pet always knew you to be - the one they were proud to call beloved friend.

I must caution you that this journey is not without pain. Like all paths of true love, the pain is part of loving. For as surely as the sun sets, one day your dear animal companion will follow a trail you cannot yet go down. And you will have to find the strength and love to let them go. A pet's time on earth is far too short - especially for those that love them. We borrow them, really, just for a while, and during these brief years they are generous enough to give us all their love, every inch of their spirit and heart, until one day there is nothing left.

The cat that only yesterday was a kitten is all too soon old and frail and sleeping in the sun. The young pup of boundless energy wakes up stiff and lame, the muzzle now grey. Deep down we somehow always knew that this journey would end. We knew that if we gave our hearts they would be broken. But give them we must for it is all they ask in return. When the time comes, and the road curves ahead to a place we cannot see, we give one final gift and let them run on ahead - young and whole once more. "Godspeed, good friend," we say, until our journey comes full circle and our paths cross again.

~Crystal Ward Kent~

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A MESSAGE FROM MAX:

My name is Max and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your
ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have
children to raise.
It always seems like you are running here and there, often much too fast,
often never noticing the truly grand things in life.
Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my
dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now, that comes with
age. The grey hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle. You smile at me; I
see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine?
Do you see a spirit, a soul inside who loves you as no other could in the
world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for
just a simple moment of your time?
That is all I ask. To slow down if even for a few minutes to be with me.
So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen,
of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so
quickly,sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat.

Sometimes we age so slowly before your eyes that you do not even seem to
know, until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and
cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we take
that long sleep, to run free in distant lands.
I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will
shed the waters from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their
souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "One
more day" with me.
Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have
now, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor. And look deep
into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we
will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as a
"trainer" or even a "Mom or Dad", come to me as a living soul and stroke my
fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes, and talk. I may tell you
something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you
something profound about myself, or even life in general. You decided to
have me in your life (I hope) because you wanted a soul to share just such
things with.
Someone very different from you, and here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive.
I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences
of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet"---I
know what you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you
still.
Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down
if even for only 15 minutes. Look deep in my eyes, and whisper to my ears.
Speak with your heart, with your joy and I will know your true self.
We may not have tomorrow, and life is oh so very short.
Love,
Max (on behalf of all canines everywhere)

~ J. D. Ellis 2001 ~

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The Puppy

I remember a lady with 2 children came to take me home
They wanted to play with me and hug me and I was very excited.. I was told
to be a good boy for my new family and after saying goodbye to my siblings
and Mother I was given a tearful hug by my Mistress and with one backward
glance off to my new home I went
I was played with a fussed over a lot at at first and I thought it was good
fun. But soon the children were treating me roughly. I looked at my new
mistress for help but she was too busy; she seemed to be always angry with
someone and shouted at me a lot. I was afraid of her.
And so I spent my days in hiding The children would do cruel things to me,
and Instead of being my playmates they became my tormentors. I had to find
new places to hide where I could fall asleep and no one would come looking
for me. When I was hungry I was never given nice food like my first home.
Instead was given table scraps and bundled into a cold draughty kennel where
I spent the night alone. I often cried but no one heard me so I curled up in
a shivery bundle and slept.

One day one of the children dropped me and hurt my leg. The Vet said it was
broken and I would have to be kept quiet for a few weeks for it to heal.
They tied me on a short leash to my kennel where I spend my days hoping for
a kind word or a pat. I have so much love to give but everyone is too busy
even the children ignore me; they have no time for a puppy who cannot play.

My leg did not heal well and after awhile they took me on a car ride in a
small box. I was excited at first to be going on a trip with my mistress.
But she left me in a place where there are dogs and cats in cages looking
forlorn and afraid. I wondered where there families were. They patted me put
me in a pen and gave me some food. They were saying children should be
taught how to look after their animals and shown how to handle them so they
don't hurt them.
I sat by myself in the draughty pen and thought of the soft warm fur and the
smell of the clean fresh bedding that was my first home. I thought of the
nice food and love that I longed for. How I missed them.

I have been here a long time now, and today I am getting lots of pats and
cuddles. I wag my tail hopefully as the lady who feeds me, picks me up
whispering reassuringly to me, she is crying, I lick her face and wonder
where I am going.

~ Lynne Oliver ~

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