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Thanks for the Dance - Tributes/Condolences

188K views 172 replies 117 participants last post by  paul young 
#1 · (Edited)
There are times that we all have or will face with our beloved retrievers that causes our hearts to ache with the pain of loss. Many who have not shared this special bond with a dog won't understand why we grieve as if we have lost a child, a best friend, a dearest companion. But those of us who have experienced this pain do understand.

If you have a favorite tribute or condolence poem that has brought comfort to you, please share it with us.

Vicky
 
#2 ·
A Living Love

If you ever love an animal, there are three days in your life you will
always remember....

The first is a day, blessed with happiness, when you bring home your
young new friend.
You may have spent weeks deciding on a litter. You may have asked
numerous opinions of many vets, or done long research in finding a
breeder. Or, perhaps in a fleeting moment, you may have just chosen
that silly looking mutt in a shelter--simply because something in its
eyes reached your heart. But when you bring that chosen pet home, and
watch it explore, and claim its special place in your hall or front
room--and when you feel it brush against you for the first time--it
instills a feeling of pure love you will carry with you through the
many years to come.

The second day will occur eight or nine or ten years later.
It will be a day like any other.
Routine and unexceptional. But, for a surprising instant, you will
look at your longtime friend and see age where you once saw youth. You
will see slow deliberate steps where you once saw energy. And you will
see sleep when you once saw activity. So you will begin to adjust your
friend's diet--and you may add a pill or two to her food. And you may
feel a growing fear deep within yourself, which bodes of a coming
emptiness. And you will feel this uneasy feeling, on and off, until
the third day finally arrives.

And on this day--if your friend and God have not decided for you, then
you will be faced with making a decision of your own--on behalf of
your lifelong friend, and with the guidance of your own deepest
Spirit. But whichever way your friend eventually leaves you--you will
feel as alone as a single star in the dark night.

If you are wise, you will let the tears flow as freely and as often as
they must. And if you are typical, you will find that not many in your
circle of family or friends will be able to understand your grief, or
comfort you.

But if you are true to the love of the pet you cherished through the
many joy-filled years, you may find that a soul--a bit smaller in size
than your own--seems to walk with you, at times, during the lonely
days to come.

And at moments when you least expect anything out of the ordinary to
happen, you may feel something brush against your leg--very very
lightly.

And looking down at the place where your dear, perhaps dearest, friend
used to lay--you will remember those three significant days. The
memory will most likely to be painful, and leave an ache in your
heart--As time passes the ache will come and go as if it has a life of
its own.
You will both reject it and embrace it, and it may confuse you. If you
reject it, it will depress you. If you embrace it, it will deepen you.
Either way, it will still be an ache.

But there will be, I assure you, a fourth day when--along with the
memory of your pet--and piercing through the heaviness in your
heart--there will come a realization that belongs only to you. It will
be as unique and strong as our relationship with each animal we have
loved, and lost. This realization takes the form of a Living
Love--like the heavenly scent of a rose that remains after the petals
have wilted, this Love will remain and grow--and be there for us to
remember. It is a love we have earned. It is the legacy our pets leave
us when they go. And it is a gift we may keep with us as long as we
live. It is a Love which is ours alone. And until we ourselves leave,
perhaps to join our Beloved Pets--it is a Love we will always possess.

(by Martin Scot Kosins)

Submitted by Aussie
 
#3 ·
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF AN EXTREMELY DISTINGUISHED DOG

I, Chelsea, because of the burden of my illness and realizing the end of my life is near, do hereby bury my Last Will and Testament in the mind of my Master. She will not know it is there until after I am dead. Then, remembering me in her loneliness, she will suddenly know of this testament, and I ask her to inscribe it as a memorial to me.

I have little in the way of material things to leave. Dogs are wiser than men. They do not set great store upon things. They do not waste their days hoarding property. They do not ruin their sleep worrying about how to keep the objects they have not. There is nothing of value I have to bequeath except my love and my faith. These I leave to all those who have loved me, to my Master, Vicky, who I know will mourn me the most, to my companion, Will, but if I should list all those who have loved me, it would force my Master to write a book. Perhaps it is vain of me to boast when I am so near death, which returns all beasts and vanities to dust, but I have always been an extremely exceptional dog.

I ask my Master to remember me always but not to grieve for me too long. In my life I have tried to be a comfort to her in time of sorrow and a reason for added joy in her happiness. It is painful for me to think that even in death I should cause her pain. Let her remember that, while no dog ever had a happier life, I have now grown ill and pained. I should not want my pride to sink to a bewildered humiliation. It is time for me to say "good-bye". It will sorrow me to leave her but not sorrow me to die. Dogs do not fear death as men do. We accept it as part of life, not as something alien and terrible which destroys life. What will come to me after death? I will be in a place where one is always young; where I will someday be joined by companions I have known in life; where I will romp in lovely fields with those that have gone before me; where every hour is mealtime; where in long evenings there are fireplaces with logs forever burning, and one curls oneself up and remembers the old brave days on earth and the love of one's Master.

This is much to expect but peace, at least, is certain, and a long rest for these weakened limbs. And eternal sleep is perhaps, after all, the best.

One last request I earnestly make. I ask her, for love of me to have another. It would be a poor tribute to my memory never to have another Lab. What I would like to feel is that, having once had me, she cannot live without one! I have never had a narrow spirit. I have always held that most dogs are good. Some dogs are better than others--like me--and so I suggest a Black Lab as my successor. She can hardly be as well bred or as mannered or as distinguished and beautiful as I, but my Master must not ask the impossible. She will do her best, I am sure, and even her inevitable defects will help keep my memory green. To her I bequeath my collar and leash. I leave her my place in the car which I loved so much and wish for her long rides with open windows.

One last word of farewell, dear Master. Whenever you think of me, say to yourself with regret but also with happiness in your heart at the remembrance of my happy life with you, "She is the one who loved us and whom we loved." No matter how deep my sleep, I shall hear you, and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.

Author Anonymous
 
#4 ·
When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see;
If the sun should rise and find your eyes All filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
While thinking of the many things,
You didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me,
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name,
And took me in his hand,

And said my place is ready,
In heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away,
A tear fell from my eye,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought of all the yesterdays,
The good ones and the bad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for awhile,
I'd wag my tail and lick you,
And maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized,
That this could never be,
For emptiness and memories,
Would take the place of me.

But when I walked through Heaven's gates, I felt so much at home, When God looked down and smiled at me, He said "Holly is waiting here."

So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart,
For every time you think of Holly and me, We're right here, in your heart.
 
#100 ·
I used this one with a picture of our first Lab "Promise"... framed it with a picture of her... but one I really love and used along with many other dog friends
who lost their beloved "companion", is the verse from the Garth Brooks song "The Dance". "I could have missed the pain but would have had to miss the
Dance". That one was fitting for our youngest (at the time) Promislands Prairie Dancer (Tara).
 
#5 ·
"We have a secret you and I,
That no one else shall know,
For who but I can see you lie,
Each night, in fireglow?
And who but I can reach my hand
Before I go to bed,
And feel the living warmth of you
And touch your silken head?
And only I walk woodland paths,
And see, ahead of me,
Your small form racing with the wind,
So young again, and free!
And only I can see you swim
In every brook I pass. . .
And, when I call, no one but I
Can see the bending grass". . .

. . . Author Unknown
 
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#6 ·
WALK WITH AN OLD DOG

Because you will not be forever,
Hope against time though I may,
Paint your picture in my memory,
Eyes blue with age, muzzle gone gray.

Because you walked with me in Springtime,
Puppy-clumsy, running free.
As you grew, we grew together--
You became a part of me.

Because I shared with you my sorrows,
Not understanding-- simply there.
Often spurring me to laughter--
My friend, you know how much I care.

Because the years have slowed your fleetness,
Though your spirit still is strong.
I promise I will take more time now,
So that you can go along.

Because you do not fear the future,
Living only in the now,
I draw strength from your example--
Yet time keeps slipping by somehow.

Because the day will soon be coming
When I will no longer see
You rise to greet me - but in memory
You will always walk with me.

~ Gayl Jokiel ~
 
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#7 ·
IF HE WAKES IN YOUR ARMS

I can hardly see through my tears... today I sent my best friend of years and years
somewhere he had to go, where pain and sickness he won't have to know.
He's been with me ever since he was a pup... today I've had to give him up.
He was sick, we both knew it and I wouldn't put him through it.

Thinking back to the day my wife brought him, I told her then that I didn't want him...
"Noise and mess and bills to pay!" - I can't believe I felt that way.
Didn't know that in the end, he would be my dearest friend.
Didn't know that he would be the greatest gift that came to me.

How did one like me deserve a friend who wanted just to serve?
What was there that made him love me, with nobody else above me?
When I looked into his eyes, never did he criticize,
never did he hold a grudge, never did he try to judge.

Recently, an anxious day. "How come you don't want to play?"
Took him to the vet to see what might be wrong with my "puppy".
Worse by far than I expected, fatal illness was detected.
Nothing much that we could do but keep him comfy til he's through.

Back at home I tried to tell him of the bad luck that befell him
All I could see in his eyes was wondering why his master cries.
I don't think he understood - his eyes just asked "Wasn't I good?"
"How come now I make you sad? Let me kiss and hug you, dad!"

Two last weeks I had to try to find a way to say goodbye.
In that time I told him more than I ever had before
just how much I loved my pup, how it hurt to give him up.
How though gone, he'd always be inside my heart, a part of me.

Then today was no mistaking, I made the decision, my heart was breaking.
I called and asked the vet to come by - I didn't have to tell him why.
He arrived in a while and asked "Are you ready?" I sighed, I nodded, I felt so unsteady.
Got down on the floor by my boy who was dying, and I just didn't care if the vet saw me crying.

As my pup slipped away, the last things he felt were the kisses and hugs of his master who knelt
On that "blankie" beside him to bid him goodbye, who had just one more minute to tell him, to try
to say thanks to his boy for a lifetime of love...."Dear God, let me see him in heaven above!
But for now Lord, please hold him, watch over his rest...
if he wakes in Your arms tell him I love him best."
 
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#170 ·
IF HE WAKES IN YOUR ARMS

I can hardly see through my tears... today I sent my best friend of years and years
somewhere he had to go, where pain and sickness he won't have to know.
He's been with me ever since he was a pup... today I've had to give him up.
He was sick, we both knew it and I wouldn't put him through it.

Thinking back to the day my wife brought him, I told her then that I didn't want him...
"Noise and mess and bills to pay!" - I can't believe I felt that way.
Didn't know that in the end, he would be my dearest friend.
Didn't know that he would be the greatest gift that came to me.

How did one like me deserve a friend who wanted just to serve?
What was there that made him love me, with nobody else above me?
When I looked into his eyes, never did he criticize,
never did he hold a grudge, never did he try to judge.

Recently, an anxious day. "How come you don't want to play?"
Took him to the vet to see what might be wrong with my "puppy".
Worse by far than I expected, fatal illness was detected.
Nothing much that we could do but keep him comfy til he's through.

Back at home I tried to tell him of the bad luck that befell him
All I could see in his eyes was wondering why his master cries.
I don't think he understood - his eyes just asked "Wasn't I good?"
"How come now I make you sad? Let me kiss and hug you, dad!"

Two last weeks I had to try to find a way to say goodbye.
In that time I told him more than I ever had before
just how much I loved my pup, how it hurt to give him up.
How though gone, he'd always be inside my heart, a part of me.

Then today was no mistaking, I made the decision, my heart was breaking.
I called and asked the vet to come by - I didn't have to tell him why.
He arrived in a while and asked "Are you ready?" I sighed, I nodded, I felt so unsteady.
Got down on the floor by my boy who was dying, and I just didn't care if the vet saw me crying.

As my pup slipped away, the last things he felt were the kisses and hugs of his master who knelt
On that "blankie" beside him to bid him goodbye, who had just one more minute to tell him, to try
to say thanks to his boy for a lifetime of love...."Dear God, let me see him in heaven above!
But for now Lord, please hold him, watch over his rest...
if he wakes in Your arms tell him I love him best."
this is exactly what happened with us and our girl. Love this.
 
#142 ·
I too am unable to read thru these. There is a book that I have called, The Last Will and Testament of an Extremely Distinguished Dog by Eugene O'Neill.
The last of 42 pages ends with the following~~No matter how deep my sleep I shall hear you and not all the power of death can keep my spirit from wagging a grateful tail.
 
#11 ·
"I Stood By Your Bed Last Night"

I stood by your bed last night, I came to have a peep.
I could see that you were crying, You found it hard to sleep.

I whined to you softly as you brushed away a tear,
"It's me, I haven't left you, I'm well, I'm fine, I'm here."

I was close to you at breakfast, I watched you pour the tea,
You were thinking of the many times your hands reached out to me.

I was with you at the shops today, Your arms were getting sore.
I longed to take your parcels, I wish I could do more.

I was with you at my grave today, You tend it with such care.
I want to reassure you that I'm not lying there.

I walked with you towards the house, as you fumbled for your key.
I gently put my paw on you, I smiled and said "it's me."

You looked so very tired, and sank into a chair.
I tried so hard to let you know that I was standing there.

It's possible for me to be so near you everyday.
To say to you with certainty, "I never went away."

You sat there very quietly, then smiled, I think you knew ...
In the stillness of that evening, I was very close to you.

The day is almost over... I smile and watch you yawning
and say "goodnight, God bless, I'll see you in the morning."

And when the time is right for you to cross the brief divide,
I'll rush across to greet you and we'll stand, side by side.

I have so many things to show you, there is so much for you to see.
Be patient, live your journey out ... then come home to be with me.

. . . Author unknown . . .


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
#12 ·
"They Will Not Go Quietly"

They will not go quietly,
the dogs who've shared our lives.
In subtle ways they let us know,
their spirit still survives.
Old habits still make us think
we hear a barking at the door.
Or step back when we drop
a tasty morsel on the floor.
Our feet still go around the place
the food dish used to be,
And, sometimes, coming home at night,
we miss them terribly.
And although time may bring new friends
and a new food dish to fill,
That one place in our hearts
belongs to them….
and always will.
Deb Orwig
 
#14 ·
Out, out brief candle! Life's but a walking shadow; a poor player. That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.- Macbeth
 
#16 ·
I will lend to you for a while, a Pup, God said,
For you to love him while he lives and mourn for him when he’s dead.
Maybe for twelve or fourteen years, or maybe two or three,
But will you, ‘till I call him back, take care of him for me?
He’ll bring his charms to gladden you, and should his stay be brief
You’ll always have his memories as solace for your grief.
I cannot promise he will stay since all from earth return,
But there are lessons taught below I want this pup to learn.

I’ve looked the whole world over in search of teachers true,
And from the folk that crowd life’s land, I have chosen you.
Now will you give him all your love nor think the labor vain,
Nor hate me when I come to take my Pup back again?

I fancied that I heard them say, "Dear Lord, Thy Will be Done,"
For all the joys this Pup will bring, the risk of grief we’ll run.
We’ll shelter him with tenderness; we’ll love him while we may,
And for the happiness we’ve known forever grateful stay.
But should you call him back much sooner than we’ve planned,
We’ll brave the bitter grief that comes, and try to understand.
If, by our love, we’ve managed, your wishes to achieve,
In memory of him we loved to help us while we grieve,
When our faithful bundle departs this world of strife,
We’ll have yet another Pup, and love him all his life.
 
#20 ·
#21 ·
Power of the Dog



There is sorrow enough in the natural way

>From men and women to fill our day;

And when we are certain of sorrow in store,

Why do we always arrange for more?

Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware

Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.



Buy a pup and your money will buy

Love unflinching that cannot lie --

Perfect passion and worship fed

By a kick in the ribs or a pat on the head.

Nevertheless it is hardly fair

To risk your heart for a dog to tear.



When the fourteen years which nature permits

Are closing in asthma, or tumor, or fits,

And the vet's unspoken prescription runs

To lethal chambers or loaded guns,

Then you will find -- it's your own affair --

But . . . you've given your heart to a dog to tear.



When the body that lived at your single will,

With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!)

When the spirit that answered your every mood

Is gone - wherever it goes - for good,

You will discover how much you care,

And will give your heart to a dog to tear.



We've sorrow enough in the natural way,

When it comes to burying Christian clay.

Our loves are not given, but only lent,

At compound interest of cent per cent.

Though it is not always the case, I believe,

That the longer we've kept 'em, the more do we grieve;


For, when debts are payable, right or wrong,

A short-time loan is as bad as a long --

So why in Heaven (before we are there)

Should we give our hearts to a dog to tear?


-- Rudyard Kipling
 
#22 ·
WINTER OF LIFE
Lord, he is old and weakened,
He walks where he used to run.
In his youth he was always a happy dog,
Now he sleeps his days away in the sun.

Please make his trail mostly level,
As he travels these last few miles.
Provide shade away from the heat of day,
Where he can stop and rest for awhile.

If it rains let the drops be gentle,
If it blows let the breeze be warm.
Let the winter of life be kind,
Provide shelter and keep him from harm.

Please Lord, if he must suffer,
Give the pain and hurting to me.
He has been through life's raging waters,
As only a man's dog can be.

He doesn't deserve to be hurting,
He has lived a hard and long time.
I hope as he leaves he'll be knowing,
Your love, as he has always known mine.

I raised him, Lord, from a puppy,
We have followed some rough rocky trails.
Please Lord, make this last trail gentle,
As he comes to where love never fails.


Louis A. Carle
 
#25 ·
The old girl felt her worn and tired muscles relax and her pain dissolve.

She drew in a long, soft breath and relaxed a little more as the familiar, loving scent of her people, filled her lungs. Memories of them rushed through her brain and warmed her heart.

"A collage of happy images and tender days."

She felt their soft touches against her fur. Their hands sent a tactile message of their gratitude and their love. She felt the warmth atop her head and neck and blinked and saw their faces streaked with tears.

"Don't cry for me or feel sad."

She heard them as she shut her eyes. They said her name and the "good girl" words, through their pain and sorrow. In her mind, her tail wagged to tell them that she heard. And understood.

"Good bye, my Hearts."

She is standing in a meadow, near a stream. The sky is fiercely blue. She hears the song of many birds and smells the growing grass. Her legs are strong. Her eyes are clear. She begins to walk toward a brightly colored bridge, far off on the horizon, but pauses for a moment and looks back.

"Thank you. Until the day we walk together once again."

She turns and wags her thick strong tail and runs. And runs.

2000 Walt Zientek
 
#26 ·
My personal favorite:

Old Dog In A Locket

Old dog in a locket
That lays next to my heart
I will always love you
As I did right from the start.

You were right beside me
Through the darkest of my days
It was your kind and gentle nature
That made me want to stay.

Now I hold you in my arms
Your breath still warm against my hand
Our hearts still beat together
And I wonder if you understand.

Through the hours that I held you
Before the light did leave your soul
I knew a way to keep you
Forever in my hold.

I snipped the hair from around your eyes
So I would always see
The beauty that surrounds me
Even in times of need.

I snipped the hair from around your ears
So I would always hear
Music in the distance
To quiet any fears.

I snipped the hair from across your back
To bring me strength in time of need
And the power of your essence
Would always be with me.

I snipped the hair from around your heart
That beat in time with mine
So I would know that love would find me
At some distant time.

And so, your life slipped out of mine
On a quiet Spring like day
But I knew that a part of you
Was always here to stay.

Old dog in a locket
That lays next to my heart
I will always love you
Even though we had to part.

Heidi Stamm
 
#27 ·
"Eulogy on the Dog" One of the most famous speeches, ever made by the late Senator George G. Vest, of Missouri, was made in the course of a trial of a man, who wantonly shot a dog belonging to a neighbor. Senator Vest represented the plaintiff, who demanded $200.00 damages. When Senator Vest finished speaking, the Jury, after two minutes deliberation, awarded the plaintiff the sum of $500.00

The full text of the speech follows:

- Gentlemen of the Jury: The best friend a man may have in this world may turn against him, and become his enemy. His son, or his daughter that he has reared with loving care, may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it most. A man's reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us, may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads.

The one unselfish friend that a man can have, in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful, or treacherous, is his dog.

A man's dog, stands by him in prosperity, and in poverty-in health, and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely, if only he may be near his master's side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer; he will lick the sores and wounds that come encounter with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master, as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love, as the sun is in its journey through the heavens.

If fortune drives his master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege, than that of accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies, and when the last scene of all comes, and death takes the master in it's embrace, and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all friends pursue their way, there by his graveside, will the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad, but open in alter watchfulness, faithful and true, even unto death.
 
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