Retired Pro Athlete Waiting At the Bridge

I’ve been at the bridge for just over a month now.  Its an amazing place.   Some of my littermates are already  here and we’ve been racing our hearts out against each other.   Although life on three paws was great, I do enjoy having my young body back.  I was a bit surprised of all the ANIMALS here that are attached to my humans.  I knew they had big hearts and loved a lot but I had no idea how many dogs, cats, horses, and other animals have crossed their paths.  I still am meeting dogs that knew my humans (and loved my humans).  Dogs from shelters who learned to sit and walk on a leash so they could find a new forever home.  Dogs trained to be therapy dogs.  Prophet says hello BTW.  Dogs from the park who used to play with Kitty.  Apparently my humans are well known here because they love so much.

Miss Kitty was the first one to greet me actually and then she introduced me to our immediate family…it includes cats.  I had no idea that my humans once had cats.  Scooter, Attila, Beastie, and Twit.  Then the dogs they shared their lives with – Miss Kitty, Toughie, Otis, Bear the poodle, Grandpa, Goldie, Shadow, Misty, and Buffy.  Those are just the dogs who consider my humans THEIR humans.   There are about 150 goats here who say they belong to my family too.  Two horses, General and Sunshine.  I asked them,  “Did you snuggle with my human?”  And they all laughed and said of course.  Even the horse has snuggled with my human.  General said he’d lay down next to her and put his head in her lap.  His head is almost as big as my entire body.  But no one was able to summon her to snuggle like I could so I feel better about that.  See, I would make eye contact with the Mommy in the evening.  She’d get up and come over to my bed.  As she started to lay down, I would throw my back into her chest and open arms, and we’d fall onto the bed together.  No one else did that.  Just me!  I’d be asleep in seconds….and she would too.  She refused to let me put any pictures of her sleeping with me on my blog.  Greyhounds do everything gracefully but humans…hah, you guys rarely look graceful in your sleep.  And you fart louder in your sleep than dogs do.

So I want you all to watch some videos of me playing and running.  I want you all to smile and to remember what an amazing life I had on earth.

That was 7 weeks after my amputation.  I loved that spider.  KILL THE SPIDER.  It was also Cookie’s 7th birthday….and her birthday present.  I was just testing it for  her.

So you know I wasn’t being mean, Cookie had an octopus to play with too.  We always get at least two toys at every birthday, sometimes three, just to make sure that no one gets left out.  But Cookie really wanted the spider more than the octopus.

This is me long before the amputation back in 2007.  I had only been part of the pack for four months.    RC Miss Kitty lived till 14.5 but this was her 13th birthday.

I was so young there, just five years old.  Kitty and I had a lot of fun together.  I think everyone wants to be as fit and happy when they’re 13 as Kitty was.  She went hiking 3 or 4 miles on her 14th birthday!  She had arthritis in her toes but she said walking made it feel better.  Don’t let anyone know I told you but even here at the bridge, she can’t corner well.  Kitty is fast, I mean fast, but turn any direction and she just turns really wide….like half a ball field.  She has thighs like hams and they are solid muscle which give her power but no turning ability.  Not only is she fast but she has endurance so even if you add lots of turns, she’ll wear you out and then tag you.  I was a distance racer and she gives me a workout.

And finally, how to celebrate when your humans return home.