At the end of the Rainbow Bridge there is a Peaceful Valley
where our beloved pets who have gone before wait for us.

Someday we will be together again.

Lady is truly a dog of 2 lives.  One complete life was ended when her first master died.  Lady was already past 10 yrs old then & as often happens when an older relative dies, the heirs & family members had no room for "Dad's old dog".  I was volunteering at the local shelter the day the old man's son brought her in .. along with 2 cases of canned Science Diet dog food .. and ceremoniously signed her over to the staff.  He had a family, he said, & already had a dog of his own.  He was "sure the shelter could find her a good home".

Poor Lady sat in her concrete run .. bewildered because her devoted human had left her .. not understanding why everyone & everything in her life had changed.  She had been the spoiled baby of this older gentleman .. his constant companion .. and when he died, she was at the mercy of an uncaring relative who didn't want an old dog with a few medical problems & a typical Chow attitude.

I watched Lady on the days I volunteered at the shelter as she slowly came to realize that her life as she had known it was over.  No one wanted an old Red Chow.  She slowly became more & more withdrawn & it seemed that she was loosing her zest for life.  She just didn't care any more.  My heart cried for her but I was already at our city-mandated limit on pets so could not adopt her myself.

In the Spring of 2001, I became the volunteer webmaster for Animal Angels, a no-kill Sanctuary for dogs in Jack County, Texas.  I asked Carole Sanders to please get Lady out of the facility that she was in ... if she wasn't to have a real home of her own, at least she would have a lifetime safe place to spend her Golden Years & others of her kind for company.  Carole agreed & Lady was transferred to Animal Angels.

Lady adapted to the Sanctuary life in her own fashion.  She took it upon herself to "boss" the other dogs in her compound as if she was the chaperone or matriarch of the pen.  She liked everything to be done "her way" & often managed to make it happen by intimidation.  She wasn't a fighter & didn't instigate fights but the others would usually give her a wide berth anyway.  I just called it her Chow personality with attitude.

In June of 2001, my Gigi crossed the Bridge.  This life changing event opened the door for Lady's 2nd life to begin later that year.

In November, right before Thanksgiving, Carole had mentioned that Lady was having a hard time dealing with the oncoming cold/wet/wintry weather.  She had been a spoiled indoor dog & being outside in the compounds with the doghouses for shelter wasn't at all to her liking.  Carole transported her down to me & Lady became M'Lady .. and once again took her rightful place as a cherished member of a loving family.  She soon settled in to what would be her place as the Queen B of the clan.  She constantly kept Duke & Bubba in what she considered "their places" ... she would deliberately lay down blocking a doorway or a hall just so they would have to ask her permission to enter or exit that room.  Lady would lay there & make the other dog whine & grovel ...  they were both afraid to jump over her & she left them no room to walk around .. until she was satisfied .. then she would get up & let them pass.  Even at more than twice her size, Bubba would crouch & cover his ears with his big paws if Lady feigned an attack his direction.  She was the Queen & he a happy subject.

Age began to take a toll on Lady thru the years.  She was already having some Renal problems when she came to live with us.  Good management of her diet took care of that & for several years, she was able to just live & enjoy life as all good dogs deserve to do.  After Duke & then Bubba crossed the Bridge, she seemed to loose her zest for life.  It was like she had outlived them all & now there was really nothing left for her to do.

At 18 yrs old, she was ready .. all the "parts" had just about worn out except her heart .. like that infamous Pink Bunny .. she just kept beating along .. but time had taken it's toll .. she could no longer get up or let herself back down without help .. she hadn't been able to get to "those parts" that needed cleaning for over a yr so she had to suffer the indignity of the daily sponge baths, she has been almost totally deaf for the last 2 yrs,  she had lumps & bumps starting to crop up all over her & for the last month or so .. she had lost all appetite.  This last 2 weeks she wouldn't eat anything offered except in the smallest amounts .. boiled chicken, hamburger raw or cooked, eggs, even ice cream .. none of her favorite foods would tempt her.  She would drink water enough to stay hydrated but she wasn't interested in food.  It was like she was ready to go but her heart just wouldn't cooperate.

Thanks so very much to Dr. Wes Agler, Ginger his vet-tech  & his Ready-Vet-Go Mobile Hospital .. Lady was able to cross over this morning here at home with the slightest amount of disruption in her life.

It is a beautiful, sunny day & M'Lady is once again chasing squirrels & playing with Bubba, who went to the Bridge last September & who I'm sure was there to greet her this morning.  It was time & she was ready.   She was the last of our "Big 4".

Our pack -- Butterball, Sammy the cat, Gigi, Duke, Bubba & now M'Lady -- are all safe in God's care.  They will all be waiting for us until we can all be together again.  For now, they are ....