Greetings, everyone;
It is with very mixed feelings that I type my announcement... I am still in a state
of horrified shock, feeling disbelief in the extent of the manifestations of hate
against our country by this yet-unnamed group of persons, and sharing
anxiety as I wait with the rest of the world to find out the fates of so many still-
not-found heroes and innocent victims. It seems almost a rude thing to
express joy about bringing new life into the world after such devastating
tragedies and loss. I�m numb from the sights and sounds that have pounded
into my conscience from the television reports of the attacks on our country;
and I am still sleep deprived because of that �hurry up and wait� part of pre-
labor, the hours of delivery, and then the �mom radar� that awakens me so
frequently and at every little squeak or grunt emanating from the whelping box
- however, that said, I still must confess to great happiness as I announce the
arrival of a much anticipated litter!
Jasmine (Ch. Sheeba Let�s Dance) brought into the world eight bundles of joy
- three boys and five girls, wow!! That�s a big litter for a 14� pound dog (who
had gone over 20 pounds right before delivering her babies.) We have one
tiny 3� ounce girl (�Squeak� seems to already be named!), but the rest were
rather hefty 6� to 8+ ounces. I had wanted a Tri color girl for myself, so guess
how many Tri girls I have?!? Yup, ONE. <sigh> There are two Tri boys, one
Blenheim boy, and 4 Blenheim girls. A nice number, to be sure, just not quite
as many Tri girls as I�d hoped to be able to choose from. Maybe I�ll get out
the black magic marker!! <G>
The last baby arrived at 7:07 AM Tuesday, I remember looking at the clock
and thinking 707 as in jetliner, and then shortly after that hubby told me the
horrifying news of the 757/767's crashing into the World Trade Center,
Pentagon, and the field in Pennsylvania. I�m considering that perhaps some
kind of respectful �memorial� type names might be a way of making a
statement, any suggestions there??
Already I hope that these little precious furry babies will fulfill one of their
�breed roles� and grow up to be comfort spaniels. I know that my dogs sat in
silence with me as I watched the news all day Tuesday; Tilly is especially
snugly and comforting....
_ _ _ _
And as I add to the letter hours after starting it: I got home tonight after the
soccer game at the high school, and after stopping by the store to pick up the
photos of my new babies. When I walked into the house, my daughter Brit
expressed concern over how little �Squeak� was doing - not well at all. She
died this evening, and I�ve been sobbing ever since.... We buried her under
the dogwood tree, and with a small hydrangea plant atop. Even though my
yard crew is only half done with the over-haul and 'rebuilding' of my backyard,
there will be that one small spot that shall remain undisturbed.
What is strange is that several times in the last day or so Jasmine carried the
tiny baby out of the whelping box, took her under a chair, and nursed just that
one puppy! Or she would carry her to a corner of the whelping box away from
the other puppies to let her nurse without competition from her larger siblings.
It was as if she knew Squeak needed extra help. It�s a very strange sight to
behold: watching a momma dog with a baby in her mouth!
Hubby has tried to offer comfort - you know the �She wasn�t meant to live.
They don�t all make it. She was so tiny, something might�ve been wrong.
There will be others.� comments. He means well, and those might be true
statements. But, as any breeder knows after losing a puppy, it�s *not* just a
puppy, it�s a dream. So I was able to cry for the loss of my dream, and - while
the floodgates had been released, or perhaps it was just a good excuse - I
could finally, fully, weep for the victims and families of the terrorist attacks.
There�s still an empty spot in the puppy lunch-line, the rainbow in my
whelping box is missing one bright color. And, yes, there are thousands of
families with empty spots in their homes and lives; my heart goes out to all of
them, my heart aches for them.
I�m very proud and grateful to be an American , to be a part of this great
nation; and it�s difficult for me to completely understand - the different
religions and ideals aside - how anyone, any group, could justify doing such
heinous acts to so many innocent people, and for what purpose? To express
what, contempt or hatred? Not that war is "civilized", but there really are terms
of engagement. What happened Tuesday is so completely uncivilized, so
unlike anything that could be termed �fighting fair�. It stinks of an insecure
schoolyard bully, or someone that can speak vehemently against another only
if hidden from view and scrutiny. What spineless, cruel cowards these people
are.
While I grieve in my own way, I do try to remember that one of the most
precious parts of our great country is that our freedom of choice was a hard-
earned privilege. I hope that people can remember how important choice is
even when responding to this tragedy; we all deal with our sense of loss or
horror in our own way. While I was pleased to see my city's high school
activities/games canceled Tuesday night out of respect for the situation, I also
feel that we truly must *go on* with some semblance of normalcy. Who can
say how long a respectable mourning time is? We cannot freeze up in fear, we
can�t allow these acts of terrorism to pull our country to a stop - a terrified
standstill will only portray a concession to the terrorists. We MUST go on
with life, otherwise we are not living free. The choice to go to dog shows this
weekend, or not, is a highly personal decision, and we need to support each
other in whatever is chosen.
At any rate, I had just wanted to announce the births of my babies.. I share my
joy, and I express my sorrow for Jasmine�s lost baby and my lost dream. I
grieve and weep for a hurting nation. I appreciate all of the kind thoughts from
our friends around the world during this horrible time in our lives, and hope
that we can move forward, ever hopeful that there truly will be peace on this
earth that we all share. While we - in dogs - might not always agree on �type�,
style, judges, handlers, training, size, show sites, product, or food, we surely
do agree that we find a camaraderie that could be envied by others. And
perhaps there are some lessons there as well: live and let live, respect and
support....
Photos of the new babies will be on a web page soon, and more will come as I
take more pix. Please stop in and see them!
http://www.angelfire.com/sports/darkstar/puppies.html
Kindest regards,
Sandra
Dark Star Labradors and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
They'll drive you happy! <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> c2001
Opinions expressed are my own, & are no sillier than yours.
http://www.angelfire.com/sports/darkstar/cavaliers.html
http://www.angelfire.com/sports/darkstar/labradors.html
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