Most of you don't know me on this board, but I have been lurking here for a while now. I live in the Barony of Red Spears and have met some of you at Baron Wars over the past few years. I have grown to love the magnificent greyhounds and have marveled at their beauty. I am extremely grateful to my friends here who share their lives with these beautiful animals for introducing me to these most regal of dogs. I have read your postings and have learned from all of the great advice and have rejoiced in your shared triumphs and have felt the pain over the loss of one of your beloved companions. Today, it is my turn to grieve over the loss of one of mine. Yesterday, my 15 year old terrier mix, my beloved Corkey, crossed over to the Summerlands. Her health had been deteriorating for the past several months and her arthritis had been getting worse with the approach of the cold, damp weather, to the point that she could no longer walk without extreme amounts of pain. With all of the tenasciousness of the terrier she was, she refused to give up and tried to still follow us around the house. So at 8:30 am yesterday morning, a kind, gentle doctor helped her cross over into her new life. Today she is roaming the fields of the Summerlands, chasing squirrels.
I received her as a gift from my parents on Christmas day in 1990 while I was in the midst of my divorce. She was just a two and a half month old ball of fluff. She looked just like Benji from the movies. I named her Corkey because my dad took one look at her and said, "Well isn't she just a real corker?" And she was. She was a sweet loving little puppy, even though when we had gotten her, she had been abused by her previous owner. She came complete with a set of broken ribs and a fear of men. We believe the guy we got her from kicked her repeatedly. But with lots of love and tenderness, she healed completely, both physically and emotionally. Her fear of men disappeared for the most part, because my father was one of her most favorite people of all time. My father is a musician and whenever he would practice, she would sit the whole time at his feet and sing to the music he was making. She loved to bark and howl. Every Friday at noon, when the fire sirens went off, we would have a good old time howling along together. Corkey was one of the best judges of character I knew. There was only two people in this world that she really hated (besides her original owner) and that was my ex-husband (who only met her once when he came to my house to get some of his belongings) and a male friend who turned out to be the closest thing to evil incarnate as I have ever encountered. The decision to have her put to sleep was one of the most difficult I have had to make in many years. Part of me felt as if we had let her suffer too long and part of me felt like it wasn't time yet. Maybe that means it was the perfectly right time. I think she was ready to go. She had a peaceful crossing and went running to the waiting arms of my youngest brother, who crossed 10 years ago, and my grandmother, who past last year. I will miss her, but I know she is in a better place. She is running, digging and howling to her hearts content and I know she will be waiting for me on the other side when I get there. My biggest regret is that I was not introduced to the sport of coursing until just the last few years, when Corkey's health was already starting to decline. I believe she would have loved to join in the coursing. She loved to run in her younger years and I believe she would have had fun coursing. Maybe now she can join her greyhound brothers and sisters in the hunt on the other side. Corkey's canine brother and sister miss her terribly and so do her feline siblings. But they knew that it was time for her to depart. One of the sweetest things I have ever seen is when we were getting ready to take Corkey to the vet yesterday, Tilly, our full-bred Saint Bernard, looked Corkey in the eyes and gave her a kiss on the nose. Thank you for reading this post. It helps to share the sorrow of such a loss with others. Hug your prescious companions for me. Lady Arabella Diana Fortunata delle Montagne ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Get fast access to your favorite Yahoo! Groups. Make Yahoo! your home page http://us.click.yahoo.com/dpRU5A/wUILAA/yQLSAA/PJ_qlB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA_Coursing/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
