Nellie
If you’ve been reading our barks, you know me and Ash promised mom we’d keep up with the DailyBark.
Tess and Jack don’t like to bark much. Once in a while they pitch in, but not often. In the past Ash had to carry the load himself. Now I help him as much as I can.
Me and Ash have this special bond because we’re blue dogs. If you’re not blue, you might not understand.
In the Aussie world, blue is the best. Us blue dogs come in so many colors. Blue eyes, brown eyes, or one of each like me. Gray, black, taupe, tan white, even a color that looks like lavender – all mixed up like some crazy painter’s palette.
Ash has lots of white fur, but not too much. Too much white on a blue dog is not a good thing, even though the stupid breeders like the way it looks.
Did you know if you breed two blue dogs together you’re likely to get mostly white blind and deaf dogs? What kind of idiot would do that??!!!
Besides being blue, Ash and me are tight because Codie sent me to Asherpark. Tess and Jack get tired of hearing how much Ash misses Codie. But I understand. Codie was a blue dog too. You never get over losing a blue dog.
Most boy dogs don’t care much about flowers. Ash is different. He has this one rose bush that he watches over. He won’t let Jack or any other dog pee on it. He’s always asking mom if maybe that rose needs something to eat or a drink of water.
Yesterday I found Ash staring at the beautiful roses on his favorite bush. He didn’t say nothing at first when I came up behind him. Then I saw he had tears running down his snout.
Turns out that rose bush always blooms around the time of year that Codie left Asherpark and crossed the bridge. Seeing the beautiful buds on the bush reminds Ash that it will be three years in July since Codie left him.
I don’t know what to say to Ash except that I’m so sorry for his loss. Words can’t change anything. Words won’t bring Codie back. But when you tell somebody you love that you’re sorry for their loss, maybe it makes them hurt a little less.
Sometimes I feel sort of guilty. I mean I’m at Asherpark because Codie arranged it from the other side of the bridge. I’m here because Codie isn’t here.
I’m old and have so many problems. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too much trouble and my pack should help me move on. Maybe it’s time for me to cross the bridge and join Codie.
When I talk like that Ash gets real upset. He tells me my being at Asherpark is a sacred gift from Codie. Ash says Codie promised him she would send him another blue dog to love. That blue dog is me.
It’s so confusing. Codie is dead. I was supposed to be dead. Codie intervened and stopped the shelter from killing me. Now I’m living where Codie used to live, hanging out with her godson Asher. That’s just the way it is. Two blue dogs together. Me and Ash.