The Sign of the Rose

Before she died Codie told me her spirit would return to watch over us. She said she had to stay on the other side of the rainbow bridge for a whole year, but once the year had passed she would be free to come and go.

Codie said I would know when she was back. It has been a year since she left us, so I’ve been watching for her sign.

Mom was restless this morning and went out early to check on the chickens. As she passed her favorite rosebush she saw a beautiful new rose. It was the only fresh rose on the bush and it was perfect.

Mom and I looked at each other. We knew it was a sign from Codie. From the time she was little Codie was a princess. She had dainty feet and loved to lounge on soft pillows. She always slept in bed with her people. Her chosen sign was elegant, befitting a princess.

It’s not clear to me how to communicate with Codie. For now it is enough to know that she is present with us in some form. I know she will tell of her travels across the rainbow bridge and what she found on the other side when she is ready.

Mom put Codie’s rose next to the spirit weight that contains a lock of Codie’s hair. I’ll write more about the spirit weight another time. Right now I’m going to sit by the front gate and wait for Codie. We’ve missed her so much. I hope she comes soon.

Codie

My Girl

Tess and Ash

I’m a lucky dog. I’ve always had a family. I’ve never been hungry. When I got hurt once mom took me to the vet and I got all patched up. And for the last year I’ve had my own girlfriend.

I’ve barked about Tess before but not as often as I should. Sometimes I take her for granted because she’s always there. But today I really need to bark about why she’s so special.

See Tess with the ball? She’s not teasing me, she’s inviting me to play. Tess knows I love the ball and it’s a sure way to get me to play with her. Sometimes she just grabs a hunk of my fur to get my attention.

Tess is like a little mother. Once she’s decided you’re part of the pack she’ll do her best to protect you. A few weeks ago a guest dog jumped Jack. Because he’s deaf Jack didn’t hear the attack coming. Mom wasn’t close enough to stop it. So Tess threw herself on the guest dog to save Jack. I was getting ready to jump in but mom got there first and pulled everybody apart.

I was so proud of Tess. After the fight she kept licking Jack to make sure he was okay. I could tell it meant a lot to Jack. He’s had some fights in his life but now that he’s older and can’t hear, he’s easy prey for some punk dog.

I don’t mind that Tess always goes in the truck with dad. It means so much to her. She gets this great big smile on her face. She lifts her beautiful tail real high and prances around. When dad opens the door she races to the truck and jumps in the front seat.

I really love Tess. After Codie died my life was pretty lonely. I didn’t have a dog pal anymore. That’s when mom told me I needed a girlfriend and she found me Tess. Wow, how lucky is that? Thanks mom! Gotta run.

Taking a Break

Freckles

Freckles

See this little guy? That’s our friend Freckles. He’s been to our house a couple of times. On his first visit we had just got Jack. Things were still pretty crazy with Jack marking all over the house, so Freckles had to keep a low profile.

When Freckles came over a couple of weeks ago it was different. Everybody got along fine. In fact, Freckles met some other dogs and we had a dog party.

Freckles belongs to our friends. He’s a rescue dog like Jack and Tess. He doesn’t bark much so we don’t know a lot about him. He sure got lucky when his people chose him. He lives in a house by the woods and eats real good.

You may think this isn’t a serious bark, but sometimes it’s fun to bark about the little stuff. Like when nothing much happens and dogs and people play silly games.

Talk about silly, look at these pictures of Freckles’ nose. Mom has this thing about dog noses. She’s always sticking the camera in our face and taking pictures that make our noses look real long and goofy. See what I mean?

I guess I’ve barked enough about Freckles. He’s such a nice little guy I wanted to put him in the DailyBark. Here’s to you Freckles! See ya.