[nagdu] A Day Early

[Sherri]

Meghan, What a beautiful story. That was the kind of relationship my first 
dog Sharna and I had. I'm glad you have the memories to treasure and Jade's 
love. Thank you for such a nice story.

Sherri
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ann Chiappetta" <dungarees at optonline.net>
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
<nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 6:47 PM
Subject: Re: [nagdu] A Day Early


> That's a great story and your girls are very lucky to have you in their 
> lives.
> Regards and wags,
> Annie & Ro
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Meghan Whalen" <meghan at n-republic.net>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" 
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 6:11 PM
> Subject: [nagdu] A Day Early
>
>
>> I'm going to be gone all day tomorrow, so I wanted to take a moment to 
>> write about a very beautiful little girl.  When Kirby and I walk in the 
>> door every afternoon, we are greeted by a very joyous little female 
>> shepherd.  At six, Jade still wants the harness, but due to a couple of 
>> eye conditions, she is going blind and has been retired since she was 
>> three and a half.
>>
>> Even though she cannot physically guide me, she does not need her harness 
>> to show me the way.  She helped me to learn to let go because of love. 
>> She taught me not to be selfish, and she was the first dog to show me how 
>> to glide down the sidewalk.  Though my footsteps are now partnered with 
>> Kirby's pawprints, I know Jade is always walking with me, too.
>> The panis has stabalized enough that she no longer needs drops, and she 
>> can still play fetch.  We bump into each other now and then, but she is 
>> no worse for the wear.  She loves her walks, and I know her dreams still 
>> involve a harness and a gentle scratch behind the ears.  I do my best to 
>> give her the closest to what we had, but unfortunately, she can't go most 
>> places now.  All I can do is be sure to let her know how much I love her 
>> when I am home.
>> Saturday, June 27, 2009 will mark four years since I met this lovely 
>> little lady.  This date marks four years since the multi-week cycle of 
>> sleepless nights.  This dog surely did not want to be mine at first.  She 
>> wanted her trainer, and she had no time for me.  She cried all night and 
>> screamed when I took showers without her in the bathroom with me.  She 
>> did not eat for four days, and she just about took off my arm when she 
>> knew there was a chance she would see her trainer.
>>    At 17, I was the youngest in class, and I had the most emotional dog. 
>> I was going to have a dog switch, but I insisted that if she could love 
>> so much it would all be worth it when she loved me that much.  Well, we 
>> made it, and we had 19 wonderful months together.  I couldn't ask for a 
>> better dog.  Even though our time was short, we had such a complete bond. 
>> Once we were home, she didn't have her trainer to turn to anymore, and 
>> within minutes, she was mine.  On our flight home, she got nervous once, 
>> I made her lie right back down, and from then on, I had her sold on the 
>> fact that I was there for her as long as she was there for me.  Losing 
>> our partnership was a devistating blow, but I will always look back on 
>> our short time as a team, and I know for certain that she was exactly the 
>> dog I needed.  I know Kirby is exactly the dog I need right now, and the 
>> fack that I can sit on the floor with one of them on each side of me is a 
>> true representation of my good fortune.  To both of
>> my girls, you are my angels, and together, you have taught me that 
>> nothing is impossible.  Dreams are tangible, and every end is actually a 
>> beautiful new beginning.
>>
>> Meghan with Jade (June 27, 2005, and Kirby (May 28, 2007)
>> _______________________________________________
>> nagdu mailing list
>> nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
>> nagdu:
>> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/dungarees%40optonline.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nagdu mailing list
> nagdu at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> nagdu:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/flmom2006%40gmail.com