My best friend...

BobbyW · 10-10-2002, 09:46 PM

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went."
- Will Rogers
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A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.
After a while, they came to a high, white, stone wall along one side of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.
When he was standing before it, he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked like mother of pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate. He saw a man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?" "This is Heaven, sir," the man answered. "Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked. "Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open. "Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets." The man thought a moment, turned back toward the road and continued on with his dog.
After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to a dirt road that led through a farm gate that looked as if it had never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and
reading a book. "Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?" "Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there." The man pointed to a place that couldn't be seen from outside the gate. "Come on in." "How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog. "There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it. The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog. When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was standing by the tree waiting for them.
"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked. "This is Heaven," was the answer. "Well, that's confusing," the traveler said..."The man down the road said that was Heaven, too?"
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope That's Hell." "Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?" "Nope, but I can see how you might think so. We're just happy that they screen out the folks who'll leave their best friends behind."

-The Hunt
Writer: Earl Hamner Jr.
Director: Harold Schuster
3rd Season of the Twilght Zone
A hunter and his faithful dog are drowned while chasing a raccoon, and confront a gatekeeper who implies that he is St. Peter and that Heaven lies inside. CAST: Arthur Hunnicutt, Titus Moede, Charles Seel, Dexter Dupont, Jeanette Nolan, Orville Sherman, Robert Foulk.

airstreamcaravel · 10-11-2002, 06:41 AM

When I first bought my trailer ... one of my convincing points with my wife was, that in the worst case scenario, she could bury me in my trailer when I died. Why the hell pay 5+ thousand dollars
for a casket, when I would be so much happier (and its roomier)
to be burried in my trailer.

Hope it will be a long time till this is an issue.

My trailer is my friend, I guess it wouldn't be fair to the rest of my airstream brothers and sisters to take it with me when I go.

Just think of the size of the burial plot! Not a hand dig job!

DMC

Edie · 10-11-2002, 08:27 AM

Bobby,

That was an episode from the old B&W Twilight Zone. It made me cry, since we had just lost Caesar when I saw it.

It's so true, I don't want to go to heaven if I can't take my dogs. Oh, and Brett too!

BobbyW · 10-11-2002, 10:52 AM

I intend to be busy with 7 Boxers and 3 mutts waiting for me, all cherished family members. One that came to MarilynW and me when we were 19 years old. He shared his love with us for 17 years.

I can't wait !!

-BobbyWright

davidz71 · 10-11-2002, 11:21 AM

Funny how a simple post can make your eyes fog and water up. I pictured my long gone black lab, Jack, wearing my college fraternity jersey and sunglasses. He looked like a natural. I had trained him to retrieve doves during the hunting season in TN. some 26 years ago. I worked the night shift while attending the last 2 yrs. of college and he would meet me at the front door eager to play when I arrived home. I would spend 20 minutes working on his retrieving skills before driving to the campus or taking a cat nap before going to a 10 a.m. class. Kids in the neighborhood would come by and borrow him because he liked to play catch and retrieve. This apparently is what did him in because he had heart failure and died while doing what he liked best. I never felt I could go through the pain again while I knelt next to him and cried.

Edie · 10-11-2002, 11:36 AM

Craig,

I know exactly how you felt. Caesar had bone cancer, and got to the point where we couldn't keep him comfortable. Brett and I both held him when they gave him the injection. We just watched his life slip away. We both have 130 lb. holes in our hearts.

If we hadn't already had Windsor, I'm sure we wouldn't have gotten another dog. It was too painful.

Now that it's been 6 months, I'm glad we have Windsor. But I dread the day when his time comes.

davidz71 · 10-11-2002, 11:52 AM

Edie,
Jack and I were together during a period of time when I was struggling to keep my grades up in college while far away from home. This was just before I met the woman who would become my wife and give me 3 more boys and a little girl. He will always hold a place in my heart at a time I needed comforting and someone to show they loved me by wagging his tail and getting the tennis ball to play catch. I guess I forgot to mention that he was trained to ride on a rubber mat I placed on the gas tank of my Honda 750 motorcycle. When he reached 90 lbs., we had to stop that foolishness. I think he wanted to drive instead of me.

canny_banjo_man · 10-11-2002, 01:46 PM

Hi ALL....
Abt 8 years ago, we lost our best "pup", he was almost 13, an one of the family, we said NO more...but U kn...there was something missing in our lives, an after almost 2 years, we had to fill the gap, as it were...NOT to replace 'ole Ben, we could NEVER do that but to give an old mutt a good home...jus as we had done with Ben...well we went all over, took best part of a week to find our latest "pup", a yellow labrador, he's 6 now, after his stroke, early in the summer, we thought the worst...and had to decide his fate...I don't or rather DID'NT believe in miracles, with his sad brown eyes begging me to help him I brought him home from the dog-doctor's...an I stayed up all night with him, with his head on my knee...I guess I kinda fell asleep...I heard a whining, NOT Toby's...one from the past...it sounded like Ben's noise, yet he was gone....and I woke in a start...an Toby was standing at the door, asking to be let out...today Toby still gets out of breath, if we walk too far...he is always by my side, an loves me to bits...
No matter what kind of day I have had, at least I know I'll get a BIG welcome when I get home...mind you it always costs me a few cookies...Chris.....

Trailrider · 10-11-2002, 02:40 PM

Thank you, Bobby, for this thread........ I just love my dogs, and will always have at least one to share my life...... Look on the bright side, folks, the Good Lord decided that they should live only 15 or so years so that we may know MANY of our canine friends throughout our LONG lives.

carmen · 10-12-2002, 08:27 AM

....amet er canum meum.

eraffety · 10-12-2002, 11:00 AM

I think there is a Buddhist saying (or perhaps Hindu) that goes something like this:

We will be measured in Heaven by how we treat animals here on Earth.

ALANSD · 10-12-2002, 02:57 PM

My dog must have doggy-aluminitus. Every time the airstream door is open, he gets in, runs to the front and assumes his position for the drive. When I work on it, he will hang out inside as long as I do, and seems to enjoy riding in it as much or more than we do.
He has been a great companion on our trips this past year.

Edie · 10-12-2002, 08:22 PM

Alan,

Dega (sp?) must have infected Windsor with canine-aluminitus when they were together last April. Windsor does the same thing - loves the motorhome and going places.

Windsor was funny the morning after spending the night in the MH earlier this week. We got out in the morning and he was looking around. He seemed upset that we were still at home.

canny_banjo_man · 10-15-2002, 12:16 PM

Greetings ALL...
Can't work out how U Guys do it, open my car door 4 my dog...he puts his tail 'tween his legs an scarpers...I guess he only been in the car a few times...and each one of them was to take him to the vets for injections or his claws seen to...Oh boy !!!...am I DREADING thursday...YEP...he gotta go have his kennel cough trearment, b4 he can go stay at " PUPVILLE "...
lmao...it's NO-GOOD... I'll try to buy an ALLY car next...don't suppose any of U Guys r passing by my way on thursday...LOL

Edie G....Hav'nt 4got abt you...!!!
Take care now...Chris.....