Home to Narnia

The Thursday after Tonka passed I decided to go "home" - home is Tonka's rescue at AGPR. It is off of an exit ramp labeled Varina but I always think of it as Narnia - Narnia the magical place that gave me my magical boy.
I used to try and go at least once a month to help out and that is how I met my boy and the journey started. With all of his challenges that seemed to pop up every year our trips to "home" and to different events to support them waned. I am sure my boy had a hand in pushing me into the series of events of the day. Maybe he was sending a "hey mom wake up out of the pity party and get to helping" message! A disabled dog becomes your entire day and you don't mind - it’s just reality -the routine is set and you become one, and to lose that routine and that other half of you really does set you adrift. Tonka loved everyone and everything and was always laughing always happy and I suppose he was pushing me to get back to doing the same. I passed a sign on my trek south that made me smile and if he had been in the truck we would have definitely talked about it and made a date to come back and check it out.

The rest of the trip did not go as well.  I made a stop at a shelter holding a 3 or 4 year old girl who had been turned into the night time drop box about a week before. I'm not going to go into details but you can see that the state that this poor sweet, sweet pyr was in was both incredibly sad and incredibly maddening.

Piper

I had been surrounded in a bubble of people who were all good caring humans and had pushed back the horrible reality of the type of people that are the reasons rescues exist. I had never forgotten that there are so many animals in need - it is one of the reasons my friend Gina and I created companion bridge but I had sort of been dulled to the magnitude of the problem. This little girl was a wake-up call for me. She didn't even have a name when I picked her up so when I called Gina to tell her about this poor girl she came up with the name "Piper".
I called AGPR and told them she was not doing well and we decided it was best to go straight to the vet.

The little girl Piper did not make it - she died at the vets in my arms. My only solace is that we had given her a name and a car ride with stories and songs of Tonka. She had people with her at the end that cared about her and told her it was OK and to go find him at the bridge.

 
I did finally make it "home" and got to hang out with my old friend Mr. Bean and play with 2 very cute puppies one of which had the markings of Myatuk and the mustache of Tonka.

I spent a great deal of time with some of the rescues that had been there for a long time, especially my boy Beanie. Beanie was the first Pyr I ever knew in a set of wheels and was the reason I knew Tonka would be OK in them.

Beanie

Isaac

Isaac and his brother William were 2 of 4 puppies that were found under a ladies porch in the same county that Tonka came from. Isaac thought I was the greatest play toy ever but William was a little more reserved.

William

Cuties

I left there with dirt, dog slobber and pyr hair all over me... It was a sad but OK day!