Honoring a lost animal by helping another

So, I recently became a volunteer for a local animal shelter (I am already a volunteer for a local rescue group)... I felt compelled to go, check it out and do some hands-on dirty work now that my daughter is getting older and I am able to leave her longer at home with "daddy." 


The shelter is a sad place... but when I leave there, I feel amazing.  My heart is warmed and I just LOVE spending time with those dogs.  There are those you just fall in love with instantly.  You love them all, but some just pull at your heart in ways that the others don't.  The same way I loved Ursa in a special way, you fall for some of the dogs... they hit you in the "right" spot (my dog crush is Gavin... see photo below)... 

So now I am addicted to walking the shelter dogs... because it's so amazing to be able to impact them by letting them out of their "cells."  I think about it every day and I think about those dogs everyday.  


And... as a special way to honor Ursa, I go there... spend some time and share some love... and I use Ursa's collar and leash.  It's almost like she is there with us, sharing time together alongside us as we walk around the snowy shelter grounds and play in the fenced-in pens.  Although if she WERE really there, she'd be stealing their tennis balls and running with them!  :)


So, I think a great way to honor a lost life is to give LIFE to another.   If you are mourning a beloved fur-riend, why not stop by your local animal shelter and volunteer?  Those dogs need love, too.


I always think, "if my dogs ended up in a shelter (if they werent my dogs obviously) what would happen to them?"  And I KNOW that they would be very hard to adopt out.  Ursa had so many "issues" that in the wrong hands, she would have been euthanized probably for not being adoptable.  But in reality, she was AMAZING.   In a home, these dogs have the chance to blossom and flourish.  In the shelter, you cannot see their true colors.  


So please... give these dogs a chance at life... they so deserve it.  It's not their fault they were given up.  Most cases are a result of the person's issues... not the dog's.  


Come on! Volunteer!!!!  The dogs need you.  (and cats!)


PS... I even went online and bought new snow boots in typical Camille-fashion. Why? Because I wanted to be able to stay out longer in the snow with the shelter dogs. haha  Yes call me a sucker for love.

A reminder of the void left in my heart...

I finally packed up Ursa's cancer medications (herbs) to send to the Canine Cancer Awareness organization - for their supplement exchange program (for anyone who needs cancer related, over the counter supplements, etc. be sure to check them out here: http://caninecancerawareness.org/supplement-exchange)

As I tossed out her "experimental" antiplasia powder I had given her her last two weeks with us, I noticed that I was holding on the bag awfully tight before actually dropping it into the can.

I could still smell the powder, and feel my fingers squooshing it inside Martin's Potato Bread. And I vividly remember making it into a ball and throwing it into the air so she'd catch it and swallow it without questioning its content.

How she'd be so excited to get a treat, and be drooling for it!  And when I missed, how the powder would spill out all over the floor.  Then I'd be left with a hungry Ursa, a messy floor and slimy bread.

This particular memory today left me with a sadness that wasn't easily overcome.  I smiled thinking of her, but was reminded of her absence.  Time is passing, the clock is ticking... and shying away from her memories as the days roll by may distract me for a bit but EVERYTHING reminds me of her.  I talk about her almost every day.  And my heart still aches when I am faced with something physical she left behind... like her cancer herbs.

I do hope that her medicines can help someone in need.  

The New Year... 2011

This New Year, 2011, will be one full with many ups and downs, as is every year.  However, it is hard to celebrate another year when you are missing someone that is normally by your side to take the journey with you.  For all of you mourning the loss of a loved one, including animals, I commend you on your courage to face the new year ahead without their physical presence beside you.

As the new year unfolds, you can still share it with those you have lost.  You can still talk to them, cherish their memories as you glance at old photos, or laugh about something funny they did (oh yes, many funny things can be recalled when "URSA" comes to mind)... and you can ask them for help in guiding you through this new year, and new adventure.  Those who leave us physically can help us spiritually.  Ask them for help!  For advice.  For love and support.

2011 shall be a wonderful year... and to kick it off, I'd like to say I am currently working on a t-shirt design to promote as a fundraiser.  The proceeds will go to 2 or 3 associations that help people to pay cancer-related vet bills.  I have 2 for canines and I am currently working on finding one for felines.  If you have any advice or knowledge on such groups, please email me at camille@missionpets.com   - thanks!

HAPPY NEW YEAR. May this year be full with an abundance of blessings and successes on every level.