A Tribute To Morgan
On May
13, 1998 our family lost a beloved and faithful companion after 10 wonderful years. Our beautiful Collie, Morgan died. He had been a "pound puppy" and I had fallen in love with him at first sight. Our vet guessed his age to be about 2 when I found him. He was the most gorgeous tri-color Collie that ever was and had a heart of pure gold. From the moment I brought him home, he loved us as if we had raised him from a puppy.
He showed us his intelligence by playing all sorts of games and was the most efficient paper retriever that you could have. He amused us by never letting us forget when it was his supper time, 5PM, and would sit and stare at us to remind us of ice cream time at 9PM. Flavor wasn't important, just as long as it was icy cold.
He had his share of mishaps, including eating whole boxes of chocolate at Christmas and spending the night at the Doggie Hospital, but he was our ever watchful guardian and no one ever arrived unannounced.
We had had Morgan for almost 3 years when our son Carlton was born. The baby spent an additional week in the hospital and we offered baby clothes to Morgan daily to smell and investigate. When we did bring Carlton home, Morgan was quite perplexed by the noises coming from the bassinet. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him and he gently put his paws up
on the side so he could see what was making those noises. He was
gentle with Carlton from the beginning and tolerated the pulling and climbing that young children do. He loved his family so much and was happy to just lay by the fireplace and be with us.
When Morgan started behaving strangely in February we took him to the vet and were told that 12 was rather old for the Collie breed and that Morgan was not doing well at all. We pampered him and tried to keep him comfortable. We even introduced Toby, our Siberian Huskey/Golden Retriever mix to help
keep Morgan moving around, as his arthritis kept him down a lot. The puppy played and chased and it really did do the "old man" some good and kept him a little more active in his final weeks. But we knew when his time had come and even though he had had a very rough last couple of nights, we believe he waited for us to get up the morning of the 13th and then quietly let go.
I received this poem from our vet a few days after Morgan died along with a short note. Both were greatly appreciated! The poem is one that I've never seen before and I wanted to share it. Like most peoples pets, Morgan was a part of our family and his presence is still sorely missed. If you've ever lost a loving pet, I hope you can also find some comfort in this poem.
Since I put this page up, I have come across some pretty special places here on the web that pay tribute to our lost pets. Here are two that I think are very special. .
The Pet Loss Grief Support Website & Candle Ceremony (Petloss.com)
Rainbow Bridge Tribute Page
The Rainbow Bridge
'There's a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called
the
Rainbow Bridge because of its many colors. Just this side of the
Rainbow Bridge is a land of meadows, hills and valleys with lush
green grass.
When a beloved pet dies, the pet goes to this place. There is
always food and water and warm spring weather. Old and frail
animals are made whole. They play all day with each other.
There is one thing missing. They are not with their special
person who loved them on Earth. So, each day they run and play
until the day comes when one suddenly stops playing and looks
up! The nose twitches! The eyes are staring! And this one
suddenly runs from the group.
You have been seen and when you and your special friend meet,
you take him or her into your arms and embrace. Your face is
kissed again and again and you look once more into the eyes of
your trusting pet.
Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never again to be
separated.'
-Anonymous