Our sincerest and most heartfelt condolences to you, Andrew, on the loss of your beloved friend and companion Harry. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this time of sadness.

If he could have spoken, I know that he would have thanked you for loving him, caring for him, and having the courage to let him go with dignity.

I'll miss you, handsome Harry. You were such a good boy.

Love,
Pam

And don't despair my passing,
For I won't be far away,
Forever here, within your heart,
And memory I'll stay.

I'll be there watching over you,
Your ever faithful friend,
And in your memories I'll run,
...a young dog once again.
-Unknown


Harry

This post has been edited at member's request.La Juliette,

My condolences on the loss of your dog, Harry. Perhaps this link and poem will be of some comfort:

http://groups.msn.com/FortheLoveofAnimalsStairwaytoHeaven/welcome.msnw

The Rainbow Bridge
author Unknown

There is a bridge connecting Heaven and Earth. It is called the Rainbow Bridge because of its
many colors. Just this side of the Rainbow Bridge there 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. The old and frail animals are young again. Those who are maimed are made
whole again. They play all day with each other.

There is only 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 ears are up! 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 in your
arms and embrace. Your face is kissed again and again and again, and you look once more
into the eyes of your trusting pet.

Then you cross the Rainbow Bridge together, never to be separated.

~~fb

I am sorry to hear about your friend and companion, Andrew. I know you will miss him, but you will someday meet again.

Ken

The passing of a trusted and faithful companion is always a wrench.
Sorry mate....

I am sorry, dearest Andrew.

I just had a look at Harry... the little thing looks so cute, innocent, benevolent...

I have never had a dog, but I observe that some of the most truly intimate, selfless and beautiful bonds, are those between a pet and a master. I am sure you were a good one to him, Andrew, and hopefully the warmth of your love that is always extended to your friends is comforting him now, wherever he is.
& dear Harry, I hope that your love would keep Andrew warm.

There would now be an emptiness in your heart, an undeniable and inescapable one, however don't let it extinguish the flicker of hope for reunions and peace.

Thanks la Juliette, much, for letting us know.

Lots of love and warm hugs

Andrew,

I have thought a lot about what to say. In my work I deal with death almost on a daily basis. Because of the deaths in my personal life and also associated with my work, I have searched for just the right words that would take at least the edge of pain away. There are no such words. Grieving is a very personal and individual process and the very most that any of us can do is to express our sorrow and to be here for you.....

I had a "Harry" in my life. His name was "Gin" (Ginseng) and he lived for sixteen years. There was a time in my life when Gin had been with me longer than anyone else (remaining) but my son. I could write volumes on him and there would still be things left unsaid. In the end, I faced the same decision that you had to face. It has been at least ten years ago and I still find myself telling amusing stories of him.

There was a time that I gave a baby shower for a friend. Nobody liked her sister-in-law but I had to invite her. She obviously had never seen a lhasa apso before. First she called him a poodle, and later threatened to insert a mop handle somewhere and do the floor with him. Throughout, he maintained his dignity -- kinda reminded me of "Grasshopper". By the end of the evening it was discovered that out of about thirty-five guests, he had found her purse and relieved his bladder in it. I have always believed it was a deliberate act -- he had been housebroken for quite a while and just didn't have "accidents". I could think of no one more deserving of his disdain than this woman. Neither could anyone else and we all took great delight. Needless to say, Gin was the object of great respect and attention that evening.

I'm sure that you have many such stories about Harry. I would love to hear some of them and I'm sure the rest of the members would too. There is something enchanting about stories of our favorite friends of different species persuasions. I hope you will consider sharing some of them with us when you are able.

'Til then my dear friend, know that my thoughts and prayers are with you and my heart is heavy for your loss.

I am sorry for your loss.

Eels - I need some sleep

I need some sleep
You can't go home like this
I try counting sheep
But there's one I always miss

Everyone says I'm getting down too low
Everyone says, "You just gotta let it go"
You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go

I need some sleep time to put the old horse down
I'm in too deep and the wheels keep spinning round

Everyone says I'm getting down too low
Everyone says, "You just gotta let it go"
You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go

You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go
You just gotta let it go


~Apt

My deepest condolences to afenton for the loss of a faithful comrade.

May he rest in peace.

Oh, Harry, my gorgeous Harry.

With a still-heavy heart, I thank you all for writing such lovely words, which have helped me through a bloody awful time.
To have spent so much time with a companion - for that is what he was - and then to be forced to make what amounts to a death sentence for him... .
I know there are many people who could never understand the bond that can build up between a man and his dog or, of course, a woman and her dog...or bitch (!), but it is as strong as any tie apart from that in family...perhaps tighter than many family ties!
Harry would often come to work with me; sitting regally in the passenger seat he would attract the attention of anyone who noticed him, and all the women loved Handsome Harry, as I called him, and their faces would take on that excited look that said: "I want a dog like that - he's so cute!"
But Harry was mine and I was his; we loved each other so much!

But inevitably, the time came when his heart murmur was causing too much internal damage and his liver was no longer functioning properly.
On his last full day of life, he had what was perhaps a stroke and he no longer had that love of life that had always amazed everyone; his tail no longer wagged at the slightest look in his direction or mention of his name. Harry, we realised, had finally lost his battle and we had to do what was best for him, and our last decision was, as always, in his best interest.

Yes, I'm crying as I write this.

I decided to ask Becky, my elder daughter, if she wanted to take Harry to the vet's and of course she said that she would take him on his last journey. I asked her if she wanted her boyfriend, Ben, to go with her as she would need
so much courage, and she was so pleased I'd thought to let them go together!
I went to work and tried to take my mind off the fact that the vet could offer no more hope for Harry, but when my mobile rang at 9.50, the full realisation hit home that our faithful Harry wouldn't be sat on the window ledge when I arrived home that evening, wagging his tail at my arrival.
Beck's sobbing voice, but firmness of conviction, immediately made me look for a quiet corner to cry in, but one of the other tradesman had seen me and realised I was upset. He came over and asked what was wrong, and when I told him, he put his hand on my shoulder and showed affection and concern that many young men are afraid to show at emotional times such as that. We aren't all heartless bastards, you know!

So...Harry is buried in the garden he spent so much time walking in, and we have ten years worth of blissfully happy memories of a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Harry; and he had a life where he was pampered, well looked after, but most of all, loved so very much.

Thanks, Pam, for...making me cry again! And to those of you who replied to this with such thoughtful words, I sincerely thank you, my second family!

"Do you realise – that you have the most beautiful face?
Do you realise – we’re floating in space?
Do you realise – that happiness makes you cry?
Do you realise – that everyone you know someday will die?

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes
Let them know that you realise that life goes fast
It’s hard to make the good things last
You realise the sun doesn’t go down
It’s just an illusion created by the world spinning ‘round..."

The Flaming Lips

Thanks for sharing your heart with us my dandy Andy. I ache for you. More than that, I commend you (& your daughter and family) for having taken a brave decision.. one that must have required - and tested - the most selfless will.

"But Harry was mine and I was his; we loved each other so much!"
-that's SHO shweet.

Oh, and I echo Galatea, we're in for any stories you'd like to share about Handsome Harry. When I and Galatea get together for a double dose of nagging, you can imagine how it can be ... whenever you feel comfortable, and interested, know that we're IN! And oh, Galatea, I can just imagine the lady's reaction on Gin's... "monkeyshines" .
Gin was the object of great respect and attention that evening.
-surely that doesn't apply to the said woman . Gin does sound like a smartie!

Pammie, again, I luv your poem that's a tribute to Harry.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond;
And like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring.
Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
-Kahlil Gibran in "The Prophet"

Love & hope!

----
"The statue of a naked woman. (…)you understand what the figure must be. The human spirit. The heroic in man. The aspiration and the fulfillment, both. Uplifted in its quest – and uplifting by its own essence. Seeking God – and finding itself. Showing that there is no higher reach beyond its own form. …"
~Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

This post has been edited at member's request.afenton,

Dear Andrew,

Please accept my belated sympathy. Although it is not original, I have always tried to live up to the loyalty and caring that my dog shows me. I have always failed my friends in being as nice as my dog. I am sure that Harry was a very lucky dog to have found such a wonderful friend with which to spend his life. I am certain that you were just as lucky.

You are in my thoughts, mate.

Nick

Nick? Suggesting that he is less-loyal?? Time to get my glasses changed and your (Nick's) perception changed . Nick wouldn't be Nick if he weren't… Nick. Ain't I logical ?
Good to see ya back.
Andrew, sorry to be using your thread for rambling, my dandyheart…!!! Love and hope, again and always.

Hello Andrew, you dont know me yet, I've just joined the site, but I do know how it feel's to lose someone you love, so I have just written this for you..

Airwaves.
..........

Angels whisper in my ear
they tell me things
I need to hear,
that they havn't really gone
and that their love
goes on and on.
They comfort me
when I am down,
and make a smile replace my frown.
They say I should know
who they are,
they havn't really
strayed that far!
A sudden insight, my souls sings,
to know my loved ones
gained their wings!

I can't believe how late I am posting on this...

Terribly sorry for your loss, the closest I've ever gotten to what you're felling was losing my pet goldfish. I cried for weeks over a fish that probably never really cared about me, I can't even imagine losing such a great friend and loyal companion...

I sort of feel I should say more, but ,really, there's nothing left to say, or at least, no way to express it in words...

Harry will be in my prayers tonight, I'll be wishing him all the best. I wish the same for you as well.

-Secret

Andrew...few words can adequately express the sorrow one feels at such a time as this. I am truely sorry to hear of Harry’s passing, and having lost my best friend at the ripe old age of twenty one I can attest to the pain you feel. Time will eventually heal the hurt, but it will never take away the memories.

May you always remember Harry in his brightest days and may those thoughts bring you peace.

“ Lionheart
~

"When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate now knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."

...Wrote Henri Nouwen, and he could have been talking about the membership of this site, for that group of persons is well represented on Worddistillery, my friends.

Billy Joel, singer/songwriter, wrote:
"I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."

And it's in explosive rock music that I find most solace, with its affirmation of everything painful and problematic, yet the ability to confront them with optimism and solutions. Rock music has always been my rock, in good times and in bad, so not only do I appreciate kind and sincere words of condolences, but also lyrics by the likes of The Eels, whos lead singer and songwriter, E, knows as much as anyone about the pain and suffering caused by loss, but is able to put the raw emotions caused by that suffering to...use, as in the lyrics quoted by Apt.

Nick, I like to think I was as loyal and caring toward Harry as he was to me, and if the number of tears I have shed over him are an indicator of those qualities, I am correct. Who do I shed them for - me or Harry? It is, after checking myself, undoubtedly for Harry!

Keith, my geographically closest co-member, I thank you for such a lovely thought. I hope we will be closer through membership of the site.

Secret, m'dear, a pet's a pet, and feelings are feelings; if you cried over that goldfish, you cared enough. Thanks.

Lionheart, our whiskered member!
...I have so many happy - and funny - memories of Harry that it'd take a book of many pages to do his character and idiosyncrasies justice, such a singularly pooch was he, and it's those memories which have to remain paramount in the memory, not his death. Better to have loved, lived with, wiped up his odd messes, than never to have loved at all, as the saying almost goes.

My apologies for not having seen and responded to this thread sooner. My eyes are full of tears as I type...and I grieve for your loss. I had to go in and snuggle my cat real quick before I could even start to reply.I hope you find your solace in those happy memories.

Thanks ever so much, Me, for your thoughts!

I have a happy up-date to share with you all.
My daughter Becky is a qualified horse-riding instructor, though she no longer teaches professionally. Since changing her job she misses the contact with her beloved horses, so I said I would buy her her own horse so she could get back to horse-riding as a hobby rather than a badly-paid way of earning a living (dreadful rates of pay in England).

Long story short: two nights ago she heard that a contact in the riding fraternity would consider selling one of her horses - a pet, rather than a working horse - but only because she knew Becks would take such good care of him;
she even agreed to sell him for a VERY low price as I am not Lord Loadsofmoney and Becks is not Miss Moneybags.
She takes him for a two week trial on Saturday and she has arranged a stable to rent very close to home.

The horse already has a name, given him by his owner, and Becks isn't likely to change that name. His name is...
HARRY!

Harry the 'andsome 'orse!

And he is. too!

Make sure you tell Becks that I am so very happy that Lord Loadsofmoney finally unloaded some of his hoarded stash to make good on his promise. I also expect free riding lessons...oh, wait, I already know how to ride Western. Would she by any chance teach English riding?

This is wonderful news indeed!

Harry lives on! Ok, so he'll eat way more and cost a pretty pound to maintain (you footin' the bill, Dad?) , but he'll be worth every bale of hay ( $3.50 per bale) bag of oats, boarding rent payment, ferrier bill, vet visit bill, riding crop and personalized hand-crafted leather saddle!

Are you thinking a brand new BMW might have been a better offer right about now?