In Memory of Adora Borealis "adored
light"
Related
Video - Dr. Jim Humphries, DVM - SAYING
GOOD-BYE TO YOUR PET
 I
have know this day would eventually arrive.
My goal was to try and keep her with me
until the snow set in. With the condition of
her legs it was fully evident that she would
not be able to handle the coming winter.
This morning I took Dorie-Dog to her vet for
the last time. Last evening when I arrived
home Dorie was unable to rise to her feet.
This had happened before but in the past she
was able to regain the use of her legs and
get from room to room. The medication the
her veterinarian had her on keep her a lot
more comfortable for quit a long time. It
was no longer enough. And the doctor had
told me there was not much more that could
be done. She did not stay on her feet a lot
in the last year or so. Mostly, as a rule,
she would lie in the area where I happened
to be. She could no longer go up the stairs.
At times I would find her a the bottom of
the steps when I awoke.
"It has been said many times that a dog is
man's best friend. That to me now is more
than a bit of an understatement. There is a
large void here tonight. But I know that she
is no longer suffering."
Jaimie is probably not aware of the
wonderful gift and years she allowed me to
have with Dorie. She was much, much more
than a pet. She was my companion and partner
in all that was good and the times that were
not. Dorie was always there, always
forgiving, and always under my feet which I
will miss daily.
Adora Borealis-adored light. Adora Borealis,
known as Dorie, came into our life when our
daughter, Jaimie, was about 12 or 13 years
old. Jaimie had shown our Dalmation
"learning the ropes" in junior showmanship
classes. We went with a friend of ours to
many dog shows. Jaimie had gotten enough
ring time that our friend would ask her to
help show her puppies in fun matches-the
shows that "baby dogs" learn show manners.
Jaimie would take a fat little Springer
Spaniel puppy out in the ring while our
friend, Susan, would take another from the
same litter. It got so that Jaimie went to
many shows with Susan. Not the puppy matches
or fun matches any longer but THE REAL
THING. Jaimie even began to show some of
Susan's dogs in the actual show ring to help
Susan.
Susan, being the sweet person that she is,
talked to Jaimie and found out that she
wanted a Springer puppy of her own. Susan
knew that to truly appreciate anything, it
has to be earned. She wanted Jaimie to
understand that a puppy was not a stuffed
animal to play with and toss on the floor
when she was done. So, she made arrangements
for Jaimie to work as her kennel help and
EARN her dog.
Brena, Susan's bitch, whelped a litter of
puppies. She called Jaimie to come over and
stay while she went to work. It was
important in the early days for the puppies
to have someone around to make sure they
were warm and fed. Jaimie would clean their
whelping box, clean up the puppies, make
sure their mother got out to have food and
potty breaks. She washed bowls, cleaned up
messes, fixed food, checked on puppies, and
worked her little heart out to earn her
puppy.
From the very beginning, Jaimie had her eyes
on a certain little female. Bright black
eyes, black and white coat, bouncy as Tigger,
full of life and joy, a fat little tummy, a
wiggly tail, a true Springer Spaniel female
puppy. In the whole litter of puppies,
Jaimie had eyes for only one.
Susan let Jaimie have the little girl that
she picked out. She felt if that was the one
that Jaimie loved AND the one that appeared
to love Jaimie, then, they were meant for
each other. So, Jaimie brought Adora,
otherwise known as Dorie, home.
The first day home it was hot. It was the
beginning of summer, school was out, and it
was already hot. I walked in the front door
to find Dorie sitting in MY chair with a fan
blowing on her while she was given ice cubes
to cool her off. We knew from that point on
who was going to rule the roost.
Jaimie and Dorie had formed their bond but
Dorie seemed to understand from the very
beginning that she was not just Jaimie's
dog, that she had other children, too. Dorie
would play so carefully with the toddler.
Never a rough move, never a bite or growl
when those little fingers tangled in her
hair or tugged her ears. She endured
clothes, being lead around the house on a
leash while Jaimie's littlest sister played
"dog show", and pulled around behind her as
a "horse".
Dorie was not all good. She figured out how
to climb the fence in the backyard and lead
us on a merry chase. She would jump to the
top of the door frame when a stranger
knocked on the door. Several times, we had
salesmen or pizza delivery guys run backward
off the porch. Dorie made it known that she
would not think twice about getting a bite
ready if someone would come into her home or
threaten her family. She got into things as
any typical pet would do. She knocked over a
can of paint and paw printed the mauve
carpet causing it to have to be replaced.
Boy, did the insurance company like that
one!
Dorie grew older and Jaimie grew up. Jaimie
moved into her own home but could not take
her loved pet. So, Dorie stayed to take care
of Jaimie's daddy. He did as all dads do, he
stepped up to the plate, moaning that he
didn't want a dog, and kept her. He loved
that dog but dads can't give in and admit
things like that right off the bat. Oh, he
would say things like, "I am getting rid of
that dog, she drives me crazy", or, "She is
just a pain in the butt". Then, he would
carefully carry her up the stairs to bed at
night when her arthritic bones refused to
allow her to climb. He walked behind her to
steady her legs when they grew unsteady. He
had his youngest child come to stay with her
while he worked on occasion when she wasn't
just up to snuff. He bought her treats, he
worried over her, he took her to the vet, he
had surgery done on her knees when they
became injured and painful. He watched her
as she surveyed her world from the small
hill in his backyard.
Dorie, Adora Borealis, crossed the Rainbow
Bridge Friday, October 26, 2007. She was
escorted across while her beloved master
cried. Dorie is bouncing around, running on
four good legs, hearing just fine, and
seeing where she is running now. She is
chasing leaves, barking, and enjoying her
newfound freedom, free of fences, free of
blindness, free of deafness, and free of
pain. Free of those things that tie a little
dog down when they are on this side of that
bridge. AND, she knows. She will check that
bridge every day for the familiar face, the
family that loved her on this side of the
bridge, the ones that will always love her.
She will wait. When she sees that beloved
master walk over, she will be true to her
name. She will Spring high, barking loud
with delight, and know that she is with her
master again.
Adora Borealis, adored light, be at peace
and know you will be united with your loved
ones again. Written in memory of Adora
Borealis Price. Much loved dog, companion,
and best friend. You have been true to your
calling, true to the honor of being called A
Dog.
A card came in the mail. It is from Dorie's
Veterinarian group, the Pendleton
Veterinarian Clinic (http://www.pendletonveterinaryclinic.vetsuite.com/Templates/friendship.aspx).
In the card they told me that they had made
a donation to the Purdue School of
Veterinarian Medicine toward the study and
research of animal diseases in memory of
Dorie.
Many thanks go out to them. They did much in
extending Dorie's time and added much to her
life with the care and treatment they
provided her and the council they shared
with me. It was truley evident with each
visit that her well being was their top
priority. |
