The Kindness of Strangers

Many of you have asked, or want to ask, how we are doing.  The first quote below quite eloquently describes the process we will go through.  We are working on the eating phase.  Trying for sleeping through the night.  We will get there.  Sammy is doing much better.  We think he started to mourn as soon as he saw her bolt and last week was rough.  He ate all his food yesterday, tried to steal his Auntie’s breakfast the day before, and this morning was able to walk like normal – albeit old – dog.

Throughout our ordeal this past week we have continually been amazed at how there are so many people out there that are truly kind and supportive people.  This extends from our friends and co-workers who have been so helpful and considerate to people who are friends of friends to people we have no connection with what-so-ever.  Sure some are “pet people” and understand that these little furry wonders are an integral part of our family and life but others reached out to us or allowed us to bust into their businesses and post the flyers we hoped would bring Montana home to us.  We heard from our friends who helped us with flyers that they too had many positive experiences talking to people on the side of the road and in shops.  Our pet sitter and others speculated that maybe this is the message Montana needed us to understand.  In an era of horrible things broadcast on the news daily, and so much negativity spread in this US election year, perhaps this is a very necessary reminder that it is “great to be alive” and surrounded by so much good that we should not let the mud and dirt being flung by a small minority cover the goodness.

Even as we were driving around Tuesday afternoon taking down flyers – and quite possibly parking illegally – we were stopped by a local policeman in his patrol car.   Rather than reading us the riot act about questionable driving or illegal posting of flyers,  he asked if we had any luck finding Montana.  When we told him what had happened he was visibly upset saying everyone in the station had been on the lookout for her and emphasized that they were truly fans of our canine friends.  He even went so far as to tell us not to worry about the signs – that they would take care of it.  A policeman in another town called on Saturday to say he would leave the signs up, he was a dog lover, and just please call when she was found so they could help us take the signs down.  Despite these offers we continue to take down signs as we find it cathartic and a good way to spend our pent up energy.

In another example of the goodness out there we received this message this morning from someone we have never met (more eloquently describing what we are going through than we can at this point):

“…I am messaging because we lost our two husky puppies to a train at the same time back in April. It was honestly one of the hardest things we’ve ever been through in life. We did the same with the flyers, and everything we could think of doing. We just wanted to say- we are so incredibly sorry for your loss and we do understand. For us- we’ve lost friends and family members- but these were our kids- and it looks like Montana was like that for you. One of the biggest things for us during that time was being desperate for someone just to understand. So I wanted to say- we understand and we are here for you. If you want to talk. We are here. If not. We are here. She looked like a beautiful girl and she is with you always. I hope that S and K brought Montana over the rainbow bridge and that they are playing together. If you need anything at all- please let us know. We felt the desperation, the guilt, the pain and sadness. We miss them everyday. But the gut wrenching feeling. The not eating or feeling okay subsided for us. You may process differently. I just wanted you to know that we understand and are here if you need. Again, please do not feel that you need to respond. One last thing is a poem that always helped me during loss:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,
spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts
for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck
of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then, someone at my side says, “There, she is gone.”
Gone where?
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,
hull and spar as she was when she left my side.
And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me — not in her.
And, just at the moment when someone says, “There, she is gone,”
there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices
ready to take up the glad shout, “Here she comes!”  ”

Montana  loves husky type dogs so I am sure as soon as she arrived with S and K they had a blast running around free in all that open space.  Thank you for the message!  It means so much.

We also got this message from our friend whose father just passed away this weekend:

“Hey guys, I hope my father is up there with puppy and they’re taking a nice walk. Love you. When you come in over the weekend we’ll look up and do some shorties for the two of them.. “

I believe that after the fun with the husky twins she had a quick rest in the shade – or possibly the sun (she loved the sun) and was then there waiting for the nice walk with our friend J’s father.  From there I am sure she reconnected with Banshee, maybe even Boomer and Hass, and is probably bringing joy all around.

But be warned when you do walk with her that she loves to jump!

 

The Scribes

PS- Sammy thought he would like to share some of his favorite moments/funny behaviors of his sister in future posts.  These might not come as frequently as he is old and his memory kind of comes and goes.