Moving Forward

Moving Forward....It's not just a campaign slogan...It's a way of life.

Bowie Memorial

Hello Everyone. I can’t tell you all enough how your words, thoughts, concerns, blessings and prayers have warmed my heart these last couple of days. And I know many of you have been waiting to hear something from me regarding the loss of our Beloved Bowie.  Well, I haven’t been ready and quite frankly I’m not really sure I am ready now nor may I ever be. But here goes.

Any of you who know me well, know, that I have said over and over that I didn’t want a puppy. Not to keep anyway. That’s why it was so easy for me to take on the responsibility of helping my friend Carol Hein-Creger socialize some of her puppies that didn’t have forever homes yet.  The puppies are fun and cute, playful and energetic and very easy to give back after a week or two. I didn’t want a puppy.  I am all the times espousing the virtues of “adopting adults”.  You’re saving a life. You know what you’re getting. They might be already be partially trained…You all know the schpeel.

And then I met Bowie.  She didn’t have a name when I first met her and I started calling her Macy (with Carol’s approval). I actually thought she was kind of homely when I first saw her.  At least compared with the other Belgian Tervuren puppy I had cared for. Bowie had a REALLY long face and gigantic ears and little beady eyes.  Her coat was all fluff, except for a strip down the middle of her back, which was longer, more adult like hair.  Her tail was so long it dragged on the ground.  But then I got to know her. And before my eyes, by way of my heart she became beautiful! Bowie was so outgoing and super friendly. She wasn’t wary or reserved like most Tervurens I had met. And most importantly Arrow really liked her. Yeah, of course, he was his usual calm, suave, cautiously curious self when he first met her. But didn’t take her long to break open his heart and for the first time in months, since Darla had gone to live in New Jersey, I saw Arrow playing with exuberance and joy. He, of course, would play with Bowie but he was also playing with his toys again.

And then there was the fact that, in spite of what I thought was going to be my husband’s response, when I asked David if we could keep her, it didn’t take too much time or thought before he said YES! We could keep “Macy”, along with the caveat that we would have to change her name.

The name change came with much thought and negotiation because although I loved the name Bow, to go along with Arrow, but it just seemed to masculine to me.  What when David suggested Bowie, I knew we had a winner.

So, I now had a new puppy, Bowie and she was great!! And what an attention getter she was.  I had to start scheduling extra time if I were going anywhere with her because everyone wanted to meet her and ask about her.  I soon learned that I was going to have to get the correct pronunciation of Tervuren down.  Her training was coming along great and she was a true Velcro dog, who stuck close by and happily turned and came running whenever you called her name.  She had just recently discovered squirrels and I realized that soon I would not be able to trust her off leash during the day when the squirrels were out. She had also just recently taken to running towards people, especially children who came down the side walk. I knew that I needed to step up her recall training in the presence of distracters (squirrels & people). But I just hadn’t yet gotten around to it.

So, do I carry some responsibility for what happened on Thursday night? Absolutely! Was Bowie’s own youthful exuberance and friendly nature partially to blame? No doubt! But what happened Thursday night was a confluence of events that all came together in one terrible, horrific split second. One second that I can never get back.  Accidental deaths are so devastating! I know from experience.  My father died in a tree cutting accident 14 years ago.  That was the most painful loss I have ever experienced. Bowie’s loss is a fairly close second.  It’s hard to explain why that is, but I don’t think I need to explain it. It just is. We are all grieving (except for Winston who is clueless and probably thankful he won’t be herded into the corner anymore). Arrow is sullen and extra quiet and staying extra close. David is crushed! And me, well if you see me smiling, please know there are tears, many tears, when there is no one else around. 

So, today I want to honor the memory of Bowie and all the furkids who bring so much love and joy to our lives. 

If you have been thinking about getting a new or additional pet, today is a good day to act. You see, I didn’t want a puppy…But there was something special about Bowie. So, please visit your local shelter and see if you can’t find your someone special. And if you have all the doggie love you can handle right now, Please think about making a donation of money, blankets or food to your local shelter in honor of Bowie Pizzoferrato.

Now please take a moment, grab some tissue and view this video that my wonderful husband, David put together of our favorite Bowie pictures.

http://animoto.com/play/oYagPfZ1qOrBy3bs2LhkOQ

Thank you everyone and hug your furkids and commit to training, now and for a life time… for me and for Bowie!