STARR AT REST

Nan and Starr

Starr this afternoon with her daddy in the office

Starr with her daddy at the vet

Daddy, what is happening?

Job well done, a perfect little doggie, a perfect little friend, a fellow traveler, Nan's very best buddy. At rest.

So today ends a 12 year love affair with a little pug, a little friend who would look up at you and then twist her head from side to side, who would eat anything Nan would hand her when they were together, who would beg until Nan relented and slipped her food from the table, who would bark at anything that moved on the lake, who gave birth to 4 beautiful little pugs and almost died in the process.  Starr would sense if we were planning a motorhome trip as soon as we started to carry items out the door, then she would start barking, moaning until she gained access to the motorhome, she would sit on the right seat and jumped into the lap of whoever was there.  She barked at everyone passing by and loved to travel.

I well remember the day Nan drove into the driveway with the Villager Van direct from Texas and out she climbed with this tiny little puppy in her hand, Starr fit into her hand and our love affair with her grew from that moment on.  For years Starr would leap onto our bed even though it was high off the ground.  We know now that she paid a price for the leaping and jumping when she was young, that in older age it catches up with them and their legs give out but she was some jumper, no ladder for her she just jumped.

Now she rests, I've been working up to this day for some time knowing that her life was no longer happy and exciting as it once was, knowing that she just sat in the corner of my office with her water and food nearby, not able to move an inch in any direction yet she never complained, well that is unless I forgot to feed her or her water was too far away, then she let me know.  Every night before I fell asleep I would reach over and pat her head and tell her good night, every morning my first move was to talk to her and rub her ears.  Now it is so quiet, still, lifeless.

As I drove away from the vet today I was filled with guilt and sadness, it didn't have to be today, she might have lived a lot longer, I hated to be the one to decide her fate after she had served so faithfully over the years, a constant in our lives no matter what else happened.  Until the final days she was with Nan in the bed or the chair willing to sleep or snuggle for hours just to be near Nan, did she know?  She was always true to her job of caring for Nan.

So now she rests, is there a place in God's plan for faithful creatures?  I hope so, how wonderful it would be to see Nan and Starr running to greet each other some day, who knows.

Love to all,

Tim