On 23 October 2001, Dave writes: Jenny, a rescue 'dale, went on to The Rainbow Bridge today. Her health had been on the decline for some time but she weakened markedly the last two days. Jenny left peacefully and she did not suffer. She would have been 13 years old in January. Jenny came to the farm two and one-half years ago. It was on a Monday evening in March of 1999, when we received a phone call. The caller said that an elderly lady living in St. Paul (about 20 miles from the farm) was going to move into a senior care center on Wednesday. The lady's Airedale was going to be put down because there was no provision to allow dogs in the senior care center. Tuesday after work, Becky raced up to St. Paul to meet the lady and take the dog into rescue. When she arrived at the home, she found the lady somewhat confused and no Airedale to be found. The lady was unsure where the dog was. A frantic call to the nearest veterinary clinic was made but no one had brought them an Airedale to be put down. Shortly thereafter the interested neighbor who had called us to begin with came by the elderly lady's home. It turned out that the dog had been taken to an animal shelter. Becky asked the elderly lady to sign the surrender papers and then went on to the animal shelter. After showing the people at the animal shelter the surrender documents (and some fast talking) the dog was released to us. Jenny had thus made her way to our farm although she took a couple detours on the way. At ten years of age, Jenny was not likely to be adopted by anyone. In addition, she had some minor health concerns. After letting the rest of the dogs greet her and letting her learn her way around, it was decided that she would spend her retirement here on the farm. Jenny enjoyed walks (not too fast, thank you) and relished her naps. She was not terribly fond of little dogs and she let them know that on occasion. Like so many older dogs, she loved to place her head against a person and get her ears scratched. Jenny stayed on the farm fewer than three years but in that time she worked her way into our hearts. We hope that she enjoyed her time here as much as we enjoyed her company.

On 23 July 2002, Dave writes: Today, Tuesday, July 23, Katie the rescue Airedale passed over The Rainbow Bridge. Katie was 13 years old and had lived with us on the farm since she was about 18 months old. Katie enjoyed going for walks and, occasionally, tossing toys around the living room (perhaps she preferred that the house have that 'lived in' appearance). Katie spent her last afternoon in one of her favorite spots, in the shade of the oak tree, enjoying the cool breeze of a fine summer day. On 15 August 2002, Dave writes: Barely three weeks after Katie passed on, Cinnamon joined her at The Rainbow Bridge. Cinnamon, a rescue 'dale, was 13 years old and, like Katie, spent nearly all of her life with us here on the farm. Cinnamon was taken in after her former owners discovered that their children were allergic to her. Even though they had to part with Cinnamon, her former owners sent her some money each Christmas to insure that Cinnamon had an ample supply of treats (she did). The loss of two such old friends in less than a month is difficult. Though Cinnamon & Katie are much missed we are grateful for all of the good years they spent with us. For whatever sorrow their departure brings, I would gladly open the gates again tomorrow to let another wonderful dog into our yard & our lives. The sadness in their passing is in the fact that there won't be any more good times with that dog. When one comes to accept that that is the way of things and that there are many more dogs out there that need a good home, then it becomes clear that we must move on. We cannot take them all in but we can make a difference for a few and they in turn add so much to our lives. So we can hold on to the joy Katie & Cinnamon gave us and still find room for more. All that bravely said, I just went to the living room for a moment and noticed Cinnamon's blanket still in its place. It is hard to see it empty. Sigh . . .

CONTINUE WITH
THE SAGA OF THE BARRET PACK HERE