We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:52:04 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Every good trooper deserves to go out in style. I don't imagine John and Beth feel much like talking, but please feel free to leave your respects in the comments section. They'll read them when they feel up to it. Family is family :) I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better. They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love with no moral restraint, and they do not for all their marvelous instincts appear to know about death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings,... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:46:09 -0600 I believe that all pets go to heaven, but dogs are a special case. They ask so little and give so much. John, Shadow is healed of all hurt. He is happy. I also believe that pets will be part of the escort to the other side. After all, they are family. I know someone who is most likely helping in that Animal Heaven, welcoming them and showing them where their Happy Hunting Ground is. Shadow is chasing squirrels (the tree rats were put there for PT and for the cats to practice hunting). You will see him again. (((((((((John and Beth)))))))) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50697 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50697 Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:48:51 -0600 {{Hugs}} John. Sending prayers your way. I know that Shadow had a happy life and was well loved. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50670 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50670 Wed, 20 Sep 2006 11:28:07 -0600 The loss of a beloved animal is hard. I've lost two cats the last 4 years: my precious Spazzy and Fluffy. As tim said, hopefully all of our fuzzy friends are playing together in heaven. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50646 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50646 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 21:15:27 -0600 go to Heaven - they are Heaven. The pain we feel at their loss is but an echo of the purity of their love.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50638 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50638 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:46:24 -0600 take some small measure of comfort in knowing that he shall surely be waiting there on the porch for you when you arrive there yourself... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50636 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50636 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 15:15:06 -0600 I was so sorry to see you post yesterday. I went through this just last January. Your Shadow will be waiting for you. I have to believe that all the best things of this mortal earth are preserved in heaven. Our dogs are certainly one of the best parts. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50632 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50632 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 14:23:58 -0600 Always welcoming always ready. You have indeed lost a good friend. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50630 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50630 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:36:40 -0600 Two things - after being separated from my wife for four plus years, and talk of reconciliation began, I told her not to ask me or our daughters to choose between her and our new dog - she wouldn't like the outcome. That said, she has really come around, and has accepted Amos as a true part of the family. 2)I used to sit around playing my guitar and drinking beer - when I thought the time was right, I'd make grown men cry. No one I know who has ever owned and lost a dog can sit through the playing of "Old Shep" and keep a dry eye. If you've never had the privilege and your heart can take the pain, google Old Shep and listen to the song. Elvis did it best. In the words of our contemporary philosophers - "all dogs go to heaven." Amen. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50628 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50628 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 13:28:35 -0600 We just lost my wife's 19 year old cat, Peaches. It hurts more than I thought possible. I pray that all our fuzzy friends are playing together in fields of gold and green, awaiting our arrival. I'll tell Peaches to be on the lookout for your Shadow. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50625 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50625 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:18:18 -0600 I'm a cat person, but I love dogs too. Grew up with a Dachshund. This summer I had to put down my 20 year old cat. Toughest thing I've ever done, emotionally, bar none. I still weep at the thought of losing that friend to throat cancer. I understand what you are going through, John. God bless you and your memories of Shadow. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50624 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50624 Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:12:22 -0600 Occasions like this are one of the reasons I'm afraid to, and probably shouldn't, have a dog. I've lost a bunch of kitties over the years, but consoled myself with the thought that they were free citizens, and had the right to live free and die free. It's different with dogs. I do think we co-evolved together. Yer dog really counts on you, and trusts you, and when he leaves before you do, and you can't do nuthin about it but ease his pain a bit, well, dang. Concentrates the mind, and all that. Just dang. My most heartfelt sympathies to all in the Donovan household, whatever their degree of furriness. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50612 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50612 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:55:44 -0600 "If dogs don't go to heaven, then I want to go where they go" ~ Unknown. Buried my best friend Gus (Brittney, phesant dog extrordinaire, habitual sniffer of crotches) about a year ago. Not a day goes by I don't miss him. You have my deepest sympathy. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50610 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50610 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 22:09:36 -0600 No explanation is available for the bond between man and dog and none is needed; our world is much better because of it. I have three snoozing on the floor, two more upstairs with the bride, and two sniffing the air outside as I write. Samantha was a chocolate Lab the same age as Shadow and my roommate when I was single. She had cancer as well and waited at her favorite spot by the back fence in January, laying stoically in the sun until I got home from work. I spoke to her and the others and told her I'd be right back with a cookie, she raised her head and wagged her tail. When I returned she was gone. The others didn't know what to do and neither did I. Woodrow Wilson's quote is apt as are the others, but I don't imagine they help with the loss so much. The best we can hope for you is that you know you did the right thing, and that your dog-buddy understands that you were there for him, taking care of him and making the only decision you could. Your life was made better because of your best buddy, and you will make another dog's life better soon. Once you've lived with a pack you can't really ever be a solitary soul. Dan Patterson Arrogant Infidel http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50608 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50608 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:52:00 -0600 Thanks for putting this up, Cassandra. It's been a long time since I've lost a pet, but I do remember the sense of loss. It's amazing how empty the house is with one less furry friend. This has been a bad year for you two. I hope things turn around soon. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50607 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50607 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:26:28 -0600 Nancy Lebowitz buttons. And everybody needs a little gibberish every now and then. Dogs definitely add joy and energy to life. Life's more enjoyable with them around. Less enjoyable when they leave, as they must ... but on the whole, the balance is definitely positive. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50606 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50606 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 21:05:13 -0600 John, Please accept my condolences. It always sucks to lose a cherished pet, often as much as it hurts to lose a family member or good friend because that's really what they are ... friends and family. His temporal suffering has ended and he has crossed over, but he and the rest of the Guard will be there waiting for you on the other side, when it's your turn to be fetched. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50604 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50604 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 20:45:39 -0600 We had three St.Bernards at the same time. It was kind of like living with the 3 bears. Each one had their own unique personality. At that time we lived in a place called Topanda just up the canyon from the coast near Santa Monica, Calif. There was a park nearby and we would get visitors from the park that would manage to come onto our lawn. One night we heard barking and went out to see what it was. By the time we got outside, the three St. Bernards had stopped barking and were sitting and standing among 4 deer. The yard was a big country country and we had put an extra water bucket by the fence for our dogs. The deer were drinking from a water bucket as our 3 dogs watched them patiently. We kept a distance to see what would happen. When the deer finished, they just stayed there and our dogs laid down as if to say. OK this is our place but you are welcome....good water isn't it. The deer after that would visit often, late in the evenings. And our dogs would always go out to greet them. It came to be just one of many adventures of our children of the fur. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50600 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50600 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:45:11 -0600 "No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does." -- Christopher Morley http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50598 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50598 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:28:22 -0600 Shadow will be playing with our Theodore, I wonder if they will be doing some doggie blogging. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50597 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50597 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:26:31 -0600 The reason dogs have so many friends is because they wag their tails instead of their tongues. - Unknown There is no faith which has never yet been broken, except that of a truly faithful dog. - Konrad Z. Lorenz Thanks, Cassie. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50596 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50596 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:31:35 -0600 Good job Cassandra. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50595 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50595 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 17:22:05 -0600 Asthma doesn t seem to bother me any more unless I'm around cigars or dogs. The thing that would bother me most would be a dog smoking a cigar. - Steve Allen]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50594 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50594 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:29:21 -0600 I've never forgotten when we lived in soCal and I was working so many hours, and then going to school at night. It never ceased to amaze me the way our two dogs would line up in front of the back door when I got home at 11 pm at night. There they would be, just sitting there quietly, tails thumping in concert. The whole rest of the house was asleep, but I used to think that was the most wonderful sight a tired person could ever see at the end of a long, long work day. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50593 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50593 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:19:35 -0600 If our beagle, Molly, were here, she'd give him a royal sendoff. No one made "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO's" like she did. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50592 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50592 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:16:33 -0600 can be...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50591 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2006/09/for_john_beth_and_shadow.html#comment-50591 Mon, 18 Sep 2006 16:15:56 -0600