by Coleen Ellis | Apr 18, 2011
He had everything. A good life. A great career. A beautiful home and family. Coming from nothing he´d made it all on his own. His heart had hardened but he had “achieved.”
And, just like that, it was all gone. Yes, he´d been there before and knew what “nothing” felt like. But he´d also vowed he´d never go back.
The amazing color that the author uses to describe the journey from “there” to “here” and “back again” leaves the reader spell-bound. You almost feel ALL of Adam March´s pain, with every step of the journey.
Then, in an odd turn of events, a mangled, pathetic pit bull shows up in his life. He didn´t want him. He wasn´t going to keep him. How does anyone love a pathetic, down-and-out creature like this?
The parallels are incredible – and amazing throughout the whole book! It´s most certainly one of those books that leaves one to think when the last page is read.
Do I judge others?
If I were in a different circumstance, would those events then have a different meaning?
And, lastly, how am I living my life to give back?
Enjoy the book! I´m sure of it – you´ll love it!
by Coleen Ellis | Apr 11, 2011
Proud to be a GrandPuppy-Parent!
Did you see CNN last week? My good friend, Jim Rudolph, made me aware of their latest finding! Grand-puppies! The latest demographic to emerge in this crazy pet world,… there are now officially “grandpuppy-parents!” And, let me tell you – they are a proud group!
The beginning of the article shows a pet mommy Skyping her fur-kid, Gracie´s, grandpuppy-parents. And, they all look like they are having a ball! Including Gracie, who appears to be incredibly intent on talking to her grandpuppy-parents.
From the article,… “When we look at the evolution of the dog from protector, hunter, to companion, it may not be so unlikely for the dog to appear in the ´family tree,´ ” said Dr. Rebecca Johnson, director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction at University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.
So, there you have it. There are grandpuppy-parents – grandkitty-parents everywhere! They might be waiting on human grandkids but there´s been a delay in this, for some reason. They might have a child that doesn´t want children and will only have their fur-kids. Or, maybe it´s a baby boomer who´s empty-nested, adopted the new kid, a pet, and bring these new grandkids to their parents. And, a variety of other scenarios!
Therefore, when one of these precious grandpuppies or grandkitties dies, a grandparent will want to remember their relationship with the special pet too. There are numerous things that one can do to honor this love:
Create a special rock to honor this pet in their flower area.
Make a clay paw print to showcase next to a special photo.
Remind pet parents with point-of-purchase signs to remember the grandparents with numerous other memorialization pieces.
Purchase a piece of cremation jewelry to hold a bit of the pet´s fur.
Include the grandparent´s names in the on-line memorial posting of the deceased pet.
Have a portrait done of the pet.
Have a special blanket done with a picture of the pet.
And, many more things that can be done.
Just a hint, as hard as it can be, make sure to have these pre-planning conversations with the Grandparents ahead of time. Understand how they will want to remember their special pet,…
Bottom line, this demographic is proud to be a grandparent of a dog or cat. Therefore, GrandPuppy-Parents and GrandKitty-Parents will want to do all they can to honor the relationship they had with their precious “grand-kid.” As a pet loss professional, it´s our responsibility to help them with this process. They deserve it.
