TIMBER’S TALE

Hi! My name is Timber, and I have a story to tell. Not so long ago, I wasn’t a very happy dog. My pack ignored me, left me outside, cold and alone. My only friend was another puppy. There wasn’t enough food and I made sure she had enough to grow, so I was always hungry. I wondered if this was the way my life was going to be? Then one day, I heard a soft dog voice whisper in my ear: “All will be well”. I looked around. Just me and my puppy friend, and she was sound asleep. “Just a dream” I thought. The same day, a nice lady from Furry Friends Network took me and my friend away from that pack. My first foster (that’s what she said she was) was great with me! For the first time in a long time I had enough food to eat and a warm place to sleep, but their dog said “This is not your home”. Soon I was taken away again by the first lady. Was this to be my forever home? Would I ever find one?

One day my foster took me to PetSmart (my second favorite place in the world) and we met two very nice new people. They talked for a while, then the new people took me and put me in their van. I had a nice clean crate with a soft rug, but I was really worried. Where was I going and who were these people? We traveled a long time. They spoke soothing words and gave me toys and treats. They told me of a place with a big yard where I could run free and a soft, warm bed to sleep on. Could this magic place possibly be? I still wasn’t sure.

As it was becoming dark, we arrived at a new place. There, two more new people met me, patted my head and rubbed my belly. It was true!! They did have a big, safe yard I could really run in. I could come in or go out when I wanted to, there were toys and treats like they promised, lots of good food and four sets of hands to pet me and love me and give me belly rubs and a warm place to sleep inside! There was one thing I couldn’t understand, though. My nose told me another dog had lived here, and very recently, but was here no longer.
That night, as I slept, warm and safe in my new surroundings, I again heard the soft dog voice in my ear: “My name is China. This was my home and my pack. They rescued me when I was young, scared and alone like you. They gave me their love for the rest of my life and when I could no longer live, they sent me with love to the Rainbow Bridge. When I got here, I was given a special job to do. I could show my love for them by guiding them to another dog to rescue, but which one? There were so many! Then I saw you. You needed a good home and they needed a good dog, so I spoke in your ear, tugged at their heartstrings, whispered in their ears, guided them to you. Now they are your pack. You have found your forever home.”

"Will I ever see you?” I whispered back.

China answered: “My spirit can be seen in the Northern Lights, and we will all be together some day at the Rainbow Bridge.”

I am now happy and content. My pack and I are learning new things about each other every day. We are having fun and sharing a wonderful life together. Each night, as I go to sleep, I say my puppy prayers, thanking the Great Master of All Dogs for the fosters and volunteers at Furry Friends Network that rescued me, for my new pack that loves me and for the great love of a great dog that brought us all together.