Life with Zeke

November 16, 2014
Sunday

Dear God,

Our new baby Zeke
May 2013

I went to your house today to praise you and pray. My body was present; but, I must confess, that I was struggling to hold back tears. I felt rather ashamed when Robin came to the front of the church and the elders laid hands upon her to heal her of the wicked cancer eating away at her body. My sorrows seemed so small in comparison. After Pastor Gerald's sermon, I knew that I needed to forgive the man who hit my three little furry boys and that I needed to move on in my grief process. Easy? No. Possible? Yes. My grief has been so deep that just writing about Zeke would throw me into spasms of tears. Tonight, I am ready to lay my baby to rest. The groaning of grief that came from the bowels of my body are now coming softly from my heart.

Please take my hand and join me as I take a walk down memory lane:

Little Zeke came to us through Recycled Pomeranians last May. We really hadn't planned on adopting him but his foster mom, Laura, was going to Waco to deliver a dog who and we were to babysit. Looking back, the first thing the little rascal did was squeeze through the tiny opening in the gate and head for the horse pasture a block from our house. The horses were after him and he was zooming through the pasture as fast as his little legs would go. We FINALLY cornered him and from then on, he won our hearts each and every day. When Laura returned, we told her we were adopting Zeke! That was that...

Zeke was a warrior ... his little body was riddled with a hepatitis virus in June 2013. We were sure he was a gonner but, nope, he rallied and began spreading his wings of love as our traveling companion. We took him to the opening of an art show, to the park, antique shopping, museums, carriage rides ~ he loved going to Lowe's, Home Depot, specialty shops, and Kohl's. He went everywhere the law would allow (and sometimes even places where dogs weren't allowed!). He would hide under the clothes in my basket at Belk not making a sound should a clerk walk by. Wherever he went, people oohed and aahed over his quiet demeanor and his milk chocolate eyes. Zeke was magical!!

Zeke - A patron of the arts!

Zeke ~ A Master Gardener!

Zeke ~ An Antique Specialist!

Zeke ~ An athlete!
Can jump tall tables to get his treats!

Zeke -Expert Shopper!

Zeke ~ Museum visitor!

Zeke - A stylish pup!

Brothers ~ Scamps before haircuts & baths!

Our little Zeke loved romping with his brothers Kennedy and Toby ... especially Toby. They would roll, growl, play bite, and taunt each other to the point of exhaustion. Toby was for wrestling with and Kennedy, well, Kennedy was the instigator of the digging out under the fence. Whenever, Kennedy managed to escape, Zeke was in close pursuit. We never left them outside unattended, so as soon as we saw them head for the fence, we were in a race to see if we could prevent the escape. We filled holes, put in stones to block their favorite places, and were continually monitoring where they were getting out. If you've ever had a dog less than 6 pounds who was a digger, you know what I'm talking about.

Mornings were Zeke's time to shine. I opened my eyes in the morning to his exuberant little antics. He was ALWAYS hungry and knew when the bowls of kibble were to be put down. He had his place beside Kennedy and danced on his back legs as I set down his bowl. He pecked at his food like a chicken pounding with each bite. He was the first to finish eating and would climb up on the dishwasher door to hover over his siblings should they drop a kibble. I would set the timer to let their food digest before heading out to the backyard or taking them for a walk. Zeke was either looking up for squirrels or had his head down sniffing. He hated cold weather, rain, snow, and mud ... no rolling in muck and mire for that prissy little guy! He seemed to know when it was sweater weather and would help me put on his clothes... I would laugh and he would prance through his day.

I'm not going to talk about Zeke's passing except to say that I was so blessed to be his pawrent for the time he was with me. I think we had this mutual admiration society thing going and every day was a beautiful adventure. On days when I was lonely, sad, or not feeling up to par, there was Zeke ready to dry a tear or do something totally out of the ordinary to get my attention.

Zeke's last day was a great one ... he did all the things that made him happy. I am grateful he didn't suffer and that I was with him as he crossed Rainbow Bridge. He will forever hold this special place in my heart and be that one in a lifetime magical Maltese dynamo that joined me on my journey through life.

Today, You convicted me, Lord and I heard you. As you wrote in Ecclesiastes 3, there is a time to be born and a time to die ... a time to weep and a time to dance.

I mourn the loss of my beloved companion and lay the sorrow of his passing at your feet. I stand with my eyes turned upward as Zeke would do and praise your name. I choose to remember the good and to celebrate the moments of knowing that for 18 months I had the best job ever ... being Zeke's mom!! Amen!!

Miss Dottie

NOTE TO READERS:  I know that there are those who have experienced the tragic death of a dog and vow never to allow themselves to be hurt like that again. I do not believe, even for a moment, that I will never get another. There are too many animals out there in need of homes for me to take what I have always regarded as the self-indulgent road of saying the heartbreak of the loss of the dog was too much to ever want to go through again.  In January we said goodbye to our very ill Scottish Terrier, Sadie, and, now in November to our baby Zeke. ALL THE WONDERFUL TIMES I had with them were worth the pain of grief at the end.