MUFFIE'S LEGACY
By Gloria McCoy

This is the story of Shamrock Glen's Golden Muffin, Muffie, and how she became my "Sweet Girl."  Muffie was born with two other brothers. Unfortunately, the one brother did not survive.

I knew Muffie was going to be a bigger girl and I had wanted a girl. So my choice was either to keep Muffie or to find a good home for her.  The fact that she was a bigger sheltie makes a difference to some people who want to adopt a certain size dog of this breed.

I soon came to learn that big was beautiful, because Muffie was a beautiful mahogany sable with a great, loving temperament. After Muffie matured, she had her first litter of puppies, and her puppies were a beautiful sight to behold.

Muffie taught me to realize that there would never be a sheltie I didn't like.  She and her mother, Jodie, became my traveling companions. When her mother passed on to the Rainbow Bridge, it was a great loss for both of us, but Muffie continued to travel with me.

Muffie lived her life for the puppies she whelped and raised and for the other shelties she lived with. She brought me love, kindness and support during troubled times.  She was part of a sustaining life-support team for me personally.

Muffie lived to be almost fourteen years old. During the last months of her life she began to have some arthritic problems with her back legs.  Cosequin DS gave her a better quality of life. Although she did not become 100 percent better, she did regain some of her strength and did very well.

The stairs and tile floors became difficult for her, so I was glad to help by carrying her up and down them.  Once I brought her up and down, she did very well on her own.  She went out in the yard and did all that dogs are supposed to do. Then often, she would lie in the middle of the yard in the sun.

Time was passing, and Muffie was beginning to have her old problems return, so I put her on Dasuquin DS, which is a stronger dose, but akin to Cosequin DS. (If you have an arthritic dog reaching her later years, check it out with your vet.  It will, hopefully, add to your dog's  lifespan and give you more time together.)

Muffie would always be near me, right by my side, at the computer. If I weren't nearby, she would look for me.  When I sat on the couch, she would lie as close to my feet as she possibly could. This enabled her to know if I got up for any reason.

The months went by, and soon it was very clear to me that Muffie's happier days were coming to a close.  In my heart I knew that a decision had to be made.

Do dogs talk? Of course, they do! Muffie told me herself that it was time for her to leave. She had tried her very best but was tired. Could I please release her from her duties?

She would lie by the couch at my feet and turn her head almost completely around. One Sunday night, with her eyes, I knew she was telling me it was time to go.

The next morning I called the veterinarian's office to ask if there was a time I could bring in Muffie.  Still, I needed confirmation that I was doing the right thing and that we had done all we could for her.

It was a bright, sunny day, and I had placed her in the middle of the yard and took a few pictures of my sweet girl before taking her for a ride in the car for the last time.  Many words passed between us with our glances.  We said our sweet good-byes.  Muffie passed away at 1:30 p.m. and was at peace.

Though she was alone on her journey to the Rainbow Bridge, waiting at the gate were many of her friends. First on deck was her mother Jodie, and her grandmother Samantha. There was Kelly (our first sheltie), Brandy, Penny, Katie, Cassie, Abby, Mandy, Lacy, Lazer, Jamie, Callie, Jessie, Teena, and Meggie to lead her through the gates.

After Muffie passed away, I did some errands and came home to the other kids, but they did not greet me with their usual barks.  Only a yip here and there, as if they knew they had just lost a friend. It truly was a quiet evening.

The next morning, it was another sun-shiny day. I played in the yard with the other dogs and occasionally walked around. I was the Pied Piper that day with all the dogs following me.

As I came to the center of the yard, I stopped and looked up at the sky. I was thinking about Muffie and how I knew she was sending the sun's rays down to us.  She was letting us know that she had reached the Rainbow Bridge without problem and was happy to see all of her friends again.

I could hear their romping through the fields. They were well again and happy.  All their aches, pains, and suffering were now gone. They were young and romping in a field of flowers with a rainbow overhead.

As I stood in the yard, looking up at the sun, a strange and uplifting aura came upon me. I am not a believer in the unusual and unexplained, but that day, I had a feeling come around me and through my body that I had never experienced before.

I could not explain what had happened and did not put too much value to it. Later, I talked with a very dear friend who also has shelties. I told her about my experience and asked if she knew what it meant.

She said no, but that God wanted me to do something.  She is very religious and believes that going to church brings you closer to God, and that he will better hear your prayers.  I then asked her what she thought God wanted me to do. She did not know but was sure he would tell me.

It just so happens that I have been working on a pet loss grief program for a specialty veterinary clinic. I felt my answer was to get the project going. I would reach out to adults and children and help them get through their loss of a pet.

So that is my calling, and it will soon come to pass.  The project is almost finished. Part of it is already at the veterinary clinic.

What was Muffie's legacy?

If you read between the lines, you can see she had more than one.

First, she taught us how to be kind to all shelties and all other animals.

Second, she showed her love for anyone who came into our home. This taught her puppies how to experience life and to move on into another loving home.

But third, there is the rarest of all legacies that she left to me.

No matter what happens in life, the love of God is always there, whether it is for humans or animals, and it has to be the same God to watch over us all. Muffie helped me find a place of worship. She led me to a place I had been and visited. I could hear her say, "Go back there. It is what you have been looking for."

Not only did I find my place of worship. I found a warm and friendly group of people who reached out to me as a stranger.

On my first visit to this church, I saw that the church had the most peaceful and awesome inside setting. All around us were large glass windows. They made it possible to see the inside of God's house and pray there. But the large windows showed the outside, where God also walks, and our furry friends walk alongside him.

     "A faithful friend is a strong protection. A person who

     has found one has found a treasure. A faithful friend is

     beyond price, And her value cannot be weighed. A

     faithful friend is a life-giving medicine."

     --The Apocrypha

BIO:

Gloria McCoy raised shelties for over thirty years.  She has had approximately twenty-four shelties in that period of time with sixteen now gone. Five reached the age of seventeen. Visit www.sheltiespecialties.com and go to "About Us" to see a photograph

of Gloria with four of her shelties. Check out the information on a wonderful specialty clinic Veterinary Specialty Care. She is working with the clinic to set up a pet loss grief program.

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT:

What legacies has a special animal left with you?