Remembrance Day

Tuesday August 28 is  Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day sponsored by Deb Barnes of Zee & Zoey's Cat Chronicles.

Today we would like to honor our four Siberian Angels - Dakota, Phantom, Thunder, and Ciara.  Most of the photos included are courtesy of many years of loving and beautiful work by our dear friend Ann of Zoolatry.

Dakota was our first Siberian Husky coming to us a special gift for our Dad in 1997.  She taught the family a lot about the Siberian Husky breed.  She was an energetic, fun-loving, and loving girl.  She spent her first year with the two little cockapoos, Lucky and Shamrock.  But her favorite playmate was Mom.  Dakota was convinced that Mom was really a dog.  When Mom would sit at the table trying to finish up a few things for work, Dakota would literally grab her by the arm and want her to play.  Of course, Mom acquiesced but knew that Dakota needed more.  That probably had something to do with the arrival of Siberian Husky #2 Phantom in about a year.   More about that in a little bit.  "The OP Pack" became the furry family name in 2006 when Thunder arrived.  Dakota quickly became the Princess of the family.  Diagnosed with Cushing's disease when she was 9 years old, she lived a full and happy life until she made her way over the Rainbow Bridge in 2009.  She was a sweet girl loved and missed by all, and like all of our Angels, she lives in our hearts forever.

Thunder was actually our third Siberian Husky who came to live with us in August, 2006.  He was a handsome and big boy and had a very gentle soul.  He was one of those dogs that EVERYONE just loved.  When he was with us, we had three special toys that many of you also have - the birdhouse with the little colored birds, the treehouse with squirrels, and lastly the beehive with the bumblebees.  Thunder always made Mom smile when he would carry one of his baby squirrels or birds or bees in his mouth all the while wooing a big Siberian song.  He never destroyed one of those little creatures.  On the other hand he always tried to make friends with some of the oddest critters, like Tony the Turtle he often met along the trail on our walks.  He was, much to Mom's dismay, a great snake hunter.  He found many a slithering snake in the grass in our yard and would grab them and toss them in the air.  He sure did make the family smile.  He sadly left us very suddenly on July 1, 2013 after a diagnosis of a very aggressive cancer.

And then there was Mr. Blue Eyes - the old man with a heart of gold - Phantom.  Phantom was never a good specimen of health throughout his life.  He was never a good eater, had several bouts of different cancers, but still managed to enjoy his life to the ripe old age of 16 1/2 in 2015.   He was Siberian #2, a birthday gift for Mom when she reached one of those milestone birthdays.  You may find it hard to believe but Phantom and Dakota were a wild and crazy duo as youngsters and taught Mom all she didn't know about Siberian Huskies.  They were adventurous, mischievous, and fun-loving pups who managed to get into a lot of trouble.  But they also taught Mom all about the joy of life with a Siberian Husky.  We think they did a pretty good job since five more of us came along as years went by.  Phantom was the kind of dog who could easily be overlooked.  He was a bit of a loner, very independent, very stoic.  Stoic to the point that it was very difficult to tell when he was in pain.  But he was a very gentle dog.  His eyes could melt your heart as he seemed to speak through them.  His passing left a huge void in our lives.  His quiet presence was actually enormous.

Even though almost two years have passed since Angel Ciara got her wings, it still is very difficult to write about her without seeing Mom's eyes well up with tears.  Ciara was an angel on earth before she became an Angel in heaven.  She had the sweetest disposition of any dog Mom has had over many decades of life.  She thrived on being a good girl. She adored the grands and loved to snuggle with them on the sofa.  And she was well loved in return.  But there was one very special being in her life, and that was her half brother Thunder.  Over the years we have shared many photos of the close connection the two of them had.  They were truly inseparable.  When Thunder left us so suddenly (less than two weeks after going from what we thought was a totally healthy dog to one with cancer death sentence), poor Ciara was lost.  We said good bye to Thunder on July 1st that year, and almost immediately Ciara was truly bewildered.  Severe panic set in with 4th of July fireworks, thunderstorms, loud noises - something very new for Ciara.  Shortly after she had her first seizure.  As many of you know, we tried and tried for three years to help her with every medication that the neurologist could prescribe.  We even returned to some of them to see if they would start to work again.  The last resort was phenobarbitol.  another massive failure.  After three days of almost nonstop seizures, we decided enough was enough and set our little princess free. Yep, those tears are back again:(  

Dakota and Phantom were our first Siberian Huskies, only 15 months apart.  We have many wonderful memories of their time together and with us and miss them both so much.  We hope they are happy knowing that the The OP Pack lives on with Lightning, Misty, and Timber.

Thunder and Ciara, half-siblings, sharing the same father, truly had a very special bond.   Although it makes us sad that they are not here with us, we are sure that bond has been sealed with love forever across the Rainbow Bridge. 

Thank you for letting us reminisce and remember our beautiful Siberian Angels.

Woos - Lightning, Misty, Timber, and Mom