I adopted Ripley when she was seven months old from a couple who obviously wanted to be rid of her. It wasn't long before I realized why. She was pregnant.
While I certainly didn't want a batch of puppies, I couldn't get rid of her either.
She has obviously been abused and my heart connected with hers in a very strong way.
Ripley was not a pretty puppy when I got her; scruffy and too thin, her coat dull and wiry, she desperately needed someone to love and care for her and that someone was me. I haven't been sorry for even one single moment.
She became, without any effort at all, the most loving and intelligent dog I have ever owned and my best friend. She became my shadow and constant companion with the most empathic abilities. Through lovers that came and went, heartache and tragedy, and certainly my best times, she was there by my side. In a winter where my heat had gone off and I lay shivering from the cold, Ripley lay beside me, sharing her warmth.
When I was ill for nine months and bedridden, she never left my side.
And times when I was beset with grief, tears falling from my eyes, she licked the tears away and offered me her comfort. Suffice to say she is my friend and I am hers.
Simply put, we love and understand one another.
I am grateful for that day she came to live with me and I wonder sometimes how I would have got along without her. I don't want to think about it but when the day comes when she is old and past her prime, I will take car of her as she has taken care of me. With love and understanding and I'll be there at her side to the end.
Until Next Time Dear Friends...
Love and Light To All,
LadiofZen
