Yesterday my best friend closed his eyes,
As his head was in my hand.
Hopes for a cure had been in vain,
And he could no longer stand.
The thoughts that scurried through my head,
As I cradled him in my arms.
Were of his funny puppy traits,
And Oh ... his many charms.
Today, there was no gentle nudge
With an intense "I love you gaze",
Only a heart that's filled with tears
Remembering our joy-filled days.
But an Angel just appeared to me,
And he said, "You should cry no more,
God so loves our canine friends,
He's installed a 'doggy-door'."
author unknown
Zen's Story
The decision to get Zen was kind of my accident. Elmo was three now and Ditto was two, and although I had been thinking about getting a third Border Collie, I had not mentioned it to the family yet.
Then on day I received a call from my Vet's office asking me if it was okay for them to give my name and number out. They had a gentleman come in who was interested in getting a BC, but wanted more info first. I said sure.
Later that day I got the call. His name was Richard and he was wanting to come over and meet my BC's and chat about the breed. NO PROBLEM...I love talking about BC's...especially my own. So, Richard came over and we chatted for almost two hours. It was great!
Richard was telling me that he decided he wanted a red and white BC and that he had already been in contact with a breeder, Kay...this got my attention; I saw my first red and white BC in Calgary at a Flyball competition...she was fabulous! He was telling me there were two red and white males in the litter...YEAH...he could have one and I could have the other. Now it was time to talk to the family. I was so excited...they said 'yes'. I was getting yet another beautiful BC.
I got Kay's phone number from Richard and gave her a call...after a lengthy conversation, it ended with me saying, "I'll take the other red and white." Arrangements were made to have photos and video mailed so we could have a look at our new puppies and the parents.
Time went by and soon our puppies would be arriving. We both played the name game...Richard had decided on 'Loki' and I had decided on 'Zen'. Zen is my only registered BC, so his registered name is actually 'Sphinx's Zen Koan'...'Zen' means meditate and 'Koan' means riddle. My husband and I are both really into Japanese culture so that is how are minds were thinking at the time.
"Zen's pedigree"
At one point Richard had called to say that he was just talking to Kay and she told him that one of 'our' puppies was either going to have two blue eyes or one blue/one brown...COOL! Richard was so nice...he told me that if I wanted that one, he didn't mind. I called Kay to let her know.
The day had arrived, May 18th...Richard and I will be getting our little red and white BC's today! We were so excited! There was a dog show here in town and Kay and her daughter were coming up to show their Basenji's and Shiba Inu's, so we made arrangements for them to bring Loki and Zen with them. The plan was to meet at the arena where the dog show was being held.
Richard and I got there early with collars and leashes in hand. THERE THEY ARE! The humans did their introductions and then it was time to meet our babies...they were so adorable; two little red and white furballs.
Richard and I went our separate ways that day, however, it was only a few short days later that we started the 'Sunday play group' that continues today along with their brother Buddy; a black and white who we discovered lived just across the way; and many other breeds of dogs. Unfortunately Richard and Loki have moved to Edmonton now but we hook up occasionally by email and he tells me that Loki and he are doing very well.
Zen has turn into a very handsome young man...and if you haven't already seen his photos, he has one blue/one brown eye. Although he was quite shy when we first brought him home, he is quite the social butterfly now.
This past winter my husband and I noticed that Zen was having a difficult time with his back end. He spend the last couple of months on our small back landing and stopped going down the stairs all together, because he knew he would not be able to get back up...unless we carried him which he absolutely hated. We also noticed that his legs were giving out from under him more and more. Needless to say, it was time to make some decisions about his quality of life. Sadly the dreaded decision to euthanize our handsome Zendo was made on April 22nd, 2005. We miss him with all our hearts!
"Zendo"
Zen just celebrated his 4th Birthday...March 8, 2001 Click Here...to Fetch Zen's Birthday Cards and Wishes
What's in your pet's name?
ZEN...Your pet is basically quiet, shy, and likes his/her privacy. This animal is genuinely concerned with people around him/her. Your pet is certainly never dull. You may find this animal has a dualistic nature being very communicative one minute and sullen the next. This is an animal who is quite intelligent and adaptable with a gentle nature. Your pet insists on neat and tidy living quarters.
