A Heartfelt Farewell to Zak

My friend, Kim Wagner, got in touch recently and told me about the heartbreaking loss of her beloved dog, Zak. When you look at the pictures of this beautiful boy you can see how easy it was to love him!

Here are Kim's words about her precious Zak:

 

Heaven, St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Heaven Again 

Zak was definitely our gift from Heaven. He was found wandering the streets of St. Louis. From St. Louis he ended up in Pittsburgh in our home. The first time we saw Zak we knew he was special and we were right. Throughout the years everybody who saw him always thought he was the most beautiful puppy they had ever seen. Although when we adopted him he was already six years old. 

 

I ( Zak's Mommy ) am a childhood diabetic and have suffered various bouts with the disease throughout the years. When Zak came into our house he immediately knew when something was wrong and I wasn't feeling well. He would come by my side and not leave until he knew everything was alright. Zak was my four-legged Angel here on earth with a heart as big as this world. 

He was special until the very end. Everyone who met or saw Zak wanted him as their own. We were the lucky ones, though. God sent him to us. Zak gave us so much joy and love over the years and he'll always have a special place in our heart and home. Towards the end our other three dogs could never stop kissing him morning, day, and night. He has left us now and made his trip back to Heaven where he will be our Guardian Angel forever until we all meet again. We love you Zak.

 

Kim and Bob Wagner

Kim,  I'm so very sorry about the loss of Zak - I know how special he was to you. May he watch over you from the starry skies until you can be together again.

With love,
Chris
Lighthearted Press

The Loss of an Angel

If there’s one thing any animal lover understands it’s the feelings of heartbreak and loss when someone loses a cherished four-legged friend.  

My friend, Ellen Meade, lost her dog, Pixie’s Angel, last week. Here are her thoughts about her beloved Pixie. 

Pixie's Angel was truly an angel. She was white with ears shaped like an angel’s wings. She had one son, JoJo who I helped bring into the world, with her permission of course. She was the sweetest girl I ever knew and she is now with her sister, Kiwi, with whom she liked to "hunt" bugs and lizards. 

She was the sweetness in our home - always ready to curl up in your lap and gift you with kisses. She was always happy and loved to play in the sunshine. 

She had just turned 10 years old on June 8th and died August 25 on the eve of National Dog Day. One of her last gifts to me happened in the early morning when she rolled over on her belly and allowed me to rub her softly. She was weak and I knew her time was limited, but she did that for me. Her last gift to me was to die in my arms, giving me the gift of not watching the needle help her cross the Rainbow Bridge. She left this world on her own terms and is now hunting lizards in Heaven. 

I can envision her white body, soaring over the clouds in her new home waiting for the day we will meet again. 

Goodbye my sweet Pixie - my special little girl - I will love you always.

 

Love,

Mommy

 

Watch over your mommy, Pixie, until you can be together again. 

With love,

Chris

 

LightheartedPress

Publishing magical books for animal lovers 

Need some kitty love?

Toad, Willow and Sullivan are looking for a good home.

These three kitties are currently with Mary Anne Miller, central Oregon cat lover and all around earth angel.

Mary Anne says the 10 week old littermates are beautiful…and full of spirit. If your heart and home can handle three kitties they can all be yours, or they can go to separate homes.

I remember when my cats - Dickens, Pippen, Molly & Star - were only ten weeks old. It was such a delight looking at the world through their kitten eyes and discovering just how magical everything was.

If you would like to know more about these precious cats you can email Mary Anne at mothermary55@comcast.net or reach her through her website www.feralcatbehavior.com.

Purrs,

Chris

Lighthearted Press

Publishing magical books for animal lovers

Paw Prints of Love

You’ve got to love a woman who tattoos paw prints around her wrist!

This beautiful wrist belongs to Crystal, the counter employee at the post office who took care of my package this morning. Crystal explained the paw prints are for each of her special critters, and she will be adding a new paw print soon!

There is also a new two-legged addition to the family on the way – Crystal is pregnant with her son. The baby will be named Lucas, after one of Michael Vick's dogs. This special dog now resides at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, after having been removed from the hell-on-earth existence he and the other dogs endured because of Vick.

Crystal has met Lucas at Best Friends – she had the picture on her cell phone to prove it! She makes the journey to Utah twice a year to interact with the animals and staff. Whenever I meet people who've visited the sanctuary they all have one thing in common - the same shining eyes and hopeful voices as they share stories about the animals they met and how their lives have been transformed by these wonderful creatures. 

As I left the post office I could feel Crystal’s love for animals flowing from her heart into my own. It was one of those little unexpected moments that happen in life…the kind that leave you quietly breathless.

XOXO

Chris Davis

Lighthearted Press

Publishing magical books for animal lovers

Squirrel lessons

He’s been coming to my yard for several weeks now. I don’t really know for sure that HE is a HE – it just feels that way to me.

He crawls under the fence and drags his broken body up the hill. I can tell his eyesight is impaired, but he always finds the sunflower seeds scattered in the yard. He grabs a pawful of the precious morsels, stands up and immediately falls over. Unable to stay in an upright position, he rolls over on his back and enjoys his feast.

When the seeds are gone, he rights himself and crawls around until he finds more goodies. Then the eating routine begins again. This goes on for hours.

And OH, the delight when he finds a peanut!

When his belly is full, he crawls down the hill and heads out of my yard, his tail disappearing under the fence.

Sometimes he doesn't show up for a week, and I wonder if my little friend has gone to squirrel heaven. Then I notice him on his back, in the middle of all the other squirrels, and my heart is overjoyed to see him, again.

He lives a simple life, and despite his challenges seems to find joy and delight in everything he does.

So many lessons from this special little creature…

Chris Davis

Lighthearted Press

Publishing magical books for animal lovers

A thoughtful way to comfort a grieving animal lover after a loss

When Kim Wagner told me about her magical way of bringing comfort to  loved ones who've lost a critter I knew this was something special.


Bob & Kim Wagner, along with Abbey, Alfie, Ziggy and Zak

"Can I share this with other animal lovers?" I asked her. Kim said absolutely!

Kim has partnered with Animal Friends in Pittsburgh, PA. When someone she knows loses a cherished pet, Kim makes a donation to the organization in memory of the lost critter, who is now an angel animal.

And what do angels do best? Why, they watch over us!

Here's where the magic comes in. If Kim had made a donation in memory of my dear cat, Pippen, I would have received a card from Animal Friends telling me about the donation and letting me know that Pip was now the Guardian Angel for Betsy, a kitty at the shelter who was awaiting adoption. The card would tell me that Pippen would do a fantastic job of watching over Betsy until she found her forever home.

And that would have brought me so much comfort.

If you love this idea as much as I do you might want to pass it on to other animal lovers and rescue organizations!

Chris Davis
Lighthearted Press

Publishing magical books for animal lovers

Cat blocks door to avoid dental surgery!

Ok, that didn’t happen – but it ALMOST did!

My sweet kitty, Star, was scheduled to have several teeth extracted yesterday. I had everything planned so we could easily get out the door for our early morning appointment.

What’s the saying…PEOPLE MAKE PLANS AND GOD LAUGHS.

Since Star couldn’t have any food, I put her in the bathroom so I could feed her sister. When Molly was done, I went to let Star out but the door would only open about an inch. My little sweetheart had pulled out the bottom vanity drawer, which butts up to the door.

And there was Star, sitting in the drawer…staring at me. There is not a mean-spirited bone in her body, but for just a second I do believe I saw a smile on her face!

Well, I panicked. I envisioned someone needing to take an axe and hack through the door. I ran into the garage looking for ANYTHING that might help. That’s when I saw the pry bar!

I was just able to get it through the opening, and slowly…VERY slowly…I was able to close the drawer and retrieve my clever kitty.

I was really fortunate, because Star (who channels Houdini) routinely opens drawers to the point that they fall off their rollers.

Had that happened, I wouldn’t have been so lucky.

By the time I got to Mt. Tabor Veterinary Care I was pretty frazzled. When I walked in the door Theresa (right) and Sarah (left) seemed to know how to calm me down.

I waited in the beautiful main room while Star had the procedure. Who wouldn’t be at ease in this lovely space? I was given updates several times, which helped with my nervousness.

Finally, I was brought back to the wonderful Dr. Krissy Bussman, who was holding my little girl in her arms. I couldn’t believe she was awake…Star, that is, not Dr. Bussman.

I brought Star home later in the day, and she immediately went into the cat enclosure to stalk the chipmunks who were running on the other side of the screen.

So, all in all, a successful day.

In the future, I’ll be much more careful about where I confine Star. I’ve also informed her that the tool belt she put on her Christmas list AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN!

Chris Davis

Lighthearted Press

Publishing magical books for animal lovers