Fall Season of Miracles - Parker

The POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul group gives you the opportunity to share the miracles in your life during this fall season with a creative writing challenge . Join in on the challenge with the FALL SEASON OF MIRACLES CONTEST | Positive Attitude for the Weary Soul Group

I've been a member of the POSITIVE ATTITUDE for the Weary Soul for quite some time and love participating and reading posts. This contest, however, made me think about what has affected me and my life - my family.


The tragedy of losing my lovely Spenser the Rhodesian Ridgeback. A show dog, a beautiful and special dog. A dog I wanted for so long and I loved so much. The anniversary of his loss was last week. It is so sad, so unexpected, and so hard for our family.


I am one of the most positive people you will every meet, although very risk conscious, I can look at the bright side of anything. Until I lost my Spenser, the horror of the unexpected. It can find you at anytime. I was grateful that we could be there for him and send him off to the rainbow bridge with our love and blessing.

After his loss, we helped our other dog Kira grieve, she loved Spenser too. She was glad to move up in rank but really hated being the only dog. We had lost our cat of 20 years the year before. We took up driving her around with us; and making sure we were there for her. She felt alone. I decided that at the very least, I could start the inquiries on new pups. We weren't sure whether we wanted to move to downtown D.C. and didn't need such a big house or yard, the economy is turning after all. We didn't really want another pet after such loss the last two years, but again, looking at Kira who felt sad and alone - it was hard. We didn't know what to do. She didn't like other dogs, as she never developed dog social skills - she is a people dog - a rescue and we are the third owners. Play dates were not an option for her and it hurt me to see her so sad.

Rhodesian Ridgebacks are not a common breed and it can take quite some time to get a dog. I thought about rescues, but Kira simply didn't like other dogs. A puppy, I felt might work, but a grown dog just wasn't doable. A longtime breeder and Rhodesian Ridgeback judge told me about a breeder in Rockville, MD he worked with, who just had a litter that was ready to go. I definitely wasn't ready, and wanted to know about his planned litters and other future litters. He urged us to visit - besides she likely wouldn't have any puppies left anyway.

Maybe we should get a cat, maybe that would be enough for Kira. Let's visit these kittens and oh, by the way, lets stop by and look at the breeding stock in Rockville. We went to visit....how predictable is this....

Then, the miracle. His name is Parker, an unexpected, unplanned, unconventional Rhodesian Ridgeback of such love and utter neediness that the loss of Spenser is actually tempered by his love, hope, and generosity of spirit. He does some of the exact same things, but couldn't look more different or be more different in personality. They are polar opposites. Spenser loved the outdoors.

Parker quickly let us know that if we decide to move to a condo in DC or a townhouse - he is good with that. He hates the outdoors alone and is scared of anything unusual - racoons, snakes, groundhogs, and the like (although loves his walks).

The tremendous amount of time and effort a young puppy needs distracted us from our grief - and Kira loved having a young pup around to teach him the ropes. He is nicknamed Parker T....with the T standing for trouble and he has more stories in his young life than I think I could write about. He is such a beautiful miracle that we brought home just before Thanksgiving last year and he just turned a year old.

I never could conceive that the loss of such a wonderful dog would ever lead to a dog that makes me laugh every day. A dog Kira can love an nuture. A dog that would help us through our grief to find a way to laugh every day (and typically all day).

It is truly a miracle.