Catch the day and fill it with joy!

I read a sad update on Facebook, friends of mine just lost their old dog. It made me think about all the dogs that has made my life so full of joy. To lose a dog is just like losing a real good human friend, unfortunately only dog-people understands that.

They make a difference in our lives, and we always remember them, just like any good human-friend. I am very fortunate to have some funny, crazy dogs around me, not only the two who happens to live under the same roof as me, but also the two dogs of my sister and recently I have met a nice little fellow that I hope to get to know better.

One story of mine, that I started to think about when reading my friends FB-update, is the story of Bee. I have been writing about it earlier I guess, but still I think it is worth a moment of thought every now and then.

Bee, only hours after our first encounter.

The story of Bee started a cold but beautiful day in the mountains of Kozarac. Me and my college Rob was out on a trip as we had a day off, and decided to head for the mountains. It was quite a lot of snow, and we walked a slippery slope up some hills to look at a memorial monument. Suddenly a very young and small puppy approached me, all alone with no mum in sight. She really tried to get some attention, and I could see that she was in trouble. She was so cold, and her fur was all wet. I lifted her up, and realized she was not only cold, wet and alone, she was also full of flees.

As I was on a mission, working for the EU and employed by the Swedish Armed Forces, I certainly had a good bunch of rules to follow…like NOT bringing stray dogs home and stuff like that. But what could I do? I remember putting her down back in the snow, trying to make her go find her mum and siblings, but she followed me all the way to the car…and well, I guess I bended some rules that day.

However, one rule the Swedish Armed Forces spells out very clearly is that no matter the circumstances, we ought never ever to lose our humanity!!! I decided to follow that rule to any cost, and gosh did it cost me!

Bee and Strax having fun!

I have never regretted that I might have bended some of the rules, that it cost me half a fortune, that I had to put in some fierce arguments to get my will through and that it took me almost a year to bring her lawfully to Sweden. The story of Bee continues as we speak, she lives very happy with her friend Molly in a little wooden house with a big wonderful garden, she has a big bunch of people that loves her and she has even specialized in the demanding field “killing-rodents-all-day-long”.

Of course the story of Bee is somewhat different from most of my dog-stories, but I firmly believe that the dogs in my life is there for a reason, and you better just catch the days with them, because they stay with us way too short!

Bee - a proud sledgedog!

Love your dogs, fight for them, and make sure they live a good and safe doglife. The sorrow when they leave us is inevitable, no matter how we do. But we can make a big difference in their lives, just as they make every day a true joy for us!!

This blog-update is dedicated to Chanko, a Search and Rescue dog I met briefly once, but just as every single dog he has given joy and beautiful memories to a family that loved him, and I am sure he is walking the rainbow bridge with his head and tail held up high.

Little Bee, grand old Molly, crazy Bonni and cosy Strax. One big happy family :-)