Chip Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 We'll have to put her down today. She's 13 1/2. We've put this off too long and now she's quit eating and drinking. Born here on our sheep farm and worked very hard for us all her life. Never been to a dog trial or dog show but she's top dog here. I'm looking for a specific tribute poem that I read many years ago. I can't remember - perhaps I was in Australia or New Zealand at the time - maybe even in the U.K. The last couple of lines go something like this...... She lifts her head and one last time, her master calls "Away!" I've done several google searches and can't seem to find it. Just wondering if anyone here is familiar with it. Can't remember the poem but we'll never forget Misty. That's all that matters really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 I have saved a number of poems over the years but don't remember that one. I am sorry you've lost Misty. She was beautiful. I'm sure she knew how much you loved and counted on her. J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cody & Duchess Posted January 2, 2012 Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 So sorry for your loss. There never seems to be enough time. They come in and become such an important part of our life, then all we have to hold is their memory. Run fast and free Misty, god speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShoresDog Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I am so sorry you have to confront this necessary and merciful step. Misty was beautiful. I can't think of the poem you're looking for. However, here's another, one I love. The House Dog’s Grave (for Haig, an English Bulldog) by Robinson Jeffers I’ve changed my ways a little; I cannot now Run with you in the evenings along the shore, Except in a kind of dream; and you, If you dream a moment, You see me there. So leave awhile the paw-marks on the front door Where I used to scratch to go out or in, And you’d soon open; leave on the kitchen floor The marks of my drinking-pan. I cannot lie by your fire as I used to do On the warm stone, Nor at the foot of your bed; no, All the nights through I lie alone. But your kind thought has laid me less than six feet Outside your window where firelight so often plays, And where you sit to read‚ And I fear often grieving for me‚ Every night your lamplight lies on my place. You, man and woman, live so long, it is hard To think of you ever dying. A little dog would get tired, living so long. I hope that when you are lying Under the ground like me your lives will appear As good and joyful as mine. No, dears, that’s too much hope: You are not so well cared for as I have been. And never have known the passionate undivided Fidelities that I knew. Your minds are perhaps too active, too many-sided… But to me you were true. You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend. I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures To the end and far past the end. If this is my end, I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rufftie Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 one of my favorites is a r. kipling poem which includes the following stanza: When the body that lived at your single will, With its whimper of welcome, is stilled (how still!) When the spirit that answered your every mood Is gone--wherever it goes--for good, You will discover how much you care, And will give your heart to a dog to tear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BustopherJones Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I'm sorry, but I don't have the dog version of the poem to which you refer. (There is a cat version.) The poem below is one of my favorites; I hope it brings you some measure of comfort. High up in the courts of Heaven today A little dog-angel waits. With the other dogs she will not play, She just sits alone at the Gates. ”For I know my Mistress will come”, says she, ”And when she comes, she will call for me.” She sees the spirits that pass her by As they hasten towards the throne, And she watches them with a wistful eye As she sits at the gate alone; "But I know if I just wait patiently That someday my Mistress will come," says she. And her Mistress far down on the earth below, As she sits in her easy chair Forgets sometimes, and she whistles low For the dog that is not there; And the little dog-angel cocks her ears And dreams that her Mistress' call she hears. And I know when at length her Mistress waits Outside in the dark and cold For the hand of Death to open the gates That lead to the Courts of Gold, The little dog-angel's eager bark Will comfort her soul while she's still in the dark. ~ Adapted from a poem by Norah M. Holland, 1870 Vaya con Dios, Misty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrisK Posted January 3, 2012 Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 I am so sorry that you lost Misty. I hope you find the tribute poem that you are looking for. I found this has always brought a measure of peace. We are thinking now of a setter, whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple, or any flowering shrub is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted his head to challenge some intruder. These are good places in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else. For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked, and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture lane where most exhilarating cattle graze, it is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, nothing is lost, if memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all. If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call - come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death and down the well remembered path and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they shall not growl at him, or resent his coming, for he is yours and belongs there. People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth the knowing. The one best place to bury a good dog is the heart of his master. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Posted January 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2012 Twenty five years ago, I met my husband while traveling in New Zealand/Australia. He showed me a picture of his three Border Collies on his sheep farm in the U.K. and my first response was "How do you tell them apart?" They all looked like black and white dogs to me. :-) I had grown up on a dairy farm and had no knowledge of these wonderful dogs. I've come a long way since then! Twenty five years later I'm honoured to say that I've buried several of these wonderful creatures deep in my heart. Misty being the longest living. Gwen - who started it all 1991 to 2003 and mother of Flash and Misty Flash 1998 to 2000 Misty 1998 - 2012 Jim 2007 - 2009 Currently we are owned and operated by Sweep and Chip. Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts and comforting poetry. If I ever find the one that I was looking for, I'll be sure to post it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Orr Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Twilight by Luan Egan (a tribute to Molly, a good Border Collie) Fall is upon us. Leaves flash crimson, Then fall to nourish new life. In the twilight of an old dogs day I sit beside her feeble form I watch her dream of balls and sheep. I reflect on what has gone before How lucky I was that she found me She changed my life. Starting that journey Full of vibrant energy and enthusiasm Long walks, exploring life and new adventures All the things we worked through, Together. Soon, too soon She will be lost to my touch As she moves beyond my existence Into the realm of dreams, forever. Soon, too soon I will have only my memories To comfort me, to remind me Of how special she is What she means to me. The time is here old friend, To say goodbye That'll do, one last time Until we meet again In the realm of dreams. Wait for me. ****** She's lovely... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted January 6, 2012 Report Share Posted January 6, 2012 Hello everyone, After reading the touching tribute that Bill posted (Twilight by Luan Egan), I search the author's name hoping to find other inspirational poems. Ironically, I believe that I have found the poem that the original poster was looking for to pay homage to Misty. I have copied it below. Regards to all, nancy AWAY! Author Jeanne Bell On a cold starry night In a barn sweet with hay, A tired old dog Wove dreams as she lay. She thought she heard sheep And a voice - it was dim The light slowly faded Then whispered again. Through the mist, in the fog, How she wanted to go! But her old legs were heavy Outside was deep snow. Then the Voice-Light rang clear "We need you out here" The cloud curtains parted, The Voice-Light was near! So she leaped from the body That bound her in place Racing! She soared across time And through space And her heart fairly surged! "I'm ready," she cried! And she flanked out past Pluto, Transcending the sky. She floated right out of that deep bed of hay. Her master was calling. She's flying! "AWAY"! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mdaniels Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 She is beautiful and I am so sorry for your loss. Mary Ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juliepoudrier Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nancy, Was that "our" Jeanne Bell from West Virginia? J. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCStarkey Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 Nancy, Was that "our" Jeanne Bell from West Virginia? J. Julie, I truly don't know. nancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Posted January 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 AWAY!Author Jeanne Bell On a cold starry night In a barn sweet with hay, A tired old dog Wove dreams as she lay. She thought she heard sheep And a voice - it was dim The light slowly faded Then whispered again. Through the mist, in the fog, How she wanted to go! But her old legs were heavy Outside was deep snow. Then the Voice-Light rang clear "We need you out here" The cloud curtains parted, The Voice-Light was near! So she leaped from the body That bound her in place Racing! She soared across time And through space And her heart fairly surged! "I'm ready," she cried! And she flanked out past Pluto, Transcending the sky. She floated right out of that deep bed of hay. Her master was calling. She's flying! "AWAY"! Yes that's it! Thank you! BTW - you owe me a box of Kleenex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northof49 Posted January 10, 2012 Report Share Posted January 10, 2012 I have always really like the song by Anne Murray - You Needed Me. http://www.lyrics007.com/Anne%20Murray%20Lyrics/You%20Needed%20Me%20Lyrics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chip Posted January 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2012 I have always really like the song by Anne Murray - You Needed Me. http://www.lyrics007.com/Anne%20Murray%20Lyrics/You%20Needed%20Me%20Lyrics.html Thank you - more Kleenex please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatlldolu Posted October 12, 2012 Report Share Posted October 12, 2012 I am glad someone was able to find Jeanne Bell's AWAY! poem on my Southern Ontario Border Collie Rescue website. It is beautiful, isn't it? This Sunday it will be two years since I bade my beloved Molly farewell. She was left with my Vet at 5 months of age, a very confused and anxious pup, about to be adopted by a clueless but determined me. In the 14.5 yrs we were together, she taught me so much. I wrote the Twilight poem as I sat waiting for the Vet to come, after Molly had not eaten for five days and could not stand. She had been fading for a while, with bouts of Vestibular Syndrome making it hard for her to keep her balance. The words just tumbled out of me with little prompting, accompanied by gallons of tears. When the first draft was done (the one posted here previously, that I sent to the Sheepdog List) I was exhausted, emotionally and physically. To my surprise, Molly woke up, and seemed more alert than she had been for a week. I offered her food and she ate, and then made it to her feet to go outside! I called the Vet and cancelled the appointment. For the next nine days we enjoyed a bout of Indian Summer with warm sunny days, and she spent most of them wandering about on the grass or sleeping in the sun. She seemed at peace. But when day ten dawned cold and grey, something in Molly changed as well. She made it quite clear to me that it was time to go. Here is the finished Twilight poem. Thank you for reading it. Twilight by Luan Egan (a tribute to Molly, a good Border Collie) The Fall is upon us. Leaves flash crimson, Then drop to nourish new life. In the twilight of an old dogs day I sit beside her feeble form I watch her dream of balls and sheep. I reflect on what has gone before How lucky I was that she found me She changed my life. The start of that journey Full of vibrant energy and enthusiasm Long walks, exploring life and new adventures All the things we worked through, Together. Soon, too soon She will be lost to my touch As she moves beyond my existence Forever into the realm of dreams. Soon, too soon I will have only my memories To comfort me, to remind me Of how special she is What she means to me. The time approaches old friend, To say goodbye That'll do, one last time. Until we meet again In that realm of dreams. Watch for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisbeegirl Posted October 13, 2012 Report Share Posted October 13, 2012 Beautiful Tribute ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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