LegallyBrunette

I lost my sweet long-haired German Shepherd, Angel, in April this year. She was the most beautiful and loving girl and was my best friend in the whole world. We had a bond that no one else in my family could understand. We were each other's world and I often felt as though she was able to read my thoughts. We adopted Angel about 6 years ago from family friends who found her too "spirited" to care for. But we loved that hairy hurricane of a dog so much. One Sunday afternoon, we had a family lunch and invited her old owners to visit - they hadn't seen Angel in over a year. She was so happy to see them and enjoyed getting pats from everyone present. As the afternoon drew on, I noticed she wasn't quite right. She seemed a bit spaced out. Angel had always hated storms, and the sky was looking a bit overcast, so I figured she was just sensing an approaching storm. However, her condition deteriorated and I knew something was quite wrong. We rushed her to the emergency vet, only to discover she had a large tumor on her spleen that had ruptured, and her abdomen was quickly filling with blood. The vet said we could try removing the tumor, but in her weakened state, she was unlikely to survive the operation. We decided that it would not be fair to put her through such a big operation... I had always told her to let me know when the time was right and we would make the decision for her. I looked into her eyes and could see that she had already gone. I lay on the floor and hugged her as she drifted off to sleep and said my final goodbyes. It was so hard losing her and I miss her so much. Don't worry -- I'm getting to the story about the message from Rainbow Bridge! After she passed away, I stopped dreaming about Angel. I found that so strange because before she died, I dreamt of her nearly every night. It was like my subconscious was blocking her from my dreams because her passing was still so painful. However, as I slept on the night of my birthday, we were finally reunited in my dream. We were running together through a field, with the sun shining so bright, I could just see her next to me. Angel's eyes were full of life again and her tail wagged, she looked so healthy and we were so happy to be reunited once more. After what seemed like a few hours, we approached a beautiful garden - it was very green, with flowers everywhere. She passed underneath an arch covered with vines and I had to stay on the other side. When I asked why she couldn't stay with me, she told me "I was sick and didn't want you to worry about me anymore." Normally my dreams are really bizarre but this one dream was so lifelike. The next day, a family friend dropped over a late birthday present for me - it was called 'Angel Dogs - Divine Messengers of Love' (for those of you not familiar with the book, it contains stories about dogs who do extraordinary things, including 'visiting' their owners to say goodbye). Whether my dream and the book were just a coincidence or a message from Angel, I guess I'll never know. What I do know is that since that night, I've felt more at peace and if there was a way for Angel to say goodbye, she would. When I've shared the story with some people, I'm met with looks as though I'm crazy! Has anyone else had a similar experience? The photo below is of Angel enjoying a dip in her pool after a long walk

Hi everyone, sorry to interrupt your discussions but I'm now waiting for a puppy too - so excited! I'm going to pick out my sable Sheltie puppy on Sunday morning, and then have to endure a 2-week wait until I can bring him home! I am so excited and nervous at the same time - we've only ever had adult dogs and I'm hoping I haven't bitten off more than I can chew (excuse the pun) with a little puppy! - Tegan