Dear Friends.....

Cameron's teacher sent home a note....I will quote her: "The children have been learning about persuasive writing. They have read several books with this theme and have practiced writing some pieces on their own. The focus has been writing good reasons/supporting details while trying to convince someone of something." Do you see where this is going??????

I have copied Cam's letter to share this with you. I know its small and hard to read so I will tell you what it says, verbatim.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Here is something I want. A thing that dad does not want and you dont. I really really want a dog. I will give you very good reasons why I should have one. I will clean his cage, I will pick his poop up, I'll also give him drinks and food, take him for walks around the block, play with him and give him strength.

I really really want a dog please?

from little Cam

Its a conspiracy!!!!!! I know that some of you will feel compelled to send me a note about how much I need to get the poor kid a dog. Honestly, its not me.....its Jean you need to talk to! He's the heavy around here. Im a complete pushover and the kids would have had a dog months ago if the decision were mine. I just could not believe this came home from school! And......she has asked us to respond....so we drafted our letter back.

Dear Cam,

We understand that you really really want a dog. We think that at first you will play with it, pick up its poop, feed it and give it strength. We are pretty sure that soon after getting a dog, you will get tired of playing with it. We think you will argue with us about cleaning its poop and whose turn it is to feed it. Dogs need lots of attention and care and you can't do that while you are at school all day. Mom does not want the responsiblity of taking care of a dog while you are at school, playing sports or when we go away to camp this summer.

Thank you for being a terrific son.

We love you very much!
Mom & Dad

Last night just before we drafted our letter back to him, I handed Cam's letter to Jean to refresh his memory so that we could respond correctly. I waited for him to smile. You just can't help but smile reading it! He writes the cutest letters! What would I blog about without my Cam? (oh, and for the record, we never call him little Cam - we think that was a subliminal message of some sort because when he's begging us in person, he tells us he's a little boy and little boy's need a dog).

Jill read my blog yesterday and saw the photos of the pup. She sent me an email that I want to share here. Her brother's dog passed away - he too was a chocolate lab. He was their baby and they wrote a eulogy for him. I wanted you to see how nice this is! (I did get permission to post this from the dog's owner).

After a long struggle with hip and knee pain, Nigel was put to rest on Monday, March 31st. Here is his story:


NIGEL
(Baldwin’s Spice)
1996 – 2008

The Life of Nigel
Nigel was born in England, the son of working gun dogs. He lived most of his life in the village of Emsworth, immigrating to America at the age of 8. Nigel had the solid, stocky build of a traditional English Labrador Retriever bloodline. But Nigel’s story is much more than just his heritage - Nigel’s legacy lies within his heart and doggy soul.

Nigel approached life like a typical lab - with a tail thumping, tongue-out, panting enthusiasm. He barreled through life, knocking over knick knacks and personal barriers, absolutely certain that everyone loved him - or would, if given the opportunity. Few were able to resist his sloppy, irrepressible charms for long.

Pathetic at retrieving and useless as a guard dog, Nigel’s strength lay in his ability to brighten the lives of those around him. One of the greatest bonds he shared was with ‘his boys’, Paul and Mark Duncan. The dog-less boys and the boy-less dog grew together; playing, hiking, walking and hanging out. In his mind, Nigel had two homes – ours and the Duncans.

As a registered therapy dog, Nigel worked with school children and seniors in nursing homes. With children, Nigel was a wonderful doggie role model, visiting classrooms and working with children who were fearful or unused to dogs. He loved visiting Emsworth’s Community Day Center, going from table to table, greeting seniors and enjoying a pat and a biscuit.

As Nigel’s therapy handler, one amazing incident that stands out in my mind. During a nursing home visit, Nigel and I approached a silent couple in a room. When asked, the husband wearily waved us in; the wife, seated in a chair, stared ahead, saying nothing. Nigel looked, quietly went up to the woman, licked her hands and gently placed his huge head in her lap. The women slowly dragged her gaze downward. “How lovely,” she murmured, slowly petting Nigel. Her husband gasped, leaped up and raced out of the room. Dog and human looked at each other. What had we done? Doctors, nurses and husband raced in, shouting and laughing. The woman - who had been unresponsive, silent and unmoving since her stroke 6 months earlier – was finally alert again ... thanks to a gentle brown dog.

As a stud dog, Nigel produced numerous litters of show-quality chocolate Labradors. His bloodline lives on in his children and grandchildren, who reside in both England and America.
What was Nigel like? Nigel loved children, swimming, eating, walking, playing with Paul Duncan, carrying logs, Anne Bundle’s Aga, Mark Duncan’s rosy cheeks, Rita’s cooking, eating, Mal’s affections and his Mr. Blankie-did I mention eating? He was afraid of cats, thunder and bath water. In his senior years Nigel found comfort lying in the sun, by a fire or under the computer table – but always within reach of his humans.

Nigel was a constant in our lives, joyfully greeting us each morning and end of day, eager to share his happiness with us. He honored us with a steady, fierce, pure love throughout his life.

We will remember our beloved Nigel and hope we too, can learn to love life as he did.

Neat huh!

Hug your pooch today!! :)
~kel~