In October 2011 I received a very special gift from my Small Paws Rescue family: the opportunity to foster a senior sight- and hearing-impaired little sweetheart who needed a retirement home.
Gidget was shy on arrival but that only lasted until mealtime! She may have been elderly, and her eyes, ears and legs might not work quite as well as they did when she was younger … but open a cabinet, rattle a treat jar or set down a food bowl and she was there! Truly, we didn’t know a little old lady could move that fast! She loved food and lots of it, so keeping her weight in check was a challenge.
But that was really the only difficulty with our delightful Gidget. She had a lot of spunk, she was very opinionated (especially at the aforementioned meal and treat times), and her fringy tail was always up and wagging.
Gidget was a gift to us for many reasons and especially because I never got to share old age with my first Bichon, Suzi Elizabeth, who died ten years ago this month at the very young age of ten. Suzi was my soulmate and my best friend, and is my ongoing inspiration. Through loving Gidget these past 16 months, I was able to experience what I could not with my Suzi: the bitter-sweetness of aging with dignity and grace, of caregiving when it is in your loved one’s best interest to do so, and then finally, when there is no more to be done, to give them back to God. When I lost my Suzi I was angry; today, with Gidget, I was profoundly grateful for the gift of her, even for such a short time, and I hope she will meet Suzi at the Rainbow Bridge.
Thank you and God bless you to my friends at Small Paws Rescue for the gift of Gidget,
| Gidget |
| 13, Feb 2013 |
| Small Paws Rescue and John & Bekye Eckert |