A New Beginning......for Both of Us......

This is how I'd like to remember Alli.....goofy! Someone at the US Pain Foundation's "Triumph Over Pain-Run, Walk or Roll" asked me how Alli helps me up from falls. So I crouched down.....with some difficulty. Alli looked hard at me as she's not used to me going down so slowly.....it's usually a quick fall. I looked at her and asked if she were going to help or give me a kiss....guess which she chose!?!? Of course, then she helped. A two for one deal!!!!

All in all, I think Saturday probably went better than I had expected. I think I was aware of every moment as it passed nearing the "10:00 departure". It even started the night before. Alli is such a snuggler, but this time I really think she knew it had to be for keeps. In the morning, she was loving, goofy, and just plain Alli. I was up and dressed, as usual, before Debbie awoke. When she did, she asked Alli if she were going to get her up.....that's one of Alli's favorite things. To be asked to wake someone up is probably on her list of top 10 favorites. She ran over to Debbie, looked at me, and when I said "go ahead", she jumped on to the bed and nudged Deb. When Debbie started to laugh, Alli stretched out along side her and then onto her back.....as always for the tummy rub!!!! Alli knows how to always make it about her, but without you knowing it because you, too, are getting so much love out of the deal!! At our house on Prudence Island, Debbie's granddaughter loves to have me tell Alli to "nudge" the bedroom door open first and then tell her to get Liv and Deb up.

Alli was very well behaved on Saturday.....until.....she saw Elizabeth and Andy approaching. I saw them coming down from the upper parking lot before Alli and came out from behind the table I was sitting at. As soon as we came around the banners Alli saw them as well. Right away she began to whine, cry, and pull. I must say it made my heart sink for a moment but rebounded right away knowing that these people have always received this response from Alli. This is exactly what I wanted for Alli. How obvious that she feels so good, so loved when she is in their company.

I took time to explain what I was bringing to send with Alli. Probably too many toys, and I only brought the ones that she plays with regularly! She is sooooo like one of my pre-k kids. She just needs time to mature a bit......like a lifetime!!!!! I'm sure many will be replaced with new ones, as they should. She should be able to make new memories with new toys. There are several that were really special to Alli. One was "Rex", just a stuffy that she often liked to pull under her chin like a pillow of sorts. Another is this really silly round ball, bright green.....with feet! It's the dumbest looking think that we always called "squeaker". She loved running from one end of the house to the other just squeaking! Alli always looked to get it after we practiced our skills, whether in Fellowship Hall at church, or out in our calder-sac. I tried to keep it as an inside toy just so she would have it longer, but she absolutely loved running with it.

I took quite a few pictures and had others use my camera to get pictures of all of us. I can't believe the last pictures we took of Alli show her in a "t-shirt"!!!!!! I NEVER put clothes on pets! I can't stand it unless it's a hairless dog or cat that requires it for warmth or sun protection. I was getting a "Triumph Over Pain....." shirt for myself, and the woman actually insisted that she had one that would fit Alli. So, not knowing how to say "No", I put one on Alli backwards so that the "walk" logo would show above the edge of her vest. Then, after I removed the vest, the "Service Dog" tag and my medication vial from Alli's collar I forgot to take the shirt off. Unfortunately none of us thought of taking it off until Alli was leaving and I kind of called over to them to please take the t-shirt off. Oh, well, at least I'll continue to smirk when I look at those pictures and see Alli putting up with it all. She's such a trooper!!!!

When I kissed Alli good-bye, and hugged and kissed Elizabeth and Andy I knew I was about to lose it so I had to walk away. Debbie walked to their car with them. She said that as they walked, Alli kind of looked back at me, forward toward their car, and did this several times before getting into the car. She stood a moment before laying down and then, that was it.

I said in an e-mail to a close friend concerned for me, as well as on Facebook, that having to give Alli up on Saturday was both the hardest thing I've ever had to do and the most fulfilling. I know that making sure Alli went to the right family was paramount. I had to give up one of the most important beings in my life. One who has made my life so fulfilling once again when I thought it could never be that way. But, life goes on, and as hard as it is to think this way, there will be another "partner" for me. Not another Alli, but another service dog that will be just as loving, just as helpful and will make my life just as fulfilling. Alli taught me that everything is possible if you have the assistance and the belief that you can achieve anything. She also taught me that I needed to make sure that I return that love in kind. It seems to me that making sure that she is in a loving home, with a loving family who is ready willing and able to see her through her blindness is the best way I can return that love. And, one way or another, we'll both move on....

Below is a picture of the most amazing couple I've ever met,
and Alli is blessed to be part of their family.

Andy and Elizabeth Meritt Harkness
and Alli
9/24/2011