by Betsy
AND THEN THE ROAD DIVIDED We went with you as far as we could go, and then the road divided, We went with you as far as we could go, Love we provided. We went with you as far as we could go, and then
we made a plan and felt so low, Knowing in our hearts that all too soon we'd love you on forever, but let you go. I did not know when you came into my life, That we would have the joy and all the strife. I did not know that we would love you so, I did not know that in our hearts you'd grow and grow. You came here as a tiny little
pup, You would have fit into my finest China cup, A fuzzy ball of life that ran
around That made me think,"Oh, dear, what has Bob found?" I couldn't get use to
having you in the house, I'd never had a dog, nor had my spouse, You were a
nuisance from the very, very start And I thought early on that we'd surely have to
part. Then one day you got so very sick, Bob took you to the vet so very quick, The
doctor said that you could actually die, And that's when I began to cry and cry. I
realized that we had all connected And that the love we felt was quite, quite
unexpected. You'd stolen both our hearts without us knowing, While every day this
deep, deep love was growing. You had some good stuff and some bad That biting
was not good--egad, egad! But every time you bit, oh, I forgave And was
determined that dear Putter, I would save! Co-operation was not your long suit.
You wanted things to be your way. Dr. Isaacs said, "Control him Or he'll eat you
up one day!" He sent us off to Pinehurst I cried a lot that day "Too much attention
you were getting" That's what the doctor had to say! Dr. Simpson became our
friend She gave us lots of advice On how to manage Putter And cut down on all his
vice. We never got you perfect No where close to that at all But we understood
much better And tried to answer to the call. We bought a great big crate which we
put into the den, You grew accustomed to its presence and there, much time you'd
spend. It became your little house, here inside our home, Sometimes I'd see you in
there, gnawing on your bone. Nothing was more delightful than when you met us at
the door, Or when you jumped onto the sofa and peeped out of the
window---standing on all four. We had a great big fence built out behind the deck
And you would run and chase those squirrels, and tennis balls, by heck! You were
my close companion, better or for worse I learned to use a muzzle and sometimes
I'd kinda curse-- You hated when I bathed you, you resented being tied I tried to
make it painless, but a bath you couldn't abide. One day we found Ms. Cynthia who
was willing to take us on You jerked and yelped and panted while she clipped and
Betsy groaned. Cynthia is the angel who accepted us as we were She helped me
keep my sanity and keep you clean, yessir! Four years rolled into five and five then
turned to six You kept on being you and chasing after sticks. Every once in a while
you'd get a bite or two, But it was usually Bob or me, and we knew just what to do.
Get extremely mad at you and threaten to kick you out But by morning time we'd
calmed a bit and forgiven you, no doubt. Then one fateful Friday you bit outside
the home. You had to go to "prison" and stay there all alone. I visited you each day
and took you out to walk. And finally release came and for home you did not balk!
The family was back together again, all under the same roof Accepting you
unconditionally, oh there was lots of proof! No matter how bad you were we
forgave and forgave and forgave We'd take our walks around the block, I guess I
was your slave. But I had grown to love you and accepted you on your terms, Putter
you were something with your nipping,growling, and squirms. Six years turned to
seven and seven turned to eight Sally kept you for us so we could see another
state. Off to Alaska we went and you stayed with her a week She said you
co-operated fully and sometimes was even meek. Fall came and the leaves changed,
color was everywhere I'd come home from tennis and you'd be upon the chair. Win
or lose no matter, that tail was wagging fast We knew we loved each other, and it
would always last. Christmas was really nice and we had our picture taken 'Put it
on a Christmas card which showed we were not fakin'. We really loved each other
and you were in the center We accepted you as you were---our fuzzy little winner!
January brought the cold and with it came your sickness It took away your energy
and some of Putter's quickness. Your tummy seemed upset and so we went to see If
we could find the problem, fix it, you and me. The dreaded answer came, it was
cancer in the tummy I was devastated for you, had spent a lot of money. But money
didn't matter if your health we could regain We'd do whatever was needed so good
health you could retain. But you lost a lot of weight, and you upchucked quite a bit.
Your biting got more serious, and you were giving me a fit. I pondered what to do,
I prayed to have a clue I wanted to do right by you and make you all brand new.
But it wasn't meant to be, our time together was leaving As I watched you grow
more weary and the illness became deceiving. Your temper was easily roused and
you bit yet once again Time to make a decision, and from it not rescind. You rode
in the car so stoic Not one peep from you, I heard. You nestled in the back seat
While I drove, oh so disturbed. How could I let you go? How could I end your
life? Did Putter know what was happening? It stabbed me like a knife. Dr.
Marklin and dear Diane Smiled as they held you down You were really, really mad
And my sadness was profound. They eased your long time suffering Dr. Marklin
explained some stuff Your leaving was fairly quick As I was fighting being sick.
We wrapped you in a blanket And I carried you in my arms Placed you on the back
seat And drove straight to Adam's Farm. Jerry was waiting there And we placed
you carefully. Lying comfortably on your rest mat Oh, the joy you'd brought to
me. I helped him seal you up The tears would not subside You were beautiful in
your death As we faced the great divide. Later in the day I returned to have you
buried The perfect little grave Had been dug--they had not hurried. Care and
concern were taken For your final resting place Lovingly, I placed you And I was
filled with God's great grace! How wonderful to have had you To love and care
about How wonderful to have known you And to help me shed all doubt. Animals are
God's creatures They bring joy into our lives They do something for us-- They give
us blue, blue skies. What a blessing to have had you What a journey we did take
And now the road divides, But each other we won't forsake. Good-bye my darling
Putter Apple-of-my-eye Sadness filled my soul The day I saw you die. I'll love you
to the end Whatever that may be And who knows just what lies ahead Again, each
other, we may see. All my love, Betsy