When I turned 18, the youngest of four children, and moved away from home, my mother felt lost. She needed someone to take care of. The idea of a dog didn't seem right, as she had always had a dislike of them. But, one day a friend told her of a lady who had a litter of pomeranians for sale. My mother took one look and fell in love. The lady told her if she bought one, she would sell her the other one for half the price, seeing as she was the runt and may not live long. My mother thought that seemed an unfair thing to say, and bought them both. She named them Muffin and Pandy. For ten years, my mother took her beloved pets everywhere she went. Even the resteraunt drivethrough window people knew when she pulled up and had two treats thrown into her order. She had needed someone to take care of, and that is what she did. What was so unexpected was the way the entire family fell in live with them. My mother took a job working one week on and one week off as a caregiver to an alzheimers patient. My dad was there, and the dogs loved him, but they knew when it was time for her to arrive home. When they were about ten, they weren't able to go everywhere, but they still followed my mother like a shadow. At the age of twelve, Pandy took ill. The vet said there was nothing he could do. She wouldn't eat and would just lay around. The week my mom was at work, she got worse. She laid on the bathroom rug (her favorite spot for some reason) and my dad made her as comfortable as possible. She clung to life for three days waiting patiently for Mom to come home. She made it until about fifteen minutes before my mom pulled into the drive in a mad rush to get there before anything happened. Pandy and Muffin have been like sisters to me. They lay on my tummy when I was pregnant and listened to my daughter move inside me. They tried to reward my children with their own doggie treats. They meant the world to all of us. My mother was heartbroken. I'm sure Muffin will pass one day, too, and we will have to deal with that, but the words of The Rainbow Bridge make me think of the look in my mother's eyes when she is going to heaven and once again gets to see Pandy. She is missed by all of us!