A Letter of Apology to My Rainbow Bridge Pack
In case I didn’t tell you when we were together, although I’m sure I said it a hundred times, I want to apologize for what you had to endure in the first part of your life. I’m sorry that you saw that worst in mankind. I’m sorry that you weren’t appreciated for the amazing beings that you are. I’m sorry that you weren’t shown love or kindness. I’m sorry that you were viewed only as a way to make money at the racetrack. I’m sorry that they tossed you aside when you didn’t “grade” into the racing life. I’m sorry that, after you ran your little hearts out in all those races and did the very best you could, they got rid of you because you didn’t bring in the money to line their greedy pockets. I’m sorry that, when you did win time and time again, they pushed you even harder and made you run and run and run until you were sick with exhaustion. I’m sorry that when you were injured, they left you to suffer in pain, unattended and without vet care for days. I’m sorry that when they were done with you, they didn’t care enough to send you to an adoption group. I’m sorry that they passed you off to some mean stranger who threw you into the back of a hot trailer to be transported to an underground racing ring run by cold-hearted criminals who treated you even worse than you were treated when you were with your trainer. I’m sorry that they fed you little, if at all, almost to the point of starvation, and used a live rabbit as prey to entice you to run while they cheered and placed bets. I’m sorry that they left you to fend for yourselves when they were done for the weekend, leaving you with hardly any food and just one bowl of water. I’m sorry that when the police found you, you were so weak you could barely stand and had to be carried to safety. I’m sorry that until that time the only thing you knew of humans is that they were a species that uses and abuses.
I hope that when you finally found your way to me that living became an exciting experience that you looked forward to every day. I hope that I made you feel safe and secure. Instead of feeling used, I hope that you felt special. I hope that you enjoyed the little excursions we used to take…the walks through the neighborhood, the playdates with other greyhounds just like you, the long rides in my truck where you stuck your heads out the window the entire time, and the occasional trip through the drive-thru where you got some surprise delectable treat. I hope that you enjoyed the time we shared snuggling on the couch, watching guilty-pleasure dramas and action movies. I hope you liked all the stuffies and rope-toys and the tennis balls that you chased in the yard. I hope that you liked all the lazy days you spent laying around, anyplace you chose, basking in the sunshine that came through the windows. I hope you liked that every night you got the majority of the king-size bed and were able to stretch your long lean legs out as far as they could stretch.
More than anything, I hope that you felt loved…because you were so very, very loved. I hope that you realize how grateful I am to you for loving me, for loving me every single day, without conditions. I hope that you know how incredibly lucky I feel to have shared my days and nights and months and years with you. I hope you know what a blessing you were to me. I hope you know how often I thank God for bringing you into my life. I hope you know how much I miss looking into your soulful eyes. I hope you know how deeply I miss you each and every day. And I hope you know that I know you are still with me in spirit and that I can feel you every time a breeze brushes against my face.
I hope you also know that I know you are waiting for me up there and that we will all be together as a family again someday. For now, my dearest friends and loves of my life, please continue to visit me in my dreams. Until we meet again, know that I love you with all of my heart and soul. Forever and always, your mama.
Copyright © 2014 Michele Truhlik. All Rights Reserved.
Angels Bark 
awwwww!
my friend has 2 rescue greyhounds. they are so sweet! you are making people aware!
happy a day!
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Thanks Tara! Thanks for stopping by and for your sweet comment!
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Very beautiful post…
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Thank you Irene. I cried like a baby when I was writing it! Thank you.
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I do understand that. Our pets are family too and we can always trust their love 🙂
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This is so beautiful, so gut-wrenching, and so heart-warming. I cried through this. What a blessing that these dogs found a home with you. You are an angel here on Earth to help these beautiful creatures. Thank you for what you do and for your post. 🙂
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Oh Lynn, thank you so much! What a beautiful comment. And I’m so happy that you found it so moving. Thank you for what you said but these dogs, they are the true angels. big hug to you! ❤
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beautiful pictures- your love shines through the camera.
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Thank you Melanie. I never thought of it that way, my love shining through the camera. What a nice thought! Thanks for stopping by and being a part of it.
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Oh goodness – I am so happy that there are people like you who can care for these beautiful and often abused dogs. I am passionate about animals too, and while I’ve filled my life with cats, hearing about animals in pain and suffering brings tears to my eyes every time. But as we know, they can bring us immeasurable joy, too! My blog is fuzzyundertones.com, but I have a whole page dedicated to my fuzzy family (which also includes my husband, who is also quite fuzzy in his own way): http://fuzzyundertones.com/about/my-fuzzy-family/ Looking forward to reading more throughout April! 🙂 ❤
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Marci, I’m going right now to check out your fuzzy family! You cracked me up when you said your husband is fuzzy in his own way. Hahahaha. Good one! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and reading my A post and thanks for your comment! This is going to be a fun month, huh? I love the name of your blog, fuzzy undertones. Love it!
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Thank you! This is definitely going to be a fun month – it’s making my work day more entertaining and it’s only April 1 (ha ha ha)! I appreciate you checking me out – see you around the water cooler! 😉
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I’m sure that they feel your love 🙂 – especially when they’re enjoying the king-sized bed 🙂 – they had a rough start but found their way to their angel.
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Thanks Bavani! Yeah, they love that king size bed!! I get pushed out all the time. I get two or three of them up there and they’re all sprawled out and I end up with a tiny little piece on the edge. Sometimes I’ll end up getting up and getting treats for them so they’ll jump off the bed! lol.
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So Powerful Michele, Trying to write this through tears, Tears for all your babies that they had to suffer so much through there early years of life, and tears even for them after you got them for all the pain and suffering they had to endure through the rest of there years all because of the way they where treated before you got them. Tears of joy for them when you got them so they could know the love on the other side and the love and caring that you gave to them and then the unconditional love they gave back to you.. What a special person you are and Michele they knew you loved them very much. even though some of them you didn’t have too many years, but the times you all shared together was a loving beautiful time and you did so much for them in there short time here on earth.. You are so right, you will all be together some day, but until then you have some beautiful memories to cherish forever.. Thanks for sharing michele.. Love you
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Thanks Mattie! I appreciate your words and your comments so much! Us dog and animal lovers seem to shed rivers of tears, but they pale in comparison to what we get back from these precious beings. Thank YOU for being such a dog lover and animal lover! Love you too!
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I am so touched by so many stories on animals. I feel so bad that i was so out of touch with people being so abusive to animals over the years. When i was younger I guess i was so busy working and us trying to make ends meet that it never crossed my mind about these things, We always had dogs and cats, and always treated them like one of the family. they slept in bed with us and had plenty of lovin, food and water and we took them for rides. And until I retired and the internet has made me aware of all this, I just never realized people could treat and abuse animals this way. I would sure hate to be in there shoes when they stand before God some day and answer for all this.
If I could go back some years in time, i know I would get into rescue, God Bless you Michele for doing what you can for these babies. You and all the other people that are in rescue, You can’t save them all, but what you are saving makes a big difference and those babies know they are loved.God Bless you sweetie!! Love you..
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All we can do is hope that the karma gods get the abusers while they’re here and Judgement Day finishes them off! You’ll have to read my story on the letter J day (J is for Justice). It’s a revenge fantasy 🙂
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Cuteness Personified 🙂
I can’t stop myself from reading you on and on ..Gosh
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I feel the same way at your blog! Your writing is beautiful! I just read your “Of Myself” section: wow, that is fabulous. Truer words have not been spoken since you said “Nothing ever leaves until it has taught you what you need to know.” Soooo true!!
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