"Grieve not, nor speak of me with tears but laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you..."

"Jinks was rescued as an adult from the Durham County NC shelter in 1989. I named him as I traveled from the shelter to my home, and thought to myself that I may have placed a jinks on my life by adopting this dog. Highly unmanagable for a short period of time, he learned like a human, and was better than most. "

Rod Jones

Sorrow fills a barren space;
you close your eyes and see my face and think of times I made you laugh, the love we shared, the bond we had, the special way I needed you - the friendship shared by just we two.

The day's too quiet, the world seems older, the wind blows now a little colder. You gaze into the empty air and look for me, but I'm not there - I'm in heaven and I watch you, and I see the world around you too.

I see little souls wearing fur,
souls who bark and souls who purr
born unwanted and unloved -
I see all this and more above -
I watch them suffer, I see them cry, I see them lost, I watch them die. I see unwanted thousands born - and when they die, nobody mourns.

These little souls wearing fur
(Some who bark and some who purr) are castaways who - unlike me - will never know love or security. A few short months they starve and roam, Or caged in shelters - nobody takes home. They're special too (furballs of pleasure), filled with love and each one, a treasure.

My pain and suffering came to an end, so don't cry for me, my person, my friend. But think of the living - those souls with fur (some who bark and some who purr) - And though our bond can't be broken apart, make room for another in your home and your heart.