Passing On....

Hi Mom-

Found out yesterday that poor Lexi has cancer. Expect a couple of weeks to a couple of months to live. Poor thing. We are all emotional about it. I don't think any of us realized how much we cared for Lexi. There is a long chance that she might live a year but they doubt it. The vet said that black labs have a problem of a higher cancer rate in their middle ages (she is 5 which is middle age). She has been a joy and we have had many hours watching her funny antics. I am getting teary eyed so better quit talking about it.

Yesterday we all spent some alone time with Lexi. She has quit eating and drinking. I expect her passing in a couple of days. Poor thing. She has a couple of strategic beds that she has created around the place. She goes to the one that is coolest and lies there. We all had a cry yesterday and I'm sure more will come. I never thought a dog could have such an effect on us. 

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Hi Mom-

On Sunday I was reading something on the couch and heard Lexi sort of plop down on the deck. So went and looked and she tried to wag her tail but barely could move it. Tried to entice her with some raw hamburger and cheese but wouldn't have it. Cooked hamburgers on the deck. Read on the deck in such nice cool weather. Lexi just sat there and watched the action. I took a couple of pictures of her that really show the loss of weight. As I was reading she would let out a whimper every once in a while. Poor thing.

On Monday Britta was in the bathroom and looked out and saw Lexi lying on the grass. I wouldn't have thought anything of seeing her lay there, but Britta got her shoes on and raced out there and found Lexi had passed on. Lots of crying for about 2 hours. Both boys came and we dug a hole and buried her out across the gully and a couple feet into the brush area. Then we covered the site with six stones. Brooke had picked a fair number of flowers and put it in a little plastic container. She gave all of us flowers and one by one we took a turn to lay our flowers on the stones. I offered a small prayer and then we said our good-byes.

She was a great dog. I thought it was neat on Sunday while she was on the deck and gave us all a chance to be with her one more time.

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Lexi was such a part of our son's family.  We were in Kansas on the Christmas that she joined the family as a wonderful surprise.  Greg and Terry drove to another town and picked her up and the children had no idea what was going on.  She was a big footed lumbering shiny black coated tail-wagging lab.  Everyone fell in love with her and she fell in love with her family.

Not to long ago Jeanee's family lost their beautiful gentle golden lab, Jasmine.

 
David lost his so ugly she was beautiful bulldog, Gypsy.  I missed her even though she was so slobbery as David adored her and she made him so happy.  His wife, has a cocker named Hillary and she babies that dog like crazy!!

Our son, Kipper has 2 cairn terriers (Hi, Toto!)  named...Carmen Electra and Sophia Loren.   They are enchanting and adorable and are called our Grandpups.  They have been so wonderful to our son as he has struggled so much with health issues.  Carmen has been his nurse and protected him and makes sure that he is okay.

My childhood dog was named Cocoa, a combo cocker/collie.  It was the only dog we ever had.  My mother did not like dogs or cats in the house or actually in the yard.  a strict non-pet person. 

Every dog my children have had has been adored,enjoyed, loved and appreciated and well taken care of by them.  We do mourn the death of them as we see our children's loss and sadness and heartbreak.  I remember crying with them, as children, when we read Where the Red Fern Grows.

Knowing that Lexi was not going to last a long time, in preparation for this day,  I looked up different thoughts on pets in the afterlife, and here is what I found.

Where do animals fit in the eternal plan of things?

Gerald E. Jones “Nature helps us to see and understand God. To all His creations we owe an allegiance of service and a profound admiration.” Thus the General Superintendency of the Deseret Sunday School Union, President Joseph F. Smith, President of the Church, and Elders David O. McKay and Stephen L Richards, members of the Council of the Twelve, editorialized in the April 1918 Juvenile Instructor. Recognizing that the “love of nature is akin to the love of God” they reminded the members of the Church that “men learn more easily in sympathetic relationships of all life than they do in the seclusion of human interest.” (P. 183.)  Many families recognize the importance of pets and the resultant loving and sharing among their children. Caring for pets can also develop a sense of responsibility. Devotion of animals to families can be inspiring as well as practical. A recent news item related the bravery of a dog in saving the life of a small girl by breaking the window of a burning automobile and pulling her to safety.

A number of questions have been asked 

concerning the place of animals in the gospel plan:

Do animals have spirits and are they resurrected?
Yes. The Prophet Joseph Smith received information concerning the eternal status of animals. Answers to questions he posed are in the Doctrine and Covenants, section 77.

To what degree of glory do animals go?
The scriptures speak only of animals being in the celestial kingdom. Whether they go to other kingdoms is a matter of conjecture. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith on one occasion said the distribution of animals into all three degrees of glory is “very probable,” (Improvement Era, Jan. 1958, pp. 16–17.) To my knowledge, no other prophet has published an opinion on the subject.

Are animals judged and resurrected according to their obedience to laws?
According to Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, animals do not have a conscience. They cannot sin and they cannot repent, for they have not the knowledge of right and wrong. (Man: His Origin and Destiny, Deseret Book Co., 1954, pp. 204–5.)

Can animals be with their owners in the hereafter? 

 There is no revealed word on this subject. Reason would tell us that a rancher or farmer may not want all of the cattle he has owned during his life. On the other hand, emotional ties may be honored and family pets may well be restored to their owners in the resurrection. Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote that Joseph Smith expected to have his favorite horse in eternity. (Improvement Era, Aug. 1927, p. 855.)

Just what is the relationship between men and animals?
Men are children of God. Animals are for the benefit of man. This does not mean, however, that man is not to have a concern for this part of his stewardship. The prophets in all ages have indicated that man will be accountable for his treatment of animals and that justice and mercy should be exercised concerning them. Alma encourages us to pray over our flocks. (Alma 34:20, 25.) There are numerous examples in Church history of animals being administered to by the anointing of oil and their resultant healing. In the best-known incident, Mary Fielding Smith’s oxen were spared to bring her pioneer family, including a future President of the Church, Joseph F. Smith, to Utah. (Preston Nibley, Presidents of the Church, Deseret Book Co., 1959, pp. 234–35.)

Though the prophets have spoken frequently about man’s responsibility to show proper treatment to animals in this world, very little detail is known about the states of animals in the eternities. Greater emphasis is rightly placed upon man’s need to live the gospel and be worthy to return to his Heavenly Father where he will then learn the answers to such questions. Quoting again from the editorial cited at the beginning of this article: “Men cannot worship the Creator and look with careless indifference upon his creations. The love of all life helps man to the enjoyment of a better life. It exalts the spiritual nature of those in need of divine favor.” (Juvenile Instructor, Apr. 1918, p. 182.)