In Loving Memory of Tai Jen Sapphire ~ "Tao"

November 9, 1990 ~ June 25, 2005

"T" was a wonderful Siamese cat & cherished family member who blessed us with endless hours of happiness, unconditional love & companionship.
He will be greatly missed, but fondly remembered for his loving soul, comical antics & spirited nature.

I remember bringing you home. You were so small and cuddly with your tiny chocolate paws, soft fur and crystal blue eyes. You bounced around the room with such energy. Once in a while you let out a loud meow, just to let me know you were there. You were talkative and always had to have the last word! Making a mess of the house and getting into mischief became your passion, but you always made me laugh. You amused yourself by taking flying leaps at the drapes, hanging from the clothes in my closet, knocking over my treasured cactus plant collection time after time, or shredding the toilet paper. And I recall waking in the middle of the night on one occasion when you were a kitten to the sound of glasses clinking together. At first I thought it was a burglar, but soon realized you had mastered the art of opening the kitchen cupboards and climbing inside. If I weren't looking, you would occasionally sneak food from my plate or come running and "beg" for a piece of cheese every time you heard me open the package. Your favorite game was playing fetch with a bottle cap or chasing a crumpled ball of paper. You enjoyed visiting the family cottage at Falcon Lake and intently watching the birds and chipmunks through the patio doors. When I had a tough day at work, you would be waiting for me by the door with your long tail waving just to say, "Welcome home. I missed you." You never had a bad day and I could always count on you to be there for me. You kept me entertained when you ran through the whole house, howling like a wildcat, as if the "boogie cat" was after you! When I sat down to read a book, watch TV or eat dinner, you would jump up onto my lap and purr, looking for attention. You never asked for anything more than to have me scratch behind your ears or under your chin and then you would curl up happily and go to sleep. At night you loved cuddling with me under the covers. You also liked cuddling next to your ol' canine pal, Rayne the Labrador Retriever. As you got older you moved around more slowly and starting losing your sight, but you were still quite the character --- always mischievous and playful. Then one day, you curled up in your favorite place in your basket by the front window; you loved the warmth of the early morning sunshine. It was there you passed away….peacefully….in your sleep. Thank you for everything, my little buddy.

We would also like to thank Dr. Stewart-Hay and all of the staff at Dutch Hill Veterinary Clinic, Winnipeg for their compassion and care in looking after our special boy throughout the past 14 ½ years.

In Loving Memory of Sharona's Sweet Dream O'Rayne ~ "Rayne"

July 8, 1997 ~ March 18, 2010

It is with great sadness that we had to say "good-bye" to our beloved canine companion Sharona's Sweet Dream O'Rayne ~ "Rayne" ~ on March 18th.  Rayne (aka "Girlie") was a wonderful Labrador & cherished family member who blessed us with countless hours of happiness, unconditional love & companionship.  A lovely Bobby Shafto daughter and our first Labrador, Rayne taught us many things about showing and breeding and the breed in general.  She was a "true Lab" in every sense of the word --- from her delightful temperament to her keen retrieving ability.  Rayne would do anything you asked her to (especially if treats were involved!).  She enjoyed playing "mom" to all of the puppies born and raised here at Rayneriver.  She will be greatly missed, but fondly remembered for her intelligence, willingness to please, gentleness & loving nature.

You were just over 9 weeks when I brought you home.  It was the fall of 1997.  When I first saw you at age 7 weeks somehow I knew you were going to be special.  I remember your breeder calling me at a later date to say you had a kink on the tip of your ear and asked if I wanted to choose another puppy.  Although I had a choice of another litter out of the same sire, I immediately said, “No thank you!”.  Maybe it was your kindly expression or how we seemed to connect from the start, but either way, you were here to stay!

You constantly amused me with your puppyhood charm and playfulness, and play together we did.  I think you were the most spoiled Labrador on the planet for all the toys I got you, and you quickly learned to associate each one by name.  One of your favourite games besides fetch was hide and seek.  I’d hide your toys in different rooms around the house --- even upstairs --- and you would find them every time!  I still have your Reggie (the hedgehog plush toy) and Porky (pink plastic pig) from when you were a puppy, as you always had a gentle mouth.

Together we accomplished great things.  You passed puppy school with flying colours, and had since completed several levels of obedience classes and a couple levels of show classes.  Your intelligence, combined with your eagerness to train and willingness to please, enabled me to teach you more than just the basics.  You also learned how to do many things via hand signals and voice commands, including:  shaking both paws (“Shake Right” and “Shake Left”), playing dead (“Bang!”), putting your head down on command (“Head Down”), catching a treat in mid-air (“Catch It!”), walking backwards (“Get It Back”), barking on command (“Speak!”), counting to two (“Count One” meant bark once and “Count Two” meant bark twice), how to wave goodbye (“Wave”) and my favourite:  giving hugs and kisses (naturally you gave those freely, too)!  And whenever I kneeled down on the floor, you wouldn’t hesitate to come over and literally sit yourself down on my lap --- something you did since you were a puppy.  I always thought you would make a great therapy dog someday.

We went everywhere together:  camping, the beach, trips to the store and family gatherings, too.  It was like you were my shadow.  You enjoyed visiting the family cottage, swimming in Falcon Lake and retrieving the bumper and sticks off the shore. You also loved going for leisurely walks through the wooded trails with your canine cousins, "Lucky" and "Panda".  When I had a long day at work, you would be waiting for me by the door with your “happy” tail wagging just to say, “Welcome home. I missed you.” You never had a bad day and craved attention like you did food (remember the time you ate a whole bag of red licorice, dug up the carrots from the garden and ate them, devoured a whole frozen pizza from off the kitchen counter, or when you got into your Christmas stocking under the tree and ate all of the treats but left the toys untouched in the wrapping paper?).  Just to make sure I didn’t forget a play session, you would bring out all of your toys and place them at my feet so I had no choice but to trip over them!  Of course I enjoyed the quality time we spent together on a daily basis.

At night you loved cuddling beside me on my bed (it was no wonder I woke up with a stiff back as you sprawled out and I was left half falling on the floor come morning!).  You also liked cuddling next to your ol' feline pal, Tao the Siamese cat.  The two of you would keep me entertained with your “dancing” routine.  It was really a form of play but just to describe, you would be walking towards the little cat, as he moved backwards on his hind legs simultaneously while holding onto your nose!  One does not need television when you have live pet entertainment, I would always say!  And I would laugh whenever I’d let you outside and you excitedly started spinning around and around in tight circles on the spot --- just like a spinning top.  Yes, you were that kind of Labrador:  funloving!

You also loved people (especially when they would bring you more treats!) and had a wonderful way of making everyone smile.  At Christmastime you entertained guests with your “Santa Dog” outfit, and children both young and old were thrilled to see you looking Labrador-able dressed in black and yellow as a bumblebee or wearing your “Elvis” costume when they came trick or treating at our door.  And then there was the white bunny ears at Easter.  Everybody came to your first birthday party, and I’m not sure what you loved more --- all of the attention or the cake (we even had a special cake made with your picture on it)!  After that it became an annual event.

Some of my favourite family memories include the time you came home from the vet’s office and our daughter, Sierra (then three years old), brought out her play doctor’s kit.  You sat patiently as she examined you with her stethoscope and other instruments, and even gave her your paw!  But the cutest moment came when Sierra asked you to say, “Ahhhh”.  As you just sat there looking at her, Sierra turned to me and said, “Mommy, Rayne won’t open her mouth!”.  Sierra just loved playing dress-up with you and again, you demonstrated your good-nature by letting her shower you with beads, feather boas, hats and sunglasses.  And then there was the time when you helped yourself to a cooling dip in Sierra’s swimming pool after we let the water sit warming up in the sun for several hours before she could get in (you ended up sharing in the pool together).  Oh and a memory I will always hold dear to my heart is when you took part in our wedding day --- after all, you were my “best friend” and earned the honour of “flower girl”!  Together with your litter sister and six month-old chocolate pup, you stole the show while leading the wedding party up the isle wearing the white silk floral collar I hand-made especially for you.

I could always count on you to be there for me. You kept me steady and strong during some past ups and downs in my life, and didn’t mind when I shared my problems.  I would talk to you as if you were a person, and seemingly you understood more than one would tend to believe.  If only you could talk!  Anytime I got down on my knees in prayer, you would put a paw in my hand and we would continue praying together!

Praying to the Lord is actually how we spent our last moments together.  Even though some of these memories seem like only yesterday, you went from being a very spry senior citizen to a very “old dog” within the last six months or so.  Letting you go was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, yet you told me it was time.  Medically there was not much we could do that wouldn’t bring you suffering and more pain, and that was the last thing I wanted for you.  As tired and weak as you were, you perked up at the sound of my voice and still wagged that happy tail of yours.  It was there, while you were lying on a blanket on the floor of the vet’s office and all hooked up to an I.V., that we prayed, reminisced, cried and I fed you some of our 18 month-old son, Noah’s, cheerios I had in my pocket.  And cradling and kissing your beautiful head it was there that your loving family said, “good-bye”.  When we arrived home later that day, Sierra asked, “What happened to Rayne?  Is she in heaven?”  “I’d like to think so,” I responded.  “Although the Bible doesn’t really talk about what happens to our pets when they die, perhaps God will surprise us,” I added.  Wouldn’t that be nice if He did?

We are blessed to have shared our lives with you, Girlie.  You were truly a gift from God.  Thank you for giving us so much joy throughout the past 12 years, 8 ½ months.  You were such a good dog and my “sweet dream” come true!

Words cannot adequately express the sincere gratitude we feel towards Dr. Joan Stewart-Hay and all of the staff at Dutch Hill Veterinary Clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba for their support, compassion and loving care in looking after our precious Rayne.

Rayne’s legacy and loving ways will live on through her offspring and the Rayneriver kennel name.

~ Lesley, Kevin, Sierra (age 5) & Noah (18 months) Bailey ~