“Okay Rivey, let's go,” Mike said. I started to walk slowly down the trail. I suddenly cut to my left, off the trail. I heard Mike following me. I would stop occasionally to listen and sniff the air. Yes, I did hear something, but I was not sure what it was. Could it be a moose or a bear? I could be leading Mike into some big trouble. I was getting scared. I heard a voice speak to me. It was Aurora. “I am here for you Rivers, you are doing fine. Find Caitlyn, you can do it. Trust and believe in yourself.”
I stopped again and, yes, the scent. It was coming from over there. I started to bark as I walked faster to where the scent was coming from. I stopped. Caitlyn had to be here. Her scent was so strong. “Rivers, there is nothing here, just mounds of snow,” Mike said.
She had to be here. I sniffed the ground. Yes, she was here. Then I heard it, a whimpering. I started to dig gently in the snow and suddenly felt the warmth of her face on my paw.
“Rivers, you found her!” Mike said. I heard him kneel down beside me and he dug with me in the snow. There was a lot of snow covering Caitlyn. She was alive. She was shivering. She was very cold and she was crying.
“Who are you?” Caitlyn asked.
“Hi Caitlyn, it is ‘Santa Mike’ and Rivers. We are here to take you home,” Mike said.
“Home to the orphanage?” she asked. “No, I do not want to go back there. Nobody wants me because I am blind. I will never be with a family. Nobody wants a blind kid. Just let me stay here, in the snow.”
“I can't do that, Caitlyn.” I heard Mike unzip his parka and put it around her. I moved closer to Caitlyn to cuddle with her. She put her arms around me and continued to cry, even harder than before.
“Caitlyn,” Mike said. ”Lets go to my home for a day or so and talk this over. Maybe what you need is a few days away from the orphanage to get your thinking straight. What do you say?”
“Does Rivers live with you?” Caitlyn asked.
“Yep, he sure does,” Mike answered. “Say, I could use some help since I have a race coming up. Maybe you could help me out?”
“What could I do? I am blind,” Caitlyn replied.
“Yep, you sure are and so is that dog you are sitting next to, and he is the one who found you. Oh, by the way, he is one of my racing dogs.” Mike said. “Just think, Caitlyn, if Rivers had given up because he was blind, maybe no one would have found you. Isn't it interesting that a blind dog found you, a blind girl, covered with snow in a blizzard?” Then Mike changed the tone in his voice and asked Caitlyn, “You are not telling me that my blind dog can do more than you can, are you?” Mike asked. “Think about it, Caitlyn.”
I heard Mike pick Caitlyn up and start to sing, “Jingle Bells” as he carried her back to the sled. I guess the blizzard affected my hearing because he sounded pretty good and we all know that Mike does not sing worth a hoot. I heard the team howl and bark. They were happy we had found Caitlyn. Nitro told me Mike unzipped the sled bag, got his sleeping bag out and wrapped Caitlyn in it. He then put her in the sled bag and zipped it up so that only her head showed. He put a musher's cap on her head to keep her head warm. I heard her giggle.
Next, I heard Mike walk back to me, and he hooked me into the team as the lead dog. Then Mike said, a lot louder than he really needed to, “Okay Rivers, lead us home.”
Now, any of the other dogs could have led us home. Nevertheless, Mike was proving a point to Caitlyn and you can bet your last dog biscuit that I was going to do my part.
We stopped at the orphanage to tell them we had found Caitlyn. After the lady talked to Caitlyn, we were off to our home.
When we got home, Mary met us in the yard and told Mike that the guests that were going to come could not get out of the city due to the storm. Mike told Mary that we had a very special guest who was going to stay with us for a few days.
“Oh?” she said, surprised. “Company?”
“Yep,” Mike replied as I heard him unzip the sled bag. “Caitlyn, meet Mary. Mary, this is Caitlyn. She is the little girl from the orphanage I told you about. She was lost in the woods and Rivers and the team found her. I talked to the lady at the orphanage and she said that Caitlyn could visit us for a few days.”
“Hi, Caitlyn and welcome to our home.” Lakota told me that Mary put a big hug on Caitlyn as she welcomed the little girl to our home. “Now let's get you inside, out of this storm, and find some warm clothing for you. I bet you are hungry. I have a big pot of stew cooking, and some homemade bread for you,” Mary said.
I heard Mike say, “As soon as I finish talking care of our canine heroes here, I will be in to join you”.
“Now Mike, do not take too long. Caitlyn looks very hungry and she just might eat your portion,” Mary said jokingly. We all laughed at that, including Caitlyn.
After Mike took care of us and they ate their chow, Mary and Mike came out to the yard and moved us into the warming shed. This is another Christmas treat. We can loaf in the nice warm straw. Caitlyn was with them and Mike led her to the straw pile and told her that the dogs were going to play in the straw and they would play with her too. Lakota told me that Ugly was doing his “Ugly Jig” while Brownie and Doc were nuzzling next to Caitlyn. I heard her giggle. Lakota told me she had a big smile on her face. Caitlyn was sure a different little girl now than the one we found in the snow today.
I was standing by Mike and Mary. I enjoy listening to them talk about things other than dogs and running the trails. Mike told Mary that he was thinking about adopting Caitlyn and wondered what Mary thought about his idea.
Wow, Mike does not mince his words, does he? Mary said that she had been thinking the same thing since Mike had told her about Caitlyn after last year's visit. “No kidding!” Mike was excited. “We can do this, you know. We can give her a good life and tutors to get her up to speed in school. I bet I could train some of the team to be her Seeing Eye dogs and….”
“Hold on, Mike,” Mary said. “Slow down. We need to know if Caitlyn wants to do that and if the orphanage will let us do it.”
“Hmmm,” Mike said. “The orphanage is really no problem. They are a private operation and will be glad to place Caitlyn with us since she is probably classified as hard to place. As for Caitlyn, well, let's ask her.”
Before Mary could utter a sound, Mike said. “Hey Caitlyn, I have a question for you.” I heard Mike walk over to the straw pile where Caitlyn was sitting with my buddies.
Mary grabbed my collar and walked me to the straw pile and whispered, “Rivers, you had better come also. You are a big part of this. You found her and saved her. Now if she is willing, we hope to give Caitlyn a good life filled with plenty of TLC.”
As we got near the straw pile Lakota told me that Mike was sitting next to Caitlyn, with his arm around her shoulders. All of my buddies were sitting in a circle around them watching.
“Caitlyn,” Mike said, “Mary and I want to know if you would like to live here with us permanently. That means never going back to the orphanage except to get your stuff. Going to school and being a part of our family. What do you say?”
Silence. Not a sound, no person or dog moved. Silence. Come on Caitlyn, I thought, say yes.
I heard Mary sit down next to Caitlyn and I sat directly in front of my little blind friend. Lakota moved next to me.
Lakota told me that Caitlyn turned towards Mike and put her hands on his face and said, “You have a beard, Santa Mike. What color is it?
Mike answered, “Gray and white.”
Then Caitlyn said, and I could hear the tears in her voice when she asked “Are you Santa Claus?”
“No honey, I am not. Why do you ask?” Mike replied as he chuckled.
“Because,” she cried, “every year at Christmas, I wrote to Santa asking him to give me a forever home and I never got it. This year, I did not write and you are asking me to stay here with you and Mary and your dogs. I thought that you might be Santa giving me my wish.”
“No Caitlyn,” Mike said, “I am not Santa and these are not just
my dogs, these are my buddies. They are part of our family and we are asking you to join us.”
Silence again. However, Mary broke the silence when she said, “Maybe Caitlyn needs some time to think about it, Mike. She has had a rough day.”
“No!” Caitlyn said. “Is Rivers here?”
“Yes,” Mike answered. “He is sitting right in front of you.”
“Is Rivers really blind?” She asked.
“Yes,” Mike answered.
“Can he do all of the things that you said he could do?” Caitlyn asked. “Yes,” Caitlyn, I would not lie to you,” Mike answered.
I moved closer to Caitlyn, licked the tears on her cheek and put my paw on her leg. She put her arms around me. As she hugged me, I heard her say, “Oh yes, please, I want to stay with all of you!”
Yippee.
Later after everything settled down and I was alone in the yard with my thoughts, I sensed a dog next to me. I knew it was Aurora, my Guardian Angel Dog. “Hi Aurora, thank you for making my Christmas wish come true.”
“Rivers,” Aurora replied, “I had nothing to do with that. My help stopped after you found Caitlyn in the snow. The magic of the season made your wish come true, Rivers. Good things happen to good dogs. Besides, I told you that Mike has some very good friends in some very high places. Well, I guess he had the same wish as you did.”
Aurora continued, “Well Rivers, I would really enjoy spending some time with you, but ‘tis the season for me to be busy. So I have to go.”
“Can I ask you a question?” I asked.
“Sure,” she said, “but make it quick and easy. There is a collie that will give birth to a litter tonight and she is going to need my help delivering those pups.”
“My question is this. What do you wish for at Christmas time?”
“Rivers, you think too much. I am in a rush, but the short answer is nothing, since Guardian Angel Dogs need nothing. However, I wish for everything for the dogs that deserve their wishes to come true.”
“See Ya.”
And she was gone.
A Surprise Visit
I will make no bones about it. I truly miss Sandy. I guess humans call it grief when someone you care for leaves you. Dogs grieve also. However, we would rather remember the good times we had with our buddy, and not pay so much attention to the loss. We know that our buddy has gone to a much better place.
I was doing just that, sitting in my favorite corner of the yard, just after the sun settled down for the night. The guys were resting and they were not paying too much attention to what I was doing.
I guess I was laughing aloud at some of my fond memories of Sandy, when I heard a voice say, “So what is so funny, Rivers?”
Then a second voice said, “Yes, Rivers, what is so funny?
I recognized Aurora's voice and I guess I looked puzzled because the second voice said, “Rivers, you don't remember me?”
“I am sorry,” I said, “Your voice does sound familiar, but I just can't place it.”
“Gee Aurora,” the voice said, “live with some bozos, clean the extra biscuits out of their coops and as soon as you are gone, poof, they forget all about you.”
“Sandy!” I said.
“Yes it sure is,” Sandy said.
“But, but…” I tried to speak.
“You know Rivers, you sound like a motor boat, going ‘but but.’”
I heard both of them laughing. I could not be dreaming, I mean, I was sitting here. It could not be Sandy. She crossed the Bridge after she fought the wolf when she protected Christmas and her puppies. I was confused.
“Rivers, Aurora said, remember a while back when I told you we had a shortage of Guardian Angel Dogs?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Do you remember I told you that special dogs are chosen to be Guardian Angel Dogs?” I nodded.
“Well,” Aurora said, “Sandy was chosen.”
“Sandy, a Guardian Angel Dog?” Yes, I was impressed and very happy for Sandy.
Aurora continued, “Sandy gave up her life to save Christmas and her babies from the wolf. She proved herself unselfish. She definitely earned the right to be a Guardian Angel Dog.”
Aurora said to Sandy, “Seems Rivers is barkless with the news that you are a Guardian Angel Dog, Sandy.”
“Yes, you sure are on a roll here, Aurora, with surprises for Rivers. You may as well tell him the rest of the news,” Sandy replied, chuckling.
“Well Sandy, if you insist. Rivers, Sandy has been assigned as your Guardian Angel Dog.” Before I could utter a sound, Aurora said, “She is also the Guardian Angel Dog for Christmas and her pups, plus all of your teammates.”
I am not used to being barkless, but that sure was the case tonight. Wow, Sandy is our Guardian Angel Dog. The team and especially Christmas would be very surprised when I told them about that.
“Sorry Rivers, you cannot tell them.” It was Sandy. I forgot, Guardian Angel Dogs could read our thoughts. “All of your buddies, including Christmas and her babies, will be visited by us tonight. Our visit with them will be real, but they may think it is a dream. They will need to decide if they want to believe in their Guardian Angel Dog. Just like you did, when you called upon Aurora for help.”
Aurora added. “It is called faith, believing in something you cannot see and your senses tell you does not exists. Your teammates need to make their own decisions, if they want to believe or not.”
Barkless and confused. Yes, I believe in my Guardian Angel Dog and I want my teammates to believe also. It is so comforting to know that when you have that uphill climb and the trail gets tough, you have some extra dog power to help you crest the hill.
“Rivers.” It was Sandy. “You cannot do this for your teammates, they must do this on their own. Understand?”
“Yes,” I said weakly. “But I really want my teammates to believe.”
Aurora said. “That is up to them. We will do our part, but they have to decide. Some already do believe, others do not, and some never will. You are a dog of your bark. Will you give us your bark that you will not tell them?” I nodded yes and then Aurora added, “Good. Come Sandy, we have to get to work.”
“Wait!” I said. “What about Sunny, is Sandy her Guardian Angel Dog?” I asked.
Sandy answered. ”Any dog that joins Mike's team, or lives in Mike's home, or stays in your yard is included. That means Sunny, the puppies, and the new dog, who will come to live with you shortly. However, they must decide to believe in their Guardian Angel Dog. Otherwise, we can do nothing special to help them, except to watch over them.”
When Sandy finished, I knew they left to visit my teammates. As I wandered back to my doghouse, I had many mixed feelings, and had no one I could bark to about them. I was very happy that Sandy was our Guardian Angel Dog. However, I was sad because some of my teammates might decide not to believe. I could not help them. I gave my bark and if I went back on my bark, I would have no honor and would disgrace my Husky heritage. I guess this is like choosing between right and wrong. I stopped walking and howled a prayer into the night that all of them would make the right decision.
After morning chow, Christmas and her three puppies, Tundra, Stormy, and Sky, visited with me. Christmas told the pups that since my teammates and I were Christmas’ uncles, we were also the pups’ uncles as well. We would help teach the pups, just as we taught and looked after Christmas.
Uncle Nitro teaches them to be brave and to protect each other. Uncle Brownie teaches them to be honest and to better themselves. Uncle Ugly teaches them to laugh at themselves and not take themselves too seriously. Uncle Doc teaches them to be great lead dogs, and the academic things dogs needs to know. Uncle Lakota teaches them to be respectful towards others, as well as to themselves, and to think before they act. And me? Well, I guess I teach them about life.
“Hi,” I said, as I heard them come near me.
“Uncle Rivers.” It was Christmas and I knew she had something on her mind. “I had this dre
am that Aunt Sandy and another dog named Aurora were talking to me about Guardian Angel Dogs. They told me that Aunt Sandy was my Guardian Angel Dog. Then this morning, my babies told me they had the same dream. Isn't that strange?” Christmas asked.
I heard them sit down around me, waiting for my answer. “I don't know. Do you think it is strange?” I asked.
Before Christmas could answer, Tundra said. “Mama, it was no dream. I saw tears in Aunt Sandy eyes, as she nuzzled me just like she did before she…”
Tundra's voice trembled, filled with emotions. Sandy played with them as if they were her own babies. I heard that the pups saw the wolf and …
Sky's words interrupted my thoughts. “Tundra is right, Mama. It was no dream. I felt Aunt Sandy also, and Aurora touched me with her paw as she talked to me. They were real. I believe that Aunt Sandy is right here watching over me.”
“Me too,” said Stormy. “I know that Aunt Sandy will be there protecting me just like she did with the wolf. I believe that Aunt Sandy will always look after us.”
I knew I had not answered Christmas’ questions but her babies were doing a good job telling her about their beliefs. “Christmas,” I said. “I cannot answer your question. However, I do know that things happen in our lives that we can never explain. Who knows, maybe you were being watched over and guided the night we found you.”
“Sometimes, Christmas, it is better to think with your heart and not with your head.” I said. “Sometimes our heads do not let us see the purity of the issue that our hearts know is there.”
In a very soft and gentle voice, Christmas asked me, “Do you believe that you have a Guardian Angel Dog?”
I answered, “What I believe should not matter to you. What I believe should not affect whether you believe the dream was a dream or real, as your babies say it is. However, I will tell you that I believe Sandy is in a place where if I am in trouble she will help me.”
Rivers Page 9