The True Sprit of Christmas

This holiday season, as in every Christmas season, the main stream media “big” stories are about if Americans are buying presents or not. How much money is flowing, more or less than last year? But money and presents is not what Christmas is all about.

Last Christmas was the worst Christmas I have ever had for many reasons and one I will never forget. In a way it turned me off to the whole “Christmas thing” altogether, but Christmas is about the Birth of Christ and peace on earth and good will to men. Being that this has been the greatest spiritual year I have ever had, how could I deny God’s birthday, besides my mothers birthday is a couple of days before, forgetting that is not an option either.

The other day is was just sitting around reflecting on the year, my heart broken because as part of last year I lost everything I have ever truly loved including my dogs, when an overwhelming urge came over me to visit the local animal shelter. Right now in my present financial situation, I need a dog like I need another hole in my head, but I knew I had to go, God was sending me on his mission not mine.

When I arrived at the shelter, my heart would have broken anyhow because I love dogs and even though they are well taken care of at this shelter, it is still a prison without a family to love. Is a dog still a dog without a family to love? I was told to look around and I asked if by chance they had an Akita there. To my surprise they did. They told me where the cage was and I went into the court yard to go look.

See I have a special connection with Akita’s from my ex-fiancée who introduced me to the breed. My love for the breed developed with her and she is also the reason I am no longer with my other babies (Meeko and Makii). Unfortunilty, dogs are considered property, for that matter so are real children, and why my heart was broken.

When I arrived at the cage, it was a nine year old female Akita, what the breed calls a silver tip, and she was laying facing away from the front of the cage. When I tapped on the cage she turned her head and I could not believe what I was seeing. I was my old dog Meeko’s face on this dog. She looked at me with such sad eyes and I looked at her and I just started to cry. It was like watching your child locked in a cage.

I went back and talk to a woman volunteer named Kathy at the shelter about becoming Buushi’s dad (pronounced: Boo-she, Boo for short). The people at the shelter were elated that I wanted their angel child. They had been so worried that because of her age, being an Akita and so on, that she was destined to die behind bars. I knew I could never allow that to happen.

Buushi was an Alpha female stray with the typical old age problems of arthritis and fatty growths and I also believe she had been abused making her extremely skittish. Akita’s are very skittish high stung dogs anyhow, but when we got time to meet each other in the play area, we fell in love instantly and she kissed my whole face. The workers there could not believe it. This dog barely let people touch her anywhere let alone give out kisses to anyone. I knew right there and then that Buushi and I were a team and that I would make sure that her remaining days on this earth were free and filled with love.

It was the greatest Christmas present that I could have ever received and even though I know that she and I will have very little time together (Akita’s typically live to be 10 or 11) I will treasure every moment as the True Sprit of Christmas has been bestowed upon me, Unconditional Love.

After Christmas Buushi and I will start our new journey together and I will keep all the dog lovers out there informed of our progress and our journey together.

Have a Blessed Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.