Col. Potter's Corner at the Rainbow Bridge
Everyone is familiar with The Rainbow Bridge, but now I want to tell you about a special little section just over the Bridge. It’s called the Col. Potter Corner, and that’s where all the Col. Potter dogs and fur siblings of Col. Potter dogs ( because they had the same wonderful owners) get together and reminisce about their wonderful lives.
These dogs share stories of how they came into Col. Potter, and some of the stories are just a little sad, while others are truly horrible. They only touch briefly on those times, moving on to how wonderful everything became when they became part of the Col. Potter family. They talk of foster homes all over the country, and car rides with wonderful volunteers to get there. Some of the dogs even talk of flying in airplanes!
All the dogs share stories of their time in foster homes, where they received kindness, love, good food, medical care and a comfy place to sleep each night. Some of the dogs speak of their serious and sometimes terminal health issues, but tell of how they were still welcomed with open arms. Some were no Cairn at all, some very old, some very young, some even unborn, but they all speak of how CP didn’t care; they took them and loved them anyway.
Foster siblings are discussed, including all sizes of dogs and even cats. But it’s the people they focus on, each story more wonderful than the last. They talk of kind and patient foster parents, lovingly made blankets and bandannas that arrive in the mail, and they seem to understand that all the trips to the vet, medicine and training were to get them ready for their forever homes. At the CP corner the dogs even talk of how the dreaded diets were necessary to get them in tip-top shape!
Many of the dogs share stories of how their foster and forever people volunteered time, amazing talents, auction items and financial support to cover the cost of their care and the care of so many others. All the dogs are grateful, because they know that without these people Col. Potter wouldn’t be able to accomplish all they do.
However the favorite topic of conversation for the dogs in the corner are their forever homes (which sometimes turned out to be their foster home, so they didn’t even have to pack). Each story told is a wonderful tale of mutual love and devotion, and some share that they weren’t perfect but they still received unconditional love. They talk of how devoted their people were, and tell tales of delicious food, playful siblings, medical care for all their health issues, exciting vacations, car rides, long walks, favorite toys, silly costumes, warm winter coats, yards full of squirrels, sleeping in the people beds; all the dogs go on and on sharing their wonderful memories.
Sometimes in The Col. Potter Corner the talk turns a little melancholy, as the dogs speak of how sad their people were when it was time to leave them and cross the Bridge. Occasionally a few speak of how Col. Potter made the difficult decision to release them from their demons to let them run free. But the dogs all know other members of the Col. Potter family were there to support their people and help them through this difficult time. Candles were lit to show the dogs the way, and each new dog was welcomed by the others who had gone before. Each passing was felt throughout the Col. Potter family.
The Col. Potter Corner is a wonderful place over the bridge that seems to always be welcoming new members to the table who have new stories to share. Every one of those dogs is thankful and proud to have been a part of Col. Potter, and the people they tell of should be proud as well. And right before their people go to bed, each dog looks down on them and sends a silent “I love you”.
~A.S.B.