Southern-Style
A Downhome Perspective on All Things Southern

Once upon a time there was a tiny little poodle that was born to a very big family. The town was Cowarts, Alabama, and the man and woman who owned the house in which she was born loved their doggies very much. Why, the very time this little puppy was born, they had three other mommy dogs with litters in three other play pens in the room in which this particular little puppy rolled and romped over the other three in her litter.

When the doorbell rang her mommy jumped from the playpen and ran to the front room where all the thirty-two other poodles sat on counters and on the backs of sofas watching "The Commish," their favorite television show along with Pat, their owner. The yapping and barking was contagious and before she knew it the little puppy took up the cacophonous melody enjoying the new-found pleasure of the loud yapping she discovered she now could make.

The puppy heard Pat talking with other people and soon her mother jumped protectively back into the playpen as Pat leaned down and picked the puppy up along with her sister. The woman loved them and cuddled them frequently, sometimes taking them all to bed with her and her husband.  Their joy at being held by this woman was such that their whole bodies shook and they both licked the woman lovingly.

Pat handed her to The Girl who came with The Woman whose voice the puppy recognized as the one Pat had spoken to after opening the door. She was unsure at first about being handed off, but then The Girl put her up to her face and snuggled her close. The puppy was so tiny, she fit in the palm of The Girl's hand. Ginny stuck out her little puppy tongue and gave The Girl tentative lick. The Girl cuddled her closer.

The Woman made a phone call and then they sat on Pat's sofa a long time and then the doorbell rang and The Woman and The Girl spoke excitedly to the man who came in.  The big man picked her up. The puppy was surprised when the man cuddled her as well. All the other dogs ran around trying to get their attention, but she was the one they cuddled. Pat's husband came in and they forgot about the other people as they jumped up one by one and got a kiss. But the puppy did not notice, she was getting all the affection she needed.

When the people took her out the door with them away from Pat who said goodbye, she was a very happy puppy and yapped a good bye to all her family. They yapped back. They were happy for her. The Girl named her Ginger because of her reddish coloring and soon "Ginny" was what they called her.

The next week the people did a very strange thing. They brought another puppy home and put the new puppy in the playpen with her. The puppy was just her size, but she was black and had a longer tail and they called her "Angie." Her Girl cuddled them both in her lap.  Ginny was not quite sure what to think about having to share attention, but the new puppy soon learned who was boss. Ginny asserted her authority from the very beginning even though the new puppy grew, and it grew, and it grew.  The people called her a doberman. Ginny knew she was of an elite group called poodle...and so even though she never even weighed five pounds, she made sure the new dog knew its place.

Ginny and Angie loved to run through the big back yard. Even when the people thought they could keep her confined to their patio, she would dig out and find her way to her friend. Angie was a silly dog who liked to jump in the bird bath and pretend to be a bird.  And Angie could sing.  When Her Girl would sing, Angie would sing.  It kind of hurt Ginny's ears, but it made Her Girl happy and she would smile.  Then Angie would smile.  That smile scared lots of people and they would back off.  But Her Girl knew it was a smile and tried to cuddle Angie in her lap, but she grew too big. Years passed. Her best friend went to the vet and never came home. Ginny knew Angie was sick, but Angie did not let their people know.   Ginny knew "the vet" was a scary place and always started shivering as soon as she went through the front door.

The back yard seemed empty. Then one day, The Girl took her to live with her in Panama City and even let her go to work with her. They would go back and forth from Panama City to her Dothan home where she and her girl spent a lot of time with a very nice man. At first Ginny would sit between Her Girl and the man. But as time passed and they both got to like the man better and better, they would both cuddle up with the man.

Then Her Girl took the man with them and they got another puppy because Her girl thought she got lonely and needed a friend. They said the puppywas a cocker spaniel and Her girl named her Bailey.  For awhile they all went to work together. Sometimes Bailey irritated Ginny with the way shewould flip her curly ears in that silly way that made Her Girl laugh.   But, Bailey got big and nosy and although she was very sweet and endearing, Ginny was willing to concede, Ginny thought it was obvious that she was not nearly as smart as Ginny was nor as polite as Ginny and that was why she had to be left at the condo.  But then Bailey was very lonely and that made Her Girl sad because Bailey was sad and so Bailey had to stay in Dothan.

Ginny was glad when they went to Dothan and even though she missed Angie, she could visit with Bailey in the big back yard. Then one day Bailey was no longer there and Her girl was very sad. Ginny figured Bailey had gotten nosy again and went out into the place where the big cars whizzed by. Not smart. But, Ginny was a poodle, Bailey was not.

There was a man at Her Girl's work who did not seem very nice to Ginny. One day he came into Her Girl's office and Ginny bit him through his very expensive trousers. Unfortunately, Her Girl told her, that man was the boss and Ginny could not go to work with her any more.

So Ginny stayed in the condo and waited and waited every day for Her Girl to come home. Then they would walk in the garden and visit with other dogs. Then they would go up the elevator and cuddle on the sofa watching TV. Life was good.

Ginny and Her Girl get married

One day, the man Her Girl and she liked so much got all their furniture out of the condo, including all of Ginny's beds, and moved it back to Dothan. They had a big party and soon Ginny and Her girl slept in the same room as The Man they had both come to love.

Ginny loved the sun and the yard where they used to stay before she and Her Girl married the nice man. But she hated to be left!!!!!

One day, she heard the motor start on the car and she just knew The Girl was leaving her! If she scooted under the fence and around the walk and down onto the place where The Girl parked, maybe Her Girl would remember she had forgotten her. And if not, she would just bark a bit to let her know she was not happy about being left! Ginny ran down the sidewalk and shot out behind the car. Oh no, that tire is too close!!!!! Ginny thought as the huge car......  

There was surprisingly no pain, but Ginny could not move her legs to run to Her Girl and The Woman who knelt beside the car with tears running down their faces. Her girl was so sad. The Woman, crying also, brought a soft flannel cloth that smelled like her. Ginny knew it was the gown she slept in. She had cuddled with Her Woman in that gown frequently.

Her Girl was so so sad, but it was getting cloudier and she heard barking in the distance that sounded like Angie and Bailey calling her to play. There was a beautiful bright green yard and the sun was so bright. There was a bright light and a gentle loving voice said, "It is time to come home, little one."

"Your job is done. You have loved with your whole heart and brought joy to the people you were sent to love and protect. You cast out the loneliness with your love and affection for The Girl who cuddles you close and loves you so. But now you may come and play with your friends in a wonderful place and wait for those people you love to come be with us as well someday."

Ginny gave one last look at the grieving girl who held her and told her with her eyes just how very much she loved her. Then she closed her eyes and ran off after Bailey and Angie in the place that knows no pain or sorrow to await Her Girl and The Man They Loved to join them. She hoped they would find another puppy to love and protect them. Bailey and she decided that would be a good thing, Angie was off barking at a squirrel.

She and the loving spirit who welcomed her into that happy place listened as Her People and her friend Mary placed her body in the ground and cried as they talked to the dirt, a strange thing, didn't they know she wasn't there? But, she heard their words..."Ginny....Thank you for the joy. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for all the sweet kisses and happy barks of welcome and loving cuddles. Our lives have been better because of you."

We love you and miss you, Ginny. So very much.

December 13, 2007 Ginny Ramsey passed away in Brooke's arms.