WHEN TOMORROW STARTS WITHOUT ME
Author Unknown

When tomorrow starts without me,
And I'm not there to see;
The sun will rise and find your eyes
All filled with tears for me.

I wish so much you wouldn't cry
The way you did today,
Remembering how I'd lay my head
In your lap that special way.
I know how much you love me,
As much as I love you,
And each time that you think of me,
I know you'll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me.
Please try to understand,
That an angel came and called my name
And petted me with her hand.
She said my place was ready,
In Heaven far above,
And that I'd have to leave behind
All those I dearly love.

But, as I turned to heel away,
A tear fell from my eye,
For all my life I never thought
That I would have to die.
I had so much to live for,
So many sits and downs to do,
It seemed almost impossible,
That I was leaving you.

I thought about our lives together,
I know you must be sad,
I thought of all the love we shared,
And all the fun we had.

Remember how I'd nudge your hand,
And poke you with my nose?
The frisbee I would gladly chase,
The bad guy, I'd "bark and hold".

If I could relive yesterday,
Just even for awhile,
I'd wag my tail and kiss you,
Just so I could see you smile.

But, then I fully realized,
That this could never be;
For emptiness and memories
Will take the place of me.
And when I thought of treats and toys,
I might miss come tomorrow,
I thought of you and when I did,
My dog-heart filled with sorrow.

But then I walked through Heaven's gate,
And felt so much at home;
As God looked down and smiled at me,
From His beautiful golden throne.
He said, "This is eternity,
And now we welcome you,
Today your life on earth is past,
But here it starts anew.

I promise no tomorrow,
But today will always last;
For you see, each days's the same day,
There's no longing for the past.
Now you have been so faithful,
So trusting, loyal and true;
Though there were times you did things,
You knew you shouldn't do.

But good dogs are forgiven,
And now at last you're free;
So won't you sit here by my side,
And wait right here with me?"
So when tomorrow starts without me,
Don't think we're far apart.
For every time you think of me,
I'm right there, in your heart.

Sent to me by Bekye Walker

"Bo Died Today"
April 25, 2003

As you may or may not know, Bo, formerly 'Worthless', was the reason I started Dogs Deserve Better. I'd drive by him every day, nearly wrecking as I stared obsessively out my car window and tried simultaneously to negotiate the hairpin turn. I'd mutter to myself, or any being unfortunate enough to be trapped in the car with me, "Dogs Deserve Better." Hence the name for an organization working in communities across this great nation to get dogs off chains, out of pens, and into the family.

I made the decision to put him to sleep April 25, 2003 due to heart failure with possible tumor complications. I still can't believe he is gone, and I miss him dearly. I feel that his place in this world did not go unnoticed, and for him and the many still like him we must continue the mission, in fact, we must get more serious about it, more passionate, and more involved.

This is my eulogy to him, and my goodbye to a precious gift...

He deserved better, he deserved more. I knew it from the first day I saw him, chained to a post 1/4 mile from my home. For the six years I continued my vigil, I watched him suffer the solitude of a lonely, tribeless existence. When my intuition told me he was ill, I could bear it no longer. His constant pacing beat the drum for my soul’s insistent urging. He is the reason for Dogs Deserve Better, and I lost him all too soon.

Bo was ordinary. Ordinary in his need for love, his ability to continue to love man even as we deserved it not. He won no beauty contests, his stump of a tail bespoke a birth defect and yet wagged with the ferocity of any bigger. As the wolf, his ridge-hair stood mohawk when danger neared. And as I whispered “I love you” softly and kindly, it stood the same.

Maybe his heart couldn’t contain the expansion love brought, for he knew it not. Maybe he felt safe to leave, in the wholeness of my arms. Maybe he could finally stop the pacing, and so his heart.

I think about his ashes. I want him to be where he would most long to be.
I realize he most longed to be with me.

Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better

If you'd like to donate in memory of Bo,
we'd be honored. For all the others still out there
who need our help!

If you'd like to donate via regular USPS mail,
you may send it to P.O. Box 23, Tipton, PA 16684

Contact Info: Dogs Deserve Better, Inc. • P.O. Box 23 • Tipton, PA 16684 • Toll Free 1.877.636.1408 • 814.941.7447
email: info@dogsdeservebetter.org • Website designed and maintained by Crescent Communications