Jocee's Memorial Page

Last Revised January 15, 2000.

~Pawprints in the Sand ~

One night I had a wondrous dream,

One set of footprints there were seen,

The footprints of my precious Lord,

While He carried me along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,

So I asked, What were these prints for?

These prints are neither yours nor mine,

And Lord, they are in sets of four.

My child, He said in sober tones,

At one time you were so close to giving up,

That I called on a little dog to walk along.

And for awhile this was just what you needed.

Your pup filled your time with love and blessings,

He kept you so busy there was no time for fussing.

But then one day I had to call him home,

And you were heartbroken and all alone,

But the time you had together was never forgotten,

And even though it hurt to lose your little dog,

I knew you'd be better, for the love you had known.

~ Author unknown ~

~ Jocee ~

1988 to January 15, 2000

At 10:53am today . . . my girl closed her eyes and peacefully breathed her last breath on this earth. Now she's playing with all the others at Rainbow Bridge . . . waiting til the day I come to join her.

Jocee taught me a lot . . . she taught me how to love unconditionally, how to look past the prejudice the news media broadcasts, and how one bad apple really doesn't spoil the whole bunch. She showed and taught me through her sweet love that not all pit bulls are killers . . . and not all humans are nice. That some are cold and vicious . . . cruel to the very core.

My sweet little girl, who was always so full of life, had a rough start in life. Because she wasn't aggressive, she was used as a bait dog to teach others how to fight. She was hung from a spring pole by her collar and lowered into a pit of other more aggressive dogs who would bite and tear at her. This is how she was introduced to life . . .

By chance, she came to live her life with us . . . she was 12 to 18 months old according to the vet. Although she was ripped up and scarred, . . . she was skin and bones . . . she still trusted us . . . humans, the very species who did this to her. Afraid of any pressure on her collar, any person who was angry or even to walk normally through any door, life with her was far from normal. She exhibited true signs of abuse. Our home being her first and only experience with human love, she suffered terribly from severe seperation anxiety and would destroy just about anything in a matter of minutes. Several recliners, couches, and kennels fell victim to her frantic destructiveness . . . but through it all . . . I loved her with all my heart . . .

Jocee's famous "Batdog".

Jocee was quite a nut too! She developed a game the kids fondly called "Alligator" . . . she would wiggle across the floor on her back, growling the entire time while snapping her mouth open and shut, and bump the kids with her nose. This game always emitted squeals of delight and laughter from the kids. (Especially when it was supposed to be bed time) She was also our "stick" dog. She would grab whatever she could find that resembled a stick . . . a twig . . . a 2x4 . . . the rake handle . . .it didn't matter - she just wanted a stick! One time after just hearing the word "stick", she came running back with a large branch out of the fire . . . and it was still on fire too! The end of the branch was still glowing red hot . . . with little flames! She didn't care. She was happily growling and running around with her stick.

Who me??

Although she was happy and only received positive love from us, she still suffered from a somewhat tormented soul. She was always ready to run at the slightest hint of anger and always afraid of any pressure on her collar or to walk through the door. She remained this way til her dying day . . . today . . .

Even though life dealt her quite the blow . . . she was still full of it . . . and her eyes were always twinkling . . .

Jocee will be horribly and sadly missed . . . she was a true fighter . . . of life . . . She will be forever in my heart . . .

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