Blow a Kiss to Stormy
 

   I wake up in the morning and see Stormy's spirit in the watercolour painting created by Laura Buxton-Check, on my bedroom wall. Stormy is running on the beach with the sun rising above the ocean. I miss my Stormy boy. Then, I give Breeze a good morning kiss.
    Not my first Golden Retriever. Not my last. But, my heartdog Golden. Stormy — Birchfield Summer Snowstorm, born May 8, 1991.
    I was very sad and lonely that July of 1991. My Golden Retriever passed away suddenly, just shy of being thirteen.
    That July of 1991, I took my 3 year old niece, Samantha, with me to pick out my new puppy. Stormy looked out over the whelping box and ran to Samantha. He kissed her and she giggled. Stormy made sure he belonged to us. Samantha named Stormy, Snowstorm, because he was all white.
    Stormy was a joy. He was so easy to train. I could take Stormy everywhere. We did almost everything together.
    When Stormy was 5, he had his first grand mal seizure. Out of concern for the breed, I called Stormy's breeder. She told me to put him down. No way!
    We worked through Stormy's disorder. Our veterinarian guided us with the help of the Internet. Through the use of the Internet, I "met" Helen Redlus AKA Saint Helen. This was the beginning of my journey into the world of Rescue.    
    Before Stormy turned 7, he became extremely ill. He lost lots of weight and was very weak. Stormy was diagnosed with Dilated Cardiomyopathy and a tumor next to his heart. The specialist gave Stormy only one month to a maximum of six months to live.
    Our wonderful veterinarian insisted that we should not believe the specialist. With the help of medicine, herbs, love and G-d, Stormy lived a full life for two years and four months longer. I treasured each and every day that I shared with Stormy.
    During that period of time, Stormy earned his CGC and TDI at Camp Goldstock. Also, Stormy won the Sassy Walk Contest.
    Stormy visited Saint Mary's Manor, an assisted living facility, several times a month and several nursing homes. Stormy even celebrated his ninth birthday with the lovely people at Saint Mary's. Stormy touched the lives of so many people. He was very special and is missed greatly.
    My heartdog, Stormy. I sure do miss my special boy. He taught me to treasure every single day.
    Of course, before Stormy took his journey to Rainbow Bridge, he made sure that I'd be okay. Stormy and I adopted Breeze, an eight month young SAS Golden Retriever. Stormy had five months to train Breeze. Now, Breeze tries to live up to Stormy's expectations.