“Oh, Blimey! Here She Comes!”

That is what my late Levi might be saying right now. 
MaeMae went to wait at Rainbow Bridge this morning. 
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RainbowsBridge.com
“Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... “
Author unknown...
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This is the new video of it: http://www.indigo.org/rainbowbridge_ver2.html_
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MaeMae, half his size, and 4 months older, used to boss Levi around, and was a prissy little miss.  They were raised together by Claudia’s daughter for their first four years, before they came to us.   Unfortunately they had been bought from a pet shop, and had come from puppy mills.  One in KS and one in WI, so neither had a good start in life, and both had some hereditary defects.   We loved them just the same, but health issues, especially with MaeMae’s congenative disk trouble, bad teeth from lack of care of her dam, and bad patella, made her rather fragile.

MaeMae bonded to my late DH, and Levi to me.  She would go to the shop every day with Johnnie, and Levi would stay with me.  He was so happy to be away from bossy MaeMae, and really blossomed into the best little doggie ever.  He finally had his OWN toys, own bed, and own ‘hooman’, and didn’t have her taking them away from him.  She was the tiny cute one who got all the attention, whereas Levi was a shy, blocky headed, long backed, not very pretty poodle, except in my eyes.

This is why Claudia decided to take MaeMae when her ‘Dad’ died, as they were better apart.   She has been a great comfort to Claudia during all her trials and tribulations with the liver transplant. 
Claudia and I were with her, stroking her, while she peacefully went to sleep.
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Puppy mills just breed pups from cheap inferior pet quality stock that can be registered by the AKC , no matter how they turn out, conformation or health wise.  There are a lot of hereditary defects in certain bloodlines, and they just don’t care. See my post: http://pennys-tuppence.blogspot.com/2009/12/urgent-help-needed-for-ohio-dogs-in.html

Now, breeding to the conformation standards of the AKC is a different matter Here they are for each breed:  http://www.akc.org/breeds/complete_breed_list.cfm  but the breeds standards have changed over the years, and now there is an outcry about that:
“The Crufts dog show was plagued by controversy this year: Pedigree pulled their sponsorship, RSPCA boycotted the event, and the BBC refused to air the competition. The storm was created by a documentary called Pedigree Dogs Exposed, which took an in-depth look at the health and welfare cost of breeding for conformation. The program aired last week in the US, but the problems it exposes have long existed across the pond under the auspices of the American Kennel Club.
There's a clip from the BBC program on the Dancing Dog Blog about one of the most popular breeds in the UK, the King Charles Cavalier Spaniel, and a condition common to the breed where their brains are too big for their skulls. Brachycephalic dogs (short snouts, like Boston Terriers, pugs, bulldogs, etc.) often have chronic respiratory problems which can lead to tracheal collapse. Most bulldogs cannot mate or give birth naturally. But the AKC ignores these transgressions against nature because the dogs "look good" in the show ring.

The UK Kennel Club initially protested the documentary, claiming it was unfairly edited and inaccurate. Yet a few months later, they started making changes. They updated breed standards and launched the Fit for Life campaign so that "every dog should be bred to be fit enough to enjoy its life to the full." They will no longer register direct inbreeding (father/daughter, mother/son, or siblings) and have commissioned an independent investigation into pedigree dog breeding that will present its recommendations next year. What will it take for the American Kennel Club to catch on and start living up to its mission to "protect the health and well-being of all dogs?"”
“The AKC is probably the wealthiest, most powerful organization for dogs in the country. They use their power to lobby against legislation that affects purebred dogs in any way, including bans on cosmetic surgeries, like tail and ear docking, and any bills that seek to regulate breeding. You would think that if they were so dedicated to the health and integrity of purebred dogs, they'd want to stop breeders who perpetuate unhealthy bloodlines and inhumane conditions. Instead, they happily certify puppy mill dogs and support dog auctions. (See my post about the AMI
Dog shows shouldn't be craft shows for people to display what they "made." If people want to compete with their dogs, there are plenty of competitions out there that showcase a dog's fitness, such as agility, flyball, and rally obedience. For people who love purebreds, they can compete for what their breed was created for in events like field trials for hunting dogs and lure coursing for sight hounds. None of the breeds were created to strut around show rings, and the obsession with conformation is destroying dogs. The AKC needs to take a hard look at its standards and start promoting healthy dogs and purebred rescue instead of cruelty and mass production of puppies.
UPDATE: You can now watch the documentary and take action to demand that the AKC stops promoting deformities and starts supporting healthy dogs.”
From: http://animalwelfare.change.org/blog/view/pedigree_dogs_the_cruelty_behind_conformation   
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From me:

I spent many years of my life showing and breeding Toy Poodles.  (Though my favorites, and personal dog, were the Standards). I had kids to support, and Toys were the No.1 dog then.  I studied bloodlines and genetics till I was blue in the face, and bred the best Poodles that I could. I paid high stud fees to some of the top Toy Poodle kennels at that time, i.e. Sassafras, Jodan and Cutlers.  Eventually I was able to buy two studs of my own, one from Sassafras, famous for their silvers and silver beige (Champion Silver Sparkle of Sassafras was the top producing stud of Toy Poodle champions, probably of all time), and the other from Cutlers, famous for champion colorbred apricots.  (Many $K)

But to show a Poodle, over 1 year old, it has to grow that long show coat, so it’s ears are kept wrapped, ankles wrapped, top-knot wrapped, and the coat is constantly being brushed and even oiled to stop it from breaking. They cannot enjoy a big bone, or frolic in a field, as they might hurt their bracelets. (Hair around the ankles).  I have seen show Poodles force fed with tubes, so that their coat would not be damaged. They are often kept crated for most of their lives, to protect that show coat, until they are retired from the ring.  That is no life for a dog, and the politics in the ring are about graft, just as much as our government.
Knowing the intricacies in anything will put you off it.  I quit showing my dogs, and did Obedience and Agility training instead.

Then I found out how many doggies are without GOOD homes, and I said “That’s it, I am not making any more!”.
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(Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 TEV)
"I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals. After all, the same fate awaits man and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. They are both going to the same place -- the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it. How can anyone be sure that a man's spirit goes upward while an animal's spirit goes down into the ground?"
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This is the version for animals who were mistreated and rescued:
A Rainbow Bridge Story
"Unlike most days at Rainbow Bridge, this day dawned cold and gray, damp as a swamp and as dismal as could be imagined. All of the recent arrivals had no idea what to think, as they had never experienced a day like this before. But the animals who had been waiting for their beloved people knew exactly what was going on and started to gather at the pathway leading to The Bridge to watch.

It wasn't long before an elderly animal came into view, head hung low and tail dragging. The other animals, the ones who had been there for a while, knew what his story was right away, for they had seen this happen far too often.
He approached slowly, obviously in great emotional pain, but with no sign of injury or illness. Unlike all of the other animals waiting at The Bridge, this animal had not been restored to youth and made healthy and vigorous again. As he walked toward The Bridge, he watched all of the other animals watching him. He knew he was out of place here and the sooner he could cross over, the happier he would be.

But alas, as he approached The Bridge, his way was barred by the appearance of an Angel who apologized, but told him that he would not be able to pass. Only those animals who were with their people could pass over Rainbow Bridge. With no place else to turn to, the elderly animal turned towards the fields before The Bridge and saw a group of other animals like himself, also elderly and infirm. They weren't playing, but rather simply lying on the green grass, forlornly staring out at the pathway leading to The Bridge. And so, he took his place among them, watching the pathway and waiting.

One of the newest arrivals at The Bridge didn't understand what he had just witnessed and asked one of the animals that had been there for awhile to explain it to him.
"You see, that poor animal was a rescue. He entered rescue just as you see him now, an older animal with his fur graying and his eyes clouding. He never made it out of rescue and passed on with only the love of his rescuer to comfort him as he left his earthly existence. Because he had no family to give his love to, he has no one to escort him across The Bridge."

The first animal thought about this for a minute and then asked, "So what will happen now?" As he was about to receive his answer, the clouds suddenly parted and the gloom lifted. Approaching The Bridge could be seen a single person and among the older animals, a whole group was suddenly bathed in a golden light and they were all young and healthy again, just as they were in the prime of life.

"Watch, and see.", said the second animal. A second group of animals from those waiting came to the pathway and bowed low as the person neared. At each bowed head, the person offered a pat on the head or a scratch behind the ears. The newly restored animals fell into line and followed him towards The Bridge. They all crossed The Bridge together.

"What happened?"
"That was a rescuer. The animals you saw bowing in respect were those who found new homes because of his work. They will cross when their new families arrive. Those you saw restored were those who never found homes. When a rescuer arrives, they are allowed to perform one, final act of rescue. They are allowed to escort those poor animals that they couldn't place with families on earth, across The Rainbow Bridge.

"I think I like rescuer's", said the first animal. “
"So does GOD", was the reply.
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Dear MaeMae, rest in peace.  Claudia and I have used up a lot of Kleenex today.