Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:48:26 -0300
From: "Deborah Hunt" <maskhunt-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] We Have Lost Our Dog Star


Diane y Sru,
thank you for this post. My high thoughts to you both.
Deborah
Puerto Rico

On 8/15/07, Freshwater Pearls Puppetry <puppeteer-AT-freshwpearls.com> wrote:
>        On the night of August 12, the Perseid meteor shower performed its annual spectacle. From tiny pinpoints of light, flashes of sudden brilliance grew, then just as suddenly extinguished. Each celestial streak was a glorious surprise. But on that night, we could not look skyward. Our attention was fixed on another falling star =96 Koirat=E4hti, Dog Star. Last weekend, our precious canine daughter/puppetry partner fought her final battle with complications from a 2004 neurological illness. A four-day round of emergency medical interventions failed to save her. Koira died in Diane and Stu's arms around 3:30 am on Tuesday morning, August 14, 2007, from unstoppable seizures and pneumonia. She was 4-1/2 years old.
>
>     For three years she was the poster child for resilience, courage, and determination. She had many health problems and endured countless medical tests and procedures. She looked through Death's door many times, but always came back to the people and the life she loved. Except the last time.
>
>     Koira's original illness left her spinning (literally) with a large hole in her brain. Yet she was always sure of who she was. With compassionate medical care and hundreds of hours of training, she overcame the brain damage of her original illness and went on with her "career." As Toby The Dog in our Punch and Judy Show, she was a star who helped us revive a centuries-old puppetry tradition. Thousands of children delighted in her performance, learned something from her indomitability, fell willingly in love with her. As did we.
>
>     Koira was a tiny being =96 less than six pounds. She was a mini version of an already small breed =96 Papillon, the butterfly dog. Her perfect little head could rest comfortably in the palm of a hand. Yet her presence was huge. She filled up every space that she entered. There are now so very many empty spaces.
>
>     Everywhere we look, there are tiny reminders of Koira and the thousands of ways our lives changed to adjust to her needs. Several soft-sided crates where she could be safe in the event of seizures. A small custard dish full of water. The homemade foam steps that allowed her to navigate three living room stairs. The jars of treats that prompted her most joyous form of circling. (We called it the Bucking Bronco spin.) Four miniature boots, all in a row. Soon we will have to remove these things, if only to help Koira's golden retriever brother understand that, this time, she is not coming home.
>
>     I find myself going frequently outside to breathe =96 a more neutral space, which was not often Koira's domain. Yet, there, it is the small things which demand my attention. The song of a cricket, an intricate buttercup blossom, the round perfection of a bluebird egg, a butterfly. Small things. These are the things that astonish me.
>
>     Goodbye, our little Toby girl, our tiny flash of light. Loving you was an immense privilege.
>
> ~ Diane and Stu
>
> Freshwater Pearls Puppetry
> http://freshwaterpearlspuppetry.com/koira/index.htm
>
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-- 
Deborah Hunt
MASKHUNT
www.myspace.com/maskhunt
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