[Gpdd] Re: Rainbow Bridge: GEORGE the guinea pig has left us...

[Off1Knight at aol.com]

I have so often sat at this keyboard with tears in my eyes speaking of all 
those little ones that God has called home and across the bridge but today it is 
the most difficult time I have had to type these words. Today at Saturday, 
September 25th 2004 at 9:30 AM, GEORGE the Guinea Pig, AKA "Son, the Boy, Little 
guy, Big guy, Handsome man, and his latest "Will Bite" left for home and his 
trip across the bridge. Five and a half years ago, GEORGE'S mother walked into 
NJ Pets and saw a little guinea pig with a torn up ear who looked at her and 
wheeked, that day the greatest love affair in the history of time began 
between two humans and one guinea pig, GEORGE the guinea pig. This morning, his 
mother, Gail, took him from his oxygen environment and offered him some food, of 
which he ate a little of (I think more to make her feel better than to satisfy 
a none existing appetite). It was clear to her that he was having difficulty 
breathing so she contacted the vet and while route to there GEORGE left for the 
bridge. He had spent the better part of the last three days in his oxygen 
environment and yesterday he actually rested his head inside the oxygen mask I 
fabricated for him. His mother spent all night Thursday holding this mask in 
front of his little snout so he could breath a little easier. There is no doubt 
that the oxygen helped him for the days he spent in it but today it was his 
time to cross the bridge. There is nothing, not enough tears to fill an ocean, 
not enough broken hearts to fill ten lifetimes of those who have loved him. I 
have spoken of "the prayer" so many times, the prayer thanking God for one more 
day with the Boy. As I penned in yesterdays GPDD, yesterday was the first time 
I prayed for God to "please spare this little man any more pain and 
suffering. He's only a little guy and doesn't deserve that." I asked all of you who 
read this digest to say a prayer asking Him for that mercy on our little guy, 
GEORGE. He has heard ALL our prayers and stopped the little boys suffering. 
GEORGE is now across the bridge I have written about so very many times. Yet 
somehow this time the words are so much more difficult, the tears unstoppable and 
two hearts very much broken for the loss yet thankful for the mercy given in his 
passing. To ALL of you that have written him in the past wishing him well and 
healing wheeks thank you all. Your words were VERY much appreciated and they 
have all be saved in a loose leaf binder with so very many 8 x 10 pictures of 
him. For those that read yesterdays post and offered their prayers to end 
GEORGE'S suffering, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH, God has heard all of them and has 
taken the ultimate mercy on OUR little boy. May he ALWAYS stay close to God's hand 
and may he always look back on his life and tell the story of two people who 
took him home and for 5 and 1/2 years, gave him every wish, every treat, and 
every bit of love there could be in two hearts and then some, a HOME where 
EVERY DAY was looked at like it was his last. GEORGE the Guinea Pig has entered 
the fields of endless parsley and carrots, that land across the bridge where all 
those you heard the names of every day will meet him. May God bless him 
forever and may the "Boy" never forget to watch the bridge...because ONE DAY we 
will all be together again. There are no words that could thank you ALL for 
making GEORGE the icon he has been in the guinea pig world.

In closing I would ask that Ron place a Rainbow Next to his name on the "Poo 
Trail" Although he never made the trip, I read him the many adventures that 
were reported here in the GPDD. His name can be found on Page 9, number 
2305...Thank you

Sincerely and tearfully,

Joseph Petrillo AND Gail Cost, GEORGE the Guinea Pig's daddy AND 
mommy...Without her GEORGE would never have been...and with her he knew all the love in 
the universe...