My name is Suki

My name is Suki . I’m a Chihuahua. I’m just a little 4-pound package and I’ve always been completely blind and deaf. I don’t see with my eyes and I don’t hear with my ears; I feel messages from your soul.
For as long as I can remember, it was always just my Dad and me. Dad took care of me to the best of his ability. We didn’t have a lot of money but we were very happy together. He fed me, he loved me, he gave me a home. We had just each other; no other family and not a lot of close friends. As time went on, I noticed something was changing with Dad. My eyes and ears may not work, but I can sense things that others can’t. Whatever it was that was wrong with Dad, it worried me very much. One day, Dad’s soul whispered to me that he had to go to the hospital. He set me up at our apartment with extra water and food, and some papers to use for a bathroom. He gave me a long hug and asked me with his heart to be a patient, good boy. I always do what Dad asks me to do, so I settled in and waited for his return.
A couple of days later, some nice ladies came by to check in on me. I could feel their worry in the air and it made my nose burn. For a long time afterward, one of the ladies would stop by each day to give me fresh water and food and change my papers. And even though they were very kind to me, I became more and more concerned. Where was my Dad? Why wasn’t he home yet? What happened to him in that hospital? And in the meantime, my itch was getting worse and worse. I cried a lot during that time, but not when the ladies were there. I needed to be brave for my Dad.

About three weeks after Dad went to the hospital, a new lady stopped in to see me. She knew how to speak from the soul, just like Dad. She told me she would take me to The Animal Support Project. I didn’t know what that meant at the time, but the lady smelled good and seemed to really care about me, as much as the other ladies did. So I agreed to go with her and soon, I was living in a home with people again. I learned later it was called a foster home. In this foster home, the man and lady who lived there also spoke with their souls to me. They told me Dad was very ill, and he couldn’t come home for awhile. That’s why I was living with them in the foster home. They also told me I had allergies. They gave me special food and took me to a vet where I had some much-needed dental work done and some of my blood was drawn for testing. Later, some changes were made in my schedule. Now, each month, I would feel the tiny prick of a needle, but I didn’t mind so much. The foster lady said the stick I felt was from medicine to make my allergies easier to live with. And y’know what? It worked! My soft, fluffy hair all grew back and I felt better than I had in a very, very long time.

My foster Mom told me she had seen my Dad at the hospital. She said she had promised him that she would see to my care forever, if anything should happen to him. She said it’s her mission in life to help animals like me get the care they need when their owners can’t do it for themselves. She said there are lots of people just like her with the same mission, all working through The Animal Support Project. My soul spoke back to my foster Mom often and I told her how grateful I was that she helped my Dad and me when we needed it most. I loved the foster home and the other dogs and cats who lived there. They were all so very kind to me! They understood I was special.

One morning, my foster Mom picked me up and gave me a bath. It wasn’t my normal bath day, so I wasn’t sure why she thought I needed one. But I had faith in her and decided to do what she wanted. After the bath, she bundled me up in a blanket and we went for a ride in the car. I could feel the motion of us moving down the road and it made me anxious. Where were we going? The smells in the building we went into were very different from what I had ever smelled before….kinda like the vet’s office, but something was different. Everywhere, I could feel souls speaking. Some were calling out, some were peacefully at rest, and some were very tired. It was the strangest place I had ever been.

Suddenly, I felt a very special soul coming closer. It was my Dad’s soul. And although it was weak and tired, I knew it right away. My energy called out to his and before I knew it, I was nestled up next to him in his bed. It felt and smelled funny, but I could smell Dad’s smell among the blankets. There were tubes and wires in the bed with us, but I didn’t care. I was with my Dad at last and it felt SO GOOD! I could feel his tears falling in my fur. I sniffed the air and realized we were surrounded by all the nice ladies who had been helping me. There was sadness in the air but also great peace and joy.

Dad and I went peacefully to sleep for quite awhile. Later, my foster Mom slowly, gently picked me up from under Dad’s arm and carried me back out to the car. We two rode home together. I was very happy to have had that time with my Dad, because it was our final time together. That night, I only heard his soul call out to me once, for the very last time. He told me he was at peace and he was going to wait for me in the new world. He said someday we would be together again, healthy and whole. We just needed to be strong and patient and follow our hearts. Then he stopped speaking and although I shouted out to him as loud as I could, I never heard his soul again.

My foster family and I lived a happy life together for quite awhile. Then, one day, my foster Mom took me on another ride in the car. This time, we brought Laurie, one of the volunteers form The Animal Support Project, and Lady Gaga, her blind foster dog. This was the day Lady Gaga was to go to her new forever home and Laurie was both sad and happy about it. She was happy because her little friend, Gaga, would have the most wonderful family to spend the rest of her life with. But she was sad because she knew she would miss having Gaga to cuddle and care for. Foster Mom and I went along to help with getting Gaga situated in her new home, and to help Laurie feel better about letting go.
Laurie’s soul had spoken to me many times before when she would come to visit my foster home. I liked her a lot because she was so warm and kind. She would stroke me and tell me how handsome I was and how she wished she could have a sweet little friend like me to take care of. So when Lady Gaga went to her new home and Laurie needed a new foster dog to care for, I agreed to move in with her and John and their animals. She needed a little friend now that she didn’t have Lady Gaga. And since she was used to having a blind dog, she knew just what I needed to keep me safe and happy. Soon, we became so close that Laurie and John made a big decision: they would adopt me! Yes, I would have this wonderful home with these fine people and their sweet animals as my forever family!
Now, each day, I go for walks in the big yard with my family and friends. I get warm baths and brushing and all the most wonderful things to eat. I nap on the big couch in the evenings right between my Mom and Dad, Laurie and John. And when it’s time for bed, I sleep right next to Laurie. Our souls and hearts speak to each other and we support each other through thick and thin. We are truly a family and I know I am treasured.
Since the day my old Dad left my world, I have been through so many changes! But through it all, I trusted in my Dad’s advice and in the good in everyone’s soul. With no eyes to see and no ears to hear, some might think I should be bitter, as if I am missing something. But I know the soul can speak and the heart can tell us what we can’t see or hear. I’m Suki, the luckiest little dog in this world. I have all I need and I always will.