*UPDATE FROM BETH*
No change, you sweet, sweet sisters. Thank you so much for caring. We’ve looked absolutely everywhere in both the car and on foot. I told Melissa about thirty minutes after I picked her up and she’s looked obsessively for her ever since. I think you’ll be blessed to know that she found two of my fellow LPM staff members looking for Sunny in our neighborhood, too, and in two different cars. That’s the kind of people I work with. Sabrina, our director, almost couldn’t pull it together today. Curtis tried to be really low key about the whole thing, not wanting to enter into the drama, then we found out he’d been out in the car looking, too. She’s the kind of dog everybody loves.
We’re making posters and putting them out tomorrow and at that point feel that we’ve done all we can do. I will definitely let you know how this turns out but I won’t just keep on and on about it. In a world of rabid breast cancer and missing children, we’ll try to keep our perspective. Thank you so much, Siesta, for mentioning her chapter in “Feathers From My Nest.” That’s one of the most fitting tributes to our fine dog that we have in print. One of our Siestas, Allison Ashton, painted me the most beautiful and perfect rendering of Sunny that you can imagine for my birthday last year then she had it matted in red and framed in black. It’s the most precious thing ever. I have never loved a gift more. I’m so, so thankful to have it especially now. I love you, Allison.
Enough. Thanks for sharing my drama today. You are a wonderful community and you mean something to my life. Now, I’m going to go fix some comfort drinks (homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream) for Lis and I.
*UPDATE FROM AMANDA*
Mom wanted me to let you know that Sunny was not at the pound. We are hoping that she is just going to show up at the front door any time now. Please pray for Mom that she will be able to, in her words, pull it together. She is picking up Melissa from the airport right now. It’s her first trip home since she moved and we don’t want a cloud of sadness hanging over this sweet time with her. And in case this isn’t clear, I want y’all to know that we do have perspective about this. Sunny is just a dog, but it’s still sad to think about the loss of a furry friend. We love y’all! Thanks!
Hey, My Dear Siestas! I had planned to write you something funny today and share a few highlights from our trip to D.C. for the Esther intros and outros but something happened that took the funny right out of me.
My beloved Sunny dog is missing. When I got home from work yesterday around 5:00 PM, she darted out the front door. That’s not at all unusual. The whole neighborhood knows her and she has some good dog friends she frequently visits. She’s never been a dog you could confine. She will dig her way out of any backyard and shoot her way out of any open door. She was a stray sixteen years ago when she took up on my front porch. Our family has always teased that she was from the Order of Melchizedek because we never knew where she came from. Over the months that followed we became inseparable. During the worst season of my life, she sat right beside me while I bawled then would suddenly give my face what Keith and I came to call “the speed lick.” You never saw it coming. Then I’d laugh really hard and she’d wag her tail. Mission accomplished.
She should have sauntered back within the hour but didn’t. Keith and I drove all over the place last night then each got up many times during the night and looked out front for her. I put water on the porch because I knew when she came back she’d be thirsty. This morning, still no sign of her. Keith drove for over an hour this morning while I tried to get ready for work at home but bawled so hard, I couldn’t get my make-up on for the longest. We really hoped that the dog pound picked her up but, so far, they say they don’t have her. Keith is going to the facility as soon as it opens at 1:00 PM to see for himself.
I know this sounds silly to anyone who is not a dog lover but I am beside myself. She is my best buddy and is absolutely obsessed with me. She cries even if I’m temporarily out of sight. She follows me around, bless her heart, and sits wherever I do then sleeps right beside my bed where I can literally reach down and pet her. She is very old and I know she won’t live a whole lot longer but I want to be right beside her holding her furry gray face when she finishes her job as the world’s best guard dog and my most trusty friend.
I’ll let you know what happens. We Siestas have shared a lot of life in the last many months and I thought you might as well know that your buddy is fit to be tied. I love you guys and I’ll get you an update as soon as I have one.
Tags: Dogs
Beth I know what it is to have a great companion in a dog. We had to put our precious little one to sleep last summer after 16 years with her as our little family member. I’m praying for you and your adventerous one..may she come home soon!!
I know how hard it is to wait for a beloved pet to come home when they have gone missing….I hope that your precious Sunny is found soon…and I pray that she is being taken care of until she comes home….
Beth,
I think mine was one of the eaten up comments….But I wanted you to know that as I read your post about Sunny I cried with you. I prayed that Jesus would take good care of Sunny & give you peace.
Our pets are such a special part of our family & I know Sunny is extra special to you.
God bless & I love you,
Valerie
Oh Beth,
My heart is so tender right now for you. I have my own Sunny named “Payton.” I can’t even begin to put myself in your place right now. In fact, I’m on the verge of tears myself just thinking of you and Sunny.
Please sweet Jesus help Sunny find her way home to Beth.
Love in Christ,
~Cheryl
Libby is my precious older dog (skin tag laden, gray haired, gas issues), I love her. She is my Prayer Group mascot. I love that she gets up and goes to have my devotions with me in the morning. She is so loving (mostly just to me). Anyway, I understand the bond. She is My Dog. We all love her, but she was mine before I had children, so I mothered her like my own. Yep, spoiled stinky and rotten. I am praying she scratches that door this minute!
Oh I have thought of you all- and prayed all day… if I lived anywhere near I’d help you look too… my heart just breaks for you… we all know how precious Sunny is to you and your family! I feel as if I know her after reading all your stories and hearing you talk about her… I worry about how Beanie must feel too!
Please know you all are on my heart! Emmy
Oh my! I will be praying that your family finds your sweet Sunny! I consider my pets family members. They invest just as much time, if not more, into you as you do into them.
Last year, our dog got out from the backyard and we were devestated. Not only is old (17 in human years) but she was also deaf and partially blind. We posted posters all over the neighborhood, searched by car and foot for a week straight.
About a week later, we got a call from an animal shelter letting us know they had seen our fliers and believed they had our sweet dog. Sure enough, it was her.
She had crossed over Grand Parkway in Katy (Hwy 99) and made it safely somehow, crossed a field, and walked down the road about 2 miles before someone saw her and took her to the animal shelter.
Miracles can happen!
Oh Beth, I am praying that Sunny will find her way home. I just got a dog of my own about a year ago and I completely understand how you feel. My sweet Elli got really sick a couple weeks back and I just thought I would die if she didn’t make it. Praise the Lord, she is back to her self now. I’ll keep praying…
Beth-
Please know prayers are being lifted that sweet Sunny returns home safely. I, too, am a dog-lover and understand your sense of urgency to locate her!
It’s not silly! It’s very very serious! I wish I was there and could look…I really really do. Really. I’ll look up instead. Ouch…my heart aches for you.
sweet mama beth,
praying for your sunshine to return…i am sure there was someone in need of a friend for just a big and she went to the rescue..and she will come running back so excited to lick your face and tell you all about it 🙂
i’m a dog girl too…my parents have a great dane that is almost waist-high on all fours (overshadows me by a mile on two legs) and every time i come home she lays right down on top of me while i watch tv…nearly knocking the breath out of me as if she was the small lap dog she thinks she is…so great 🙂
love you friend
Oh dear Beth,
I have not been on at all today, it’s been rough two days here.
My niece found out she was expecting her first child last Thursday and lost the baby yesterday. We are very sad but trusting that God has called the baby to him.
I am an animal lover and too am obsessed with mine. They are human and my best firends. Just before I logged on I was telling a friend about my “babies” and how I protect them at all cost and she does the same with her dog. I will certainly be praying.
God gave you Sunny and he understands how sad you are right now. I am sad for you too.
Beth,
I’m so, so sorry for you and your family! I know what a pet can mean to a person. I hope you find her soon!
Take care,
Karen
http://www.homesteadblogger.com/tagblog
What an upset-stomach feeling you must have over this 🙁 I am so so sorry. Our Father pays very close attention to the loves in your life and He cares so much. I love you!!!! Don’t worry!!!!
(this reminds me of when my precious beagle was killed by a coyote. I loved him so much and it was a very real grief. I pray that God brings Sunny home!!!)
Dear Beth,
I think it is absolutely o.k. to be sad or upset about missing a loved one, be it two legged or four. I’m praying your Sunny comes home soon! When I was a teen a man in my church had a hunting do that he dearly loved. He went to the altar to pray for his beloved friend. My pastor made sure we all knew that none of our hurts are too trivial to bring to Jesus.
P.S. Just read you were in DC….seen you at Springfield VA several years ago…my sister lives there and I am going there July 4. I love that city! Cant’ wait to see the video!
Union Station, The Smithsoian, The Holacuast Musuem, The Monuments at Foggy Bottom…now surely you will reference Foggy Bottom…I love to just walk endless and aimlessly around the city..you always find something new as many many times as I have been there.
Oh, Miss Beth,
I am so sorry to hear about your dear Sunny dog.
However, let me share with you about 2 separate cats that had been lost…
When I was very young, we had a cat named Tabby. She came from a vet clinic back then, but was about 7 years old or so at that time. This was in the mid 1970’s, when people would leave their car windows open at night, and Tabby liked to go outside at night. Well, unknowingly, one of our neighbors got in his car to go to work, and his work was 30 miles from here. But, when he got out of his car at work, our dear Tabby jumped out of his car, and he couldn’t catch her. So, he told us about this as soon as he came home. Well, God must have given our dear Tabby a “inner roadmap” on how to get back home, as she landed on our door step 8 days and 9 nights later; a bit bloody and lighter, praise God! And, after a visit to the vet, she lived for at least another 3-4 years.
Then, my sister had a similar situation happen to her kitty, Rozin,in in January 1999, [around New Year’s], I believe. She had gotten him while she lived out in Boston, MA, but she and “Roz” made the trip back here to Milwaukee, WI, where my sister met her husband. And, I think that her beloved Rozin was about 9-10 years old when he wanted to go outside for his daily walk.
But, then the biggest snowstorm in ages hit and around 17 inches of white, fluffy snow pounded that area that day, and although Rozin was a pure black kitty, he was no where to be found. I was actually visiting here for Christmas, but was planning to fly back to Houston, so I got all worried about poor Roz, too. BUT, my sister called me a little more than a week later and told me that her dear Roz had showed up, freezing and very hungry. We were so happy!
So, my dear Miss Beth, God does answer prayers for lost kitties, so I’m sure that He does the same thing for dear doggies like Sunny…
In Christ’s Love,
Jennifer O
Southern Wisconsin
Oh my. You know, it’s okay to talk about it. I know that there’s worse things in the world, but honey, we love our dogs. They are a part of our hearts. And I’m telling you, our dogs love us even when we aren’t the most loveable. I’ll be praying, and if you need to share, then by all means, do. We’re siestas. When one hurts, we all hurt.
I am so, so sorry, and am praying for Sunny’s safe return.
Dear Beth,
I am so sorry that you are going through such pain and am praying for the safe return of Sunny. I don’t think I would have understood until about 6 months ago when Sheila, our part Dachshund/part Chihuaua, came to live with my husband and I. We are constantly telling her what a joy she is to us and neither of us realized how attached to her we would become. I will continue to pray that your precious companion returns to you very soon.
Love,
Dianne
Beth, I’ve been praying for your precious Sunny all day. I hope she returns safe and sound to your front door. Enjoy your visit with Melissa:)
I will be in San Diego tomorrow and will be at the conference, so please say something at the Conference if you found Sunny because I won’t be at a computer to read the latest updates !
I’m praying Sunny finds her way home. I bet she misses you as much as you miss her !
A TX Siesta.
Just read your update, Beth. We’ll keep praying–my little girls (9 and 7) are praying too!
Enjoy soaking your feet with Melissa…
Joanne
P.S. Can you tell my Bible study group is doing “Stepping Up”?
I am so sorry and I can relate. I have two of the most amazing furry friends too. Just like Sunny my 10pound Pomeranian named Goliath was sent by the Lord during the most difficult season of my adult life. (And the name suits him) He (like Sunny) just follows me around and is obsessed with me too. I love him and my heart just breaks for you. My heart and prayers are with you.
Beth- I am praying for Sunny to return safe to you and that her family and friends find peace and strength knowing that God is in control of this situation. I, too, am a dog lover and remember how it feels to loose a beloved friend. In the meantime, hold onto the good times and don’t give up!
Love you!!!!!
I am soo sooooo sorry. Will be praying you find her soon.
During prayer time tonight at Bible study, I asked everyone to pray for Sunny and for you, Beth. We all feel terrible about this. A couple of us have done almost all your studies and feel like we know you. When you hurt, we hurt.
((((((((Beth)))))))))
Oh Beth! It’s OK to be sad about losing Sunny. I hope that your little doggie finds her way home soon. Obviously, she is a gift from God in your life.
Dear Beth,
I having been praying and praying for Sunny and you ever since I saw the post at lunch time today. I too am a dog lover and I cannot even imagine what you are going through. Dear Lord please keep Sunny safe and lead her back to Beth! In the mighty name of Jesus, Amen.
Personally I have 4 dogs and I know how much they mean to me and I know that they are just dogs but really how often do we experience the unconditional love that they give us or the loyalty to cheer us. Okay I am here for you praying Beth and hoping that she comes home and puts a HUGE smile all over face!
Love you and feeling your pain in SW MO.
So glad that Melissa is there with you!!
Love,
Lori
I pray that your dog Sunny comes home soon. My dad and stepmom just lost their little miniature yorkier Tessie to heart failure. She was 11 and was the sweetest little dog. When I went to my dad’s and he was so upset and crying, so I just started bawling too. I pray you find your precious dog.
I’ve prayed for Sunny’s safe return to you and Keith, Beth. I know acknowledging that a dog is a dog is the “correct” Christian attitude but I know I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything or stop crying one moment if one of my dogs were missing. I’m not sure where any of us would end up in line if we got to judge the merits of the prayers of our Siestas. Prayers for safety and health for our beloved pets seem to me to be pleasing to God. I pray for Sunny’s safe return and the safe return of all sweet pets who’ve been separated from their owners and for good, loving homes for all God’s creatures.
Have a great visit with Melissa, and someone please post the rest of the wedding pictures!!!!
Love is Love- fur or no fur 🙂 Sometimes the ones with fur are easier to love 🙂 Lord you know where Sunny is and we trust her into your care!
I’m so sorry! My 13 year old daughter wanted me to encourage you by sharing that the Lord brought her pug puppy home after he ran off at 5 months of age with our older dog. We live out in the country and spent a terrible day and night searching but he found his way back home.
We’re both praying Sunny comes back too.
Beth and Amanda, please please keep us posted. So there are worse disasters. But you know what? Just cause somebody else has two broken legs, it doesn’t make my broken arm less painful!
We’re with you on this “broken arm” (okay, wandering doggie friend)…praying…we love you and hate to see you hurting…(and I am assuming I speak for others here — betcha dollars to doughnuts I do!)
May your Sunny show up soon, safe and ready to resume her role…May our loving Father give you peace until she does…
Beth,
I wrote something earlier and it didn’t get posted for some reason. Probably my computer.
I do want you to know that I don’t see this as drama, or blowing things out of proportion. That’s just condemnation. This concern and potential for grief is very real. I believe she is a gift from God to you. Her habits during that dark time in your life had to be from the Lord.
I will be praying as you hope, pray and trust Him for the outcome. I know you are. As I said before, thank you for letting us pray with you!
Trusting in the One who has it all and still able to stay seated…
Jina
I’m currently reading “Feathers From My Nest.” I love it! I’ve been thinking of Sunny’s chapter all day.
Thanks for the update. Just make sure that Keith keeps his feet out of the tub!!! 🙂
Love you all so much. Sunny is fine!!!
I am so, so sorry. I know you have an empty Sunny spot in your heart right now. I will be praying for a miraculous return.
We need a picture of Sunny!
Beth–
I am an avid dog lover and I know what you are going through. When we ladies start to have an empty nest with the kids going off to college, etc.; our four legged “kids” become even closer. My daughter rescued a dog in Huntsville at Christmas. We ended up with Sophie because she wasn’t suited for apartment life. Erin stated recently that when she graduates, she didn’t figure that we would give Sophie back. I told her definetly NO! I love that dog so much. I hope and pray that you find your dear Sunny and don’t think for a minute that anyone doesn’t care and want you to share about this love! Most of us feel the same way about our loves too!!
Sweet LORD,
The Siestas have “done all we can do”
Please Lord, it is ALL up to You
Please bring Sunny safely home
From the path that she does roam
Please Lord, bring Sunny home
May Your Spirit also surround the *Siesta Dog Lover*
Abundantly pour out Your comfort & protective cover
Please bring Sunny safely home
Please bring Sunny safely home
Amen.
Oh Beth,
My heart is breaking for you and your family. We just had to say goodbye to our beloved old girl in January and I still find myself looking for her when I come home each day. Our Casey was 14 and it nearly killed me to have to let her go. I know she was just a dog…but she was MY dog and she saw me through an awful lot in those 14 years! Those dogs just seem to fill something in us like nothing else does… must be those sneaky speed licks! Praying Sunny comes home safe and SOON!
Sweet Beth,
Even though I’m not into animals, I must just tell you that you are not burdening us with your concern for Sunny. Love is love and can’t be changed whether it’s man or beast! We will continue to pray for your beloved Sunny and hope to hear that some kind soul has brought her in to take care of her and you will be with her again very soon!
God wants us to share our blessings AND our burdens. Don’t hold back on us. We love you!
In His Grip,
tulip in Idaho
Beth were still praying all of us.MY freind & I love our dogs so much we cried for you.So we send our love & hugs to you, wish I could look for you. Take care my sweet angel.We will find her. Love sister in Christ Victoria NC
Please don’t apologize for being sad about her being lost for now and don’t feel that you have to explain that you have perspective. We all know you do! This does matter and noone needs to diminish your hurt. If it didn’t hurt then there would be explaining to do. I am praying that she is found.
Beth,
I am praying that God will bring Sunny back home to you.
Tonight at my biblestudy we are doing ‘When Godly People Do Ungodly Things’. In the video tonight you talked about not being able to wait until you had a grandchild that was around 2 years old so you could dance around to pariase and worship music with him. I know you miss Sunny, but I bet if you dance around the room with Jackson to praise and worship that it will help fill that void. I love to stand around and dance in my living room with my 2 yr old daughter. There is nothing better the the smile of a child dancing before the Lord.
It is good to have perspective. There are many horrible things in this world. But, God blesses us with our pets and that dear relationship so take your time and feel whatever you need to. Hurt is hurt. We are praying for you all.
I’m sorry about your sweet dog. I have always been terrified of dogs and did not think I would want one.
But that was before Aslan and Mr. Tumnus.
Mr. Tumnus is a stray that found us right after we got Aslan. I can’t believe how much I love those two!
I hope Sunny comes home soon.
I just took a break from cleaning house to see if you had found Sunny-I know that you think it isn’t a big deal to some, but you carry on if you need to because it is a big deal to YOU-I cannot imagine the hopelessness you are feeling. I too have a dog that treats me much like you said Sunny is with you. I pray that Sunny is safe and will check back for an update. I also pray that someone sees the posters and brings Sunny home. I pray that tomorrow IS a Sunny day.
Beth,
I’m just now reading this–we are avid dog lovers–no children yet, so we love them like no other. We are praying that Sunny will return home to be with her mama and daddy. May God give the the right scent she needs to follow it back home. We’re all rooting for ya’ll here in Birmingham. May God provide some peace and rest tonight,
Love Megann Cain