Aly, I am sure you are still very hurt over the incident with Maddie. I would be too. Especially since you had your hopes up in her coming to live with you. We all need to heal from the pain of knowing a Pet Talk furkid was in a shelter and we had no idea if she would be adopted or not before her time came. Fortunately she did find a new home and I believe it must be working out or the shelter would of contacted Phred. I also choose to believe that Maddie is in a better situation since she is an only dog and her new family will have the time to work with her troubled areas. That thought makes my heart happy for Maddie.

I want you to know that I do not agree with how this all came about! I wish Angel had been up front with us from the start so we could of helped and worked something out on Maddie's behalf before she went to the shelter. However, that was not the chosen path. Even if Angel had told us, I am still not sure we would of all understood. Our passions for all the furkids is very strong and drives our emotions.

I was very much upset over the whole thing, like most of the members of Pet Talk were. Now though, I think we all need to move to a place of healing and forgiveness. From the sounds of it, Angel is living in her own personal hell of grief and agony. I will not add to it. Although, I hope she never forgets the lessons learned from this ordeal and NEVER repeats it.

I can not imagine getting a new addition to the family and not being able to share it on Pet Talk. To keep it bottled up and not be able to tell everyone or show pictures. That would be agonizing to me. Especially when everyone is talking about their babies.


Angel, I along with others on Pet Talk need to heal over the Maddie situation. I am sure you understand since you are still in that healing process too from the sounds of it. I do not know what transpired in your life to cause you to put Maddie in a shelter. At this point it is not important. What is important though is that you have learned some valuable lessons through this all.

I can not speak for the other members of Pet Talk, but for myself, I want to put this behind me knowing Maddie is in a new loving forever home. I have done some pretty stupid things in my life before and probably will again. Some of them were major blunders. We are all in need of some kind of forgiveness in our lives. Most importantly, Christ Jesus died for my sins and has forgiven me. If he can forgive me, then he can forgive you and I should forgive you. The healing has begun. Therefor, I would like to take this opportunity to hear about your new addition. I have already seen his pictures and he seems very precious.

Everyone else on Pet Talk that was affected by this situation, I hope you understand why I am making this attempt to move into a healing process and offer forgiveness. Angel will live with the decisions she made and I believe she is very torn and agonized over the whole thing. As rightfully she should be. But when I screw up in life (and we all do at some point) I don't want it to be an unforgiven circumstance that we can't move beyond.

Some of you may not be ready to forgive and that is fine. I pray you will get to that point at sometime. From my point of view though, when I am down it is always nice when someone comes along and picks me up. That's what makes life worth living.

I found this little poem on the internet. It says it best for me.

God's word is clear and simple
About what I must do
When I have been offended
By friend or foe's misuse:
"Forgive...and be forgiven"
I dare not keep a score--
Seventy times seven
Times seven hundred more.

When I am unforgiving,
The battle I'll not win;
For I need my Father's mercy
To blot out all my sin.
Forgiving is not easy
Yet I know it can be done:
I look to Christ my Savior,
The Holy, Sinless One.


When Jesus died upon the cross
His words rang clear and true,
"Father, please forgive them,
For they know not what they do."
As the Precious Lamb of God
Christ wants me to see:
Forgiving is the power
That sets my spirit free!
Forgiveness is God's wondrous gift
That sets my spirit free!

Col 3:13 (NIV)

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.