In honor of Katie Scarlett Means

I saw Katie's picture on petfinder.com in August of 2003. It was love at first sight. Something about her sweet smile captured my heart. I called the shelter to make sure she was still available and she was! So I drove down the next day to get her. She walked out all shaggy and a little skinny. After a quick sniff of my hand she looked up at me as if to say "Okay mom, let's go home!" The next six years were wonderful. Katie quickly became my best friend, shadow, protector, daughter and teacher all in one loving, furry package.

My husband and I tried to take her everywhere we could and she left little paw prints on the hearts of everyone she met. She went to antique stores, bookstores, pet stores and outdoor restaurants. She was very well traveled - from the streets of Savannah (GA) to the gardens of the Biltmore Estates she saw it all. One of our fondest memories is from our visit to Rock City in Tennessee. They have a section up on top where you can see seven states. Well Katie propped her front paws up on the rock wall to get her view of the seven states. She was like that - curious, kind, and the most loving being I've ever met.

Then on September 16-17, 2009 our world shattered. Katie became very ill and listless after supper. We rushed her to our local emergency clinic. There they found a mass in her abdomen. She needed surgery and more care than they could provide since they were strictly an overnight clinic so we moved her to a critical care clinic a little further away. She was diagnosed with a tumor called hemangiosarcoma and her chances were not good. Hemangiosarcomas are blood born tumors that are hard too find and can grow very fast. Usually by the time they are found it is too late. The tumor had ruptured and she was bleeding internally. She needed but had to be stabilized first. We asked to see her before she was taken in to surgery. We held her and said our goodbyes as best we could. Our girl put up a long, hard fight but in the end it was just too much for her. The hospital staff gave us all the time we needed with her and made a paw print for us.

Walking out that night with an empty collar was the most heartbreaking thing I've ever had to do. Then came the task of breaking the news to the people who loved her. Everyone was heartbroken. Her favorite cashier at Petsmart cried at the news. But that was the effect Katie had on people.


The last 6 months have been very difficult. I still cry sometimes. Since Katie's passing we have welcomed another furry child into our lives - a mixed breed little girl named Wendy - born the weekend after Katie's passing. She brightens our home and hearts.

After Katie's passing I longed for a way to honor her and decided a memorial pendant would be nice as I could always have her with me. I found Celebrative Art by googling memorial pendants and I was immediately drawn to their designs the best. I found the floral artwork especially appealing. I also liked the heart shape so I emailed them about combining a floral with a heart shape and they worked with me to make a wonderful custom piece of art. The heart shape symbolized Katie to me because of her loving spirit and the special place she holds in my heart. It's one of a kind just like her.


Sandi (mom) Means

This is a picture of our Rufus. As you can see from his picture he had a beautiful smile. I found him one day while at a flea market with my mother. We were walking out the door when two girls walked in carrying a cage with several puppies. He was just a small ball of white fuzz. He was a Chow/Sheppard mix.

He was always a little skidish and when he was a puppy he ran into the street and was hit by a speeding car! Because he was still growing we were told by a orthopedic pet surgeon that he would need to have surgery to his front leg and then redo the surgery again in another 6 months.

I was concerned about the amount of damage to his leg and as a nurse I thought that because of his size and the extent of damage to his leg that he may develop arthritis later in life and have great difficulty walking. I decided it was better to amputate his poor leg.

After Rufus healed he adapted very well. There was no cat that was gonna come in his yard and think they could out run him. He was fast!!! He was a wonderful protector with a great bark! He also loved to fetch for hours......sometimes I would throw the ball down the stairs trying to wear him out but he would bark to let you know he was still waiting for you to play with him.

He enjoyed laying on our elevated front porch and over look the neighborhood. My mother who is in her 80's enjoyed driving by her children's homes when she needed to get out and get some fresh air for herself. She always enjoyed driving by our house in warm weather because Rufus would recognize her car and open the screen door himself and go out to greet her. This always gave my mother joy.

Rufus was nervous around small children so we always had to be careful when friends came to visit with small one's. But children always remembered him, probably because of his handicap and his ability to run and play regardless of missing his front leg.

Rufus also had a cute habit of sitting up on his hind legs and he would just look around with his ears out in a horizontal position like plane wings. And whenever he got a ball caught underneath any furniture you knew that you may as well just get up now and get that ball or his crying would drive you crazy until you did. Then he would drive me crazy in the morning while I would be trying to get ready for work, Rufus would drop his Tennis ball in the bath tub and even the toilet and then bark until you threw it and then he would be immediately back to do it again. He was tireless.

His very favorite thing to do was watch the Koi fish swim in the back yard. Whenever they would get too close to him he would snap at the water like he was going to bite one. One summer we had a few little frogs in the pond. He really loved them!!!! On one occasion a frog jumped out of the water towards him. Well... he could hardly jump backwards fast enough to get away from that frog. Rufus and that pond provided hours of cheap entertainment. His quirky habits are what made him so unique and lovable!

Over the past two years Rufus began slowing down and found it more difficult to get up, like we all do. This past fall and early winter he really began to decline and began having some falls and tumbles. One afternoon he had a terrible fall down our stairs and hit his snout and developed an abscessed tooth as a result. He recovered and had good days and bad days but more and more he was having difficulty with his balance amongst other things. But every time you called his name he gave you a bright smile and wagged his tail. It was such a difficult decision to make of when enough was enough and when his pain and suffering is at the cost of our difficulty of letting go.

So this is in honor of our friend and family member Rufus. You will never be forgotten and will always be missed. We hope you have a wonderful porch in heaven and are watching over everyone there as you did here.

With love,

Mom & Dad

www.celebrativeart.com

Welcome to our new blog for Celebrative Art!

I recently saw a poster at the Cleveland Clinic while I was there with my husband for his chemotherapy treatment which read "Art is for the Spirit". This just really hit me why I needed art in my life! For my spirit!!!! My husband and I have always loved and appreciated all forms of art as it has always lifted our spirits or caused us to think or feel something on a deep visceral level.

Even though I have always known on an emotional level the importance of art, when I saw this poster it verbalized for me what I had been feeling all along while Tony and I were developing our company, Celebrative Art http://www.celebrativeart.com/.

Celebrative Art has given us a way to help others memorialize a loved one as a visual and spiritual expression in one. It is so important for our spirit to be able to respectfully honor the life of a love lost whether it be a family member, best friend our a beloved pet.

I am excited about the future as we continue to meet such wonderful people who share our same passion in honoring and memorializing our loved ones.

Please visit our newest friend at A Message From Pet Heaven. We met her recently by accident while shopping in Columbus Ohio. You never know where you will meet an angle. She writes very personalized letters to people who have lost a pet, from the pet's perspective. This lady has a special gift and we are so happy to have met her. You will find she has a lot to offer someone who is dealing with a loss and needs help with healing.

Sincerely,
Anna Marie and Tony Dustschi