In Memory of California Pearl

written by Cris Cramer and Diane Windischman

Once in a lifetime they say that special hound comes your way.  We have had many special hounds but this hound was one of the very best ever.  Pearl started her journey to our home and hearts in the year 2000 when Sandy Blount and Priscilla Wright picked her up from the San Gabriel Shelter, with a notation, stray, chain collar, VERY THIN, sweet.  She spent 5 days in the cold outdoor runs of the shelter before being released to rescue.  She was a very sick girl, bleeding from the rectum, and was immediately taken to the vet where she spent the next 2 days on intravenous fluids, and was placed on a bland diet of Hill's Prescription ID, cottage cheese, rice, chicken breast and goat's milk.  She started to slowly come around, always thankful for what Sandy and Priscilla were doing for her.  Sandy said she had manners like no other dog she had ever seen.  She was "one in a million" This she definitely was.  Today there is a plague at the hospital where she did Therapy Dog for children with cancer.  It reads, In Memory of California Pearl a "One in a Million born Therapy Dog."

Back to her history, Sandy and Priscilla posted her picture on the Rescue Website, but no one really looked at her they said  She looked old and thin...(not to us) finally they got an e-mail from us (Diane and Cris in Michigan).  We saw her picture and immediately fell in love with this hound that looked so wise to us.  She had "soul" in her eyes.  We e-mailed daily to ask how she was doing. She reminded us of our Annastacia who had a year before gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I would do anything for this afghan and I had not even met her in person.   Finally Sandy agreed to let us adopt Pearl. I told Sandy I would fly out and California Pearl and I would drive back.  I (Cris) arrived in Los Angeles Sunday April First, the best day of my life.  I could hardly wait to meet my "best friend". I got to know what Pearl liked and disliked.  We left on Monday. We bonded immediately.  Our trip home was so wonderful I could hardly believe it.  She was the perfect Afghan hound, my perfect friend. I knew she was going to be the best companion for our Just Juliette who was still grieving the loss of her buddy Annastacia.   Upon our arrival home her and Juliette bonded almost immediately, it was as if Pearl had always been with us.  Like Juliette she went everywhere with us, visiting, to the cottage at the lake, and on vacations. She went to classes, became an Agility dog (Juliette taught her to go through the tunnels, people will still share with us how they thought that was so sweet)  She loved the tunnels. Our entire family and circle of friends immediately fell in love with her. Since Juliette was already a therapy dog we thought Pearl would like to try it.  She went to classes. loved being with other dogs and especially the people.  She became a Therapy Dog, visiting hospitals, nursing homes, retirement centers and schools.  One of her favorite things was to visit little kids in the hospital.  She knew which elevator to take, which way to turn, which hall to go down and which room he was in. She would run in and jump on his bed and they would visit for the longest time.  This became a weekly activity for her.   She loved to go for walks and play with Juliette.  She especially loved the snow.

California Pearl got Addisons Disease, we felt pretty lucky in that we learned how to manage this disease and she was doing really well.  We became label readers so she didn't eat anything that would trigger this.  She and Juliette loved to play and go for walks.  In her wisdom she helped us as we grieved the loss of Just Juliette, and we helped her.  We became inseparable, we went everywhere together.  She loved toys, but acted like she needed something.  We waited awhile and got her a sister.  You will read more about C.Mystic in another section of this website.  Mystic was a lot younger then Pearl so Pearl would teach her how to do things "right". 

California Pearl left us way to soon and way to suddenly on November 5, 2004.  We had gone for a walk that morning, our special time as always.  Later that day she suddenly collapsed.  We immediately took her to our vet.  She had a form of cancer that nothing could be done and it took her within five hours, of having the tests and the diagnosis. She died in my arms, surrounded with love and family. There will always be an emptiness in our hearts. At the same time, she will live in our hearts forever and we know we will meet again. Though our time was short we were blessed with this beautiful hound from California. She filled our lives with love. She had a lot of accomplishments and made a lot of friends along the way. She was happy and she knew she was loved, we also knew she loved us.  We will always love our California Pearl. She will always be with us.  Last week I was walking our "girls" and I stopped and we all sat down for a while.  Of course being the three active hounds they are they did not want to sit long.  But as we sat this man and boy were walking their dog by us.  I thought I recognized them.  As they came closer the little boy, about ten, said, "Hey aren't you California Pearl's mom. I said "Yes" cause I always will be. He talked to me for a while about how Pearl did this and that when she would visit him.  Then he played with "the girls".  His dad and I talked, Pearl was that "one in a million" that once you met her, you fell in love with her and she never really leaves you.  We miss her.

Love to our California Pearl…..Our forever Heart Hound