Saturday, April 7, 2012

Pawprints on Our Hearts: A Tribute To Flora

There are dogs, and then there are DOGS. You know, that special one that comes into your life and changes it forever? Well, my visits to the blog Leaves of Grass during the past year have shown me that Flora was the latter sort of dog, holding a very special place in the heart of blogger Sonia A. Mascaro. I have been touched by their bond - it reminds me so of the connection I had with my German Shepherd Jessie. Dogs like Jessie and Flora bring such love into our lives, love that endures the passage of time. And while other dogs may come into our lives, and we love them all very much, there remains that special one that lives on in our hearts forever. I recently asked Sonia if she would share Flora with us, in words and pictures. Today's post is a result of that request - a tribute to Flora.


On September 3, 1997 a tiny black and white puppy was born to a stray mother dog on the campus of a University in São Paulo, Brazil. This little pup faced homelessness and an uncertain future, but lucky for baby Flora, Sonia's daughter Sofia found and rescued her, welcoming her into a family that would cherish her every day of her life.

Sonia tells us that Flora loved to play with a ball, run at the beach and take strolls with the family around their neighborhood. She never enjoyed swimming in a pool, but loved to swim and play in a dam near their house. Flora loved to go for walks, and when she suspected it was time for a walk and spotted the leash, she would get very excited and do a "happy dance". Sonia says she would literally jump in the air and spin in circles: "she was always ready to go! Flora was very smart and active even as an old lady."


Another favorite activity that Sonia and Flora enjoyed was napping together on the couch. When night came, Flora had her own bed and blanket, but she always preferred the people bed. She had a sweet tooth, but also loved getting a piece of bread, meat, and many kinds of fruits and vegetables.

Sonia shares that there were a few things that Flora did not like. She didn't care for strange dogs or people, and she hated cameras! 


Sonia says whenever she would point the camera in her direction, Flora would turn, stare the other way, or leave the room (my goodness, that sounds just like Katie!).





Sonia says - "Unfortunately, I write about my beloved Flora from a bygone time, as my dearest and adorable friend died at almost 14 years of age on July 12, 2011. But it was fortunate that for so many years Flora enjoyed good health and a happy life, much loved by me, my husband, my daughter Sofia and my son Fernando. My dearest, lovely and adorable friend Flora will be always in our hearts and in our memories. We loved her so much and we miss her deeply every single day."


I told Sonia that Flora must be out there somewhere smiling and wagging her tail, to know how much she is still loved, and that these wonderful memories live on today. Who knows, maybe Jessie is with her, both of them out there somewhere, waiting for us to rejoin them some day. What a happy thought! :)


(Thank you to Sonia A. Mascaro from Leaves of Grass for the photos and stories of Flora.) 

21 comments:

  1. what a beautiful tribute, thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Very sweet remembrances of a sweet & lucky pup. RIP flora xo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Brenda,
    Thank you so very much!
    I am so grateful and so glad more than I can say for that lovely and wonderful "Tribute to Flora"!
    I love the post so very much! It is very beautiful and I reading it with tears on my face.
    You capture with much sensibility my feelings about my dearest and so missed Flora.
    Love also the title of the post: "Pawprints on Our Hearts: A Tribute to Flora". Absolutely perfect!
    Many thanks!

    I hope you have a Happy Easter too!
    Love,
    Sonia.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a lovely tribute to dear dear Flora....I am a long time reader of Sonia's Blog and always enjoyed the pictures and videos she would post of her beloved Flora.....It was a very very sad day when Flora left Sonia and Carlos, and Sofia and Fernando. Flora was such a special dear dear dog.....My heart goes out to Sonia and her whole family.....

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a lovely and touching tribute. Thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Brenda, I’m Sonia's daughter. What a beautiful and lovely tribute to dear Flora! Love your post! Thank you so much for sharing our sweet Flora with your readers. Hugs :) Sofia.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hello. I came here from Sonia's blog. Although Sonia and I have never met, we've been friends for a while now and I know how much she still misses her Flora. This is such a wonderful tribute to her friend! I don't think I've ever seen puppy Flora pictures.

    Thank you for sharing those memories. And good to meet you! :) x

    ReplyDelete
  8. Like Georgia's owner I came here from dear Sonia's blog where I followed her activities and was so sad when she died.
    This is a super tribute. Thank you so much.
    Your dogs are a delight too!

    Buster (my rescue dog) would love them. Greetings from New York!

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful post about a very devoted dog and her loving human!!
    Oh if they could only live longer but they are always in our hearts.
    Even 37 years later we still speak fondly about our first family pet.
    Toto, the mighty mini Doxie. He left us with with lots of smiles.
    Hugs madi and Mom

    ReplyDelete
  10. What an amazing story about a very sweet companion.

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a lovely surprise to see commenters both old and new, and all the visitors from Sonia's blog. Even Sofia stopped in! Hello to all of you, and thanks for visiting. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos and stories of sweet Flora. After hearing Sonia's stories, and seeing her photos, I feel like I knew her myself. I especially love that last photo, it looks like she's smiling, and that makes me smile! :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. So sorry for you Sonia! Very nice tribute to Flora.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a beautiful tribute to a cute dog, Flora.

    I really enjoyed this and will bookmark your blog to come back and see more posts.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's difficult to find knowledgeable people in this particular subject, but you seem like you know what you're talking
    about! Thanks
    Here is my homepage : piano lessons

    ReplyDelete
  15. I like it when individuals get together and share views.
    Great website, keep it up!
    Here is my website how to get rid of acne on your back

    ReplyDelete
  16. I think that what you posted made a lot of sense.
    However, what about this? suppose you added a little information?

    I mean, I don't wish to tell you how to run your blog, but what if you added a headline to maybe grab people's attention?
    I mean "Pawprints on Our Hearts: A Tribute To Flora" is a little plain.

    You ought to peek at Yahoo's front page and note how they create post headlines to grab people to click. You might try adding a video or a pic or two to get people excited about everything've written.
    Just my opinion, it would make your blog a little bit more interesting.
    Feel free to surf my blog ... skin whitening

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from an
    established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog?
    I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about making my
    own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers
    Here is my weblog ... lägenheter till salu i oba Alanya

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some guidance from
    an established blog. Is it very hard to set up your own blog?
    I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm thinking about making my own but I'm not sure where to start. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers
    my web site :: lägenheter till salu i oba Alanya

    ReplyDelete
  19. This is the right website for everyone who wants to find out about this
    topic. You realize so much its almost hard to argue with you (not that I really will need
    to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a subject which has been discussed for decades.
    Great stuff, just great!
    Also visit my blog post how to get rid of blemishes

    ReplyDelete