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    The Pastor's Shadow
    The Pastor's Shadow
    The Pastor's Shadow
    Ebook72 pages1 hour

    The Pastor's Shadow

    By Sylvia Heidemann

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    About this ebook

    Taking advantage of a shelter's Christmas special, Pastor Dave and his wife adopted a sad, thin chocolate Lab. They had to coach Shadow to be a dog—to swim, fetch and bark. She thrived, and became the loving, big-hearted dog Dave had longed for since he was a boy. Pastor Dave's humorous tale of his 10-year relationship with the sweet but stubborn Shadow will tug at your heart and make you smile.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSylvia Heidemann
    Release dateSep 12, 2013
    ISBN9781301972722
    The Pastor's Shadow
    Author

    Sylvia Heidemann

    Sylvia is a graduate of the University of Illinois with a degree in English and journalism. Her working career has centered on editing journals and magazines and providing public relations services for associations.A dedicated animal lover, Sylvia has been the guardian of a number of cats, three Labrador Retrievers, and two horses. Throughout her life she has domesticated formerly feral cats, and they have become totally devoted to her. She enjoys writing non-fiction inspirational stories with an uplifting Christian message. Interesting people and her personality-plus pets are her favorite subjects.Sylvia's husband David is a pastor and also a dedicated animal lover. In the 16+ years they've been married, they were lovingly manipulated by Shadow, a sweet but stubborn Labrador Retriever. Shadow (subject of The Pastor's Shadow) passed in January of 2013. In 2018 the couple began volunteering for a no-kill shelter, and couldn't resist adopting a 10-year-old longhaired Dachsund (Skye) that lives for chasing squirrels.They have also been guardians for seven feral cats, three of which still live under their roof, in addition to a grumpy old cat that belonged to one of Sylvia's sisters (who's now in a nursing home). Sylvia and David know that herding cats is a full-time job.Current writing projects include a book on the very queenly Star, a formerly feral beach cat that recently passed at the age of 13, and one on the two brothers shown in Sylvia's profile photo. The boys are strikingly different in every way, with the ginger-and-white Gibbs being adventuresome and creative, while the laid-back McGee (a Ragamuffin) craves nothing more than good food, companionship and a nice back rub.

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      Book preview

      The Pastor's Shadow - Sylvia Heidemann

      The Pastor's Shadow

      David & Sylvia Heidemann

      Smashwords Edition

      Copyright 2013 David & Sylvia Heidemann

      License Notes: This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

      Table of Contents

      1. Boyhood Pals

      2. From Wisconsin to Florida

      3. Internet Search

      4. The Element of Risk

      5. More Doggy Quirks

      6. Enter the Grand Dog

      7. The Move to Illinois

      8. Country Dog

      9. Surrogate Mother

      10. Our New Tennessee Home

      11. Signs of Aging

      12. Health Crisis

      13. A Call to Pastor Another Church

      14. The Last Car Ride

      15. Shadow's Epitaph

      Chapter 1

      Boyhood Pals

      I always wanted a dog of my own. Not my Dad's dog. Not my Mom's dog, or my older brother Randy's or my younger sister Kathy's dog. I wanted a dog that would dance with joy whenever I came home; a dog that would forsake all others and be my buddy, my pal, my sidekick.

      From the time I was about five years old, I longed for a dog. Up until I was 14 we three kids were only allowed to have hamsters as pets. They were interesting enough, each in its own way, but they just can't measure up to a dog. You can't take a long walk with them, play fetch, roughhouse, cuddle or seriously confide in them. (Share secrets with a member of the rodent family? No way.) So I begged and prayed for a dog, without ceasing, and Randy and Kathy joined me in the chorus. We wanted a dog.

      Our neighbors had a loveable dachshund, Heidi, that was a great ambassador for her breed. Our family was fond of her, so when Mom and Dad finally agreed to even consider getting a dog, our search was narrowed down—all because of Heidi—to a dachshund. One fall Saturday we piled into our '56 Olds to visit a local breeder, with the goal of perhaps finding our first puppy.

      How can anyone possibly visit a place where there are puppies and come away with nothing? We certainly couldn't. There was a reddish-brown sweetie named Liebschen (German for Dear Little Love) that won the day. And what a dear little love she turned out to be. We had arrived at the breeder's with hope in our hearts, and were all happy when we left with a real, live dog.

      Liepy, as we nicknamed her, lavished affection on all five of us. It soon became very clear, however, that she and Dad were totally smitten with each other. Whenever I watched the two of them, I often wondered: Did Liepy love Dad for himself or because of the treats he liberally gave her? I suspect the treats had a lot to do with their connection. When it comes down to it, only God and Liepy know the real answer.

      At any rate, Dad and Liepy were a bonded pair. He loved to teach her tricks, and she was an eager and talented student. One of her most famous performances was pawing out the correct math answer when Dad quizzed her.

      Liepy, he'd say, getting her attention, how much is two plus two?

      When Liepy patted her little paw the required number of times, Dad would fire off the next question: How much is eight minus three?

      Liepy was hardly ever wrong. She loved being the center of attention—and getting treats.

      None of us ever quite figured out how the two of them accomplished this feat of canine mathematics. Somehow they did, much to our amazement and amusement.

      Liepy was family, and, like any other family member, she received presents on her birthday and major holidays. One Christmas, going on the philosophy that too much of a good thing is wonderful, we gave her an massive bone that was almost as big as she was. In the case of material possessions, doggy nature, we quickly discovered, is not too different from human nature. Liepy became possessed by the bone, growling and even snapping at anyone who dared come too close. She guarded that bone, coveted it and never let it out of her sight all Christmas Day. Like the miserly Scrooge, her good humor disappeared because of the bone's hold on her.

      When nature's call came with the promise of restoring our sanity and peace, Leipy momentarily forgot her treasure to go outdoors. Seizing the opportunity, I grabbed the

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