Cheech stood at the edge of the bridge,
Excitement filling his heart.
His stance caught the eyes of the other kids,
And they moved a ways apart.

He knew the moment was very near
Because he felt mother’s pain swell.
For days now the prayer song, clear
And pure, had rung sweet as a bell.

The prayers were for Freddy
Who was nearing the end of his long life
And they were so strong and sweet
They filled heaven with their blessed light.

Freddy loved mother and grandmum
With the deep strength only a dog can know
From the first day he parked his little bum
On the front step of his chosen home.

And later, when mother introduced a loving dad,
Freddy’s life was heaven on earth,
For they brought Cheech, a grand golden lad,
And the two boys were brothers in fur.

They played games with teddy bears and socks.
Cheech would offer Freddy one to chew
But then hold on and tug with lots
Of noise, forgetting that Freddy stuck like glue.

One day Cheech saw Freddy slow down a bit
And he knew, as all animals do,
That soon Freddy’s strong heart would quit
And that Cheech would help mother through…

But Cheech came first past the rainbow
In the cold wintertime of Ireland.
‘Twas a great surprise to him to know
That God had a different plan.

He had always thought he would be there
For mother when Freddy’s time came.
He knew Freddy’s passing would tear
Her heart and cause a mother’s pain.

Instead he moved on first, this soul so dear,
And from heaven’s bridge, like sweetest rain,
He poured his love upon every tear.
He heard each sob of grief and pain.


Now and then, Cheech walked the halls
Of his earthly home, but no one knew,
Except Freddy, who barked glad calls
And offered Cheech a sock to chew.

Cheech told his brother, his dear friend,
That Freddy’s time was coming soon
To step to heaven, and that once again,
They would sleep in the sun and howl at the moon.

So the time came for Freddy to leave,
But, oh, he tried to stay,
For he knew that sorrow and grief
Would descend as soon as he was away.

Mother’s love surrounded Freddy that morn
As she told him she would stay till the last
And so she did, with her foot ‘gainst his back,
Her beloved touch speaking of all the years past.

Then Freddy saw Cheech, at the bridge,
Waiting with a joy that reached where he lay,
And his heart eased, and his breathing slowed.
He felt mother beside him, and knew he couldn’t stay.

Then, for one perfect moment in time,
Freddy felt mother’s last cuddle, and Cheech’s glad kiss,
And they were together again, the three of them,
As Freddy stepped from this earth to the bridge.

For love never dies, not even when we part –
It spans heaven and earth, and lives in the heart.