Thea the harp dog

5PotatoChips

New member
There was a very special aspect of Thea that I wanted to share. She was my sister's harp dog. Below is something Rachel wrote a little bit ago that I thought I would share.

"In over fifteen years of playing the harp, I never had a "harp dog." I would enviously read stories of other harpists who had dogs (or cats) that liked their playing and would keep them company. The closest I came to that was my childhood family dog. He hated the harp and always went outside when I played. It was something. I guess.
But then came Thea. And she loved the harp. Whenever I sat to play, the precious girl would run over to me. (Well... trot. She never ran anywhere). If I was playing my pedal harp, she would curl up against its base. If I was playing my lever harp, she would lie close by.
She was diagnosed with Congenital Kidney Failure a few weeks ago. She was only four years old and her body couldn't compensate anymore. She went downhill fast and when I played, I was suddenly alone. She no longer joined me, too sick to move. She had to be let go shortly afterwards.
Thea has left an empty space that follows me around. It's there when I go to fill a water bowl that doesn't need it. It's there when I absently step around her favorite spots in the kitchen. It's there when I don't have to squeeze through my front door because she won't budge from her spot against it. It's there when I do a head count of the Newfies wandering the yard and I automatically look for her in her favorite grasses.
And that emptiness was there when I tried to play harp for the first time since losing her. I am no longer envious of those other harpists. It will be a while longer before I try playing again."
 
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