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 Re: A Dogs Tale 22 messages | Select a forum: |
rockhopper wrote: The German Pointer I have is definately telepathic. I only have to think about taking him out and he goes yampy. Living on a hill, on really quiet nights you can hear the dogs in the valley below barking to each other. Its definately some form of communication, with dogs a couple of miles distant from each other joining in. By the way...Lock your partner and your dog in the boot of the car for an hour, and see which one is pleased to see you when you let them out...! Haaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaa yes, I wonder which one it would be!!!! I'm going to tell you a true story now. I know it's way off topic...but is it?, because our great ancestors may well have understood this and treated their dogs with equal respect on their demise. This is to be published shortly. Are they really only JUST dogs? On the 21st July I had to say goodbye to my lovely dog Roy 235516 who had been with me for over 15 years. It was as I was burying him in our own ‘garden of rest’ that tearful memories flooded back of the day I was doing exactly the same with another past old friend called Drift. He was one of two littermates that I kept back that were sired by my Merlin, the other being named Spell. The day I buried Drift will remain in my memory forever as it was the most humbling day of my life and the one that made me realise that dogs are not JUST dogs and we certainly don’t fully understand them as easily as some people seem to think we do. Drift had suffered a stroke two days prior to his demise and on advice from my vet he advised I just leave him be and let nature take its course. He would recover or he may not. On the second day I could see that he wasn’t likely to pull through so made the decision to have him PTS in the morning. As it is with a dog you’ve spent so much time with but one that was kennelled, I made up an extra comfortable straw bed for him and sat down next to him just to let him know I was there. As he lay his head down a straw blade rose up and positioned itself in front of his nose and began moving backwards and forwards in time with his breathing. I was fascinated by it and watched this for a considerable time as it swung to and fro like a metronome. When it was feeding time I left his side and fed the other dogs before returning to him as soon as I could. Again my eyes became transfixed on this blade of straw…but it was slowing down now. At first I thought it was just because Drift was in a deep sleep where everything slows down naturally, but something was different this time as it wasn’t as regular. The gap between the movement of the blade became spasmodic and much slower until eventually like a hammer blow to my heart, it stopped! I waited and waited then gave Drift a little nudge and encouraging words, but they were not heard or felt as my boy had crossed over and again, as one is when a great friend leaves you, you are heartbroken! It was then that the first of two amazing things happened for all of my other dogs began howling simultaneously in the most haunting of ways that it made the hair on the back of my neck stand out. Rather stupidly now I recall I told them all to be quiet at first but then realised that they were just telling all of their kind that a friend and member of the pack had passed on in the only way they could or had been genetically programmed to do. But how on earth did they know that their companion in life had died when he did? What do they have that we don’t, or have lost? Drift was in a separate kennel out of sight but in a row next to them but they still knew even though he died without a sound! But that wasn’t the only thing that was going to astound me in the next few hours because what happened the following morning made me realise how little we really know about our dogs and why exactly they are so precious to us in all manner of ways. They are not JUST dogs as I was about to find out! Early in the morning I ventured out very crestfallen and teary eyed with my spade to dig Drifts grave. When you own 10 dogs it is something that comes around only too often and never gets any easier, in fact harder for me I find as I get older. It was one of those dreadful mornings weather-wise as well as it was pouring with rain, but it had to be done. The hole dug, I walked back to Drift’s kennel to collect him but then decided to let the other dogs out first thinking they could have a run around even though it was raining. Looking back now I realise it was probably because I really wanted them to be around so that I had company to take my mind off things a little. Anyway they just took off and disappeared into the field chasing each other. After cutting off a lock of his hair (I have done this with all of my past dogs) I carried Drift to the graveside then very carefully lowered him in. I’d wrapped him in a blanket, as you do, so that he wasn’t being directly covered in dirty soil. I then began backfilling the hole. The rain was hammering down and being a wearer of glasses they were filling up with rain mixed with tears I was unashamedly shedding. I had such a job to see what I was doing that I stopped and removed my glasses to dry them out a little and it was as I did this that I was to witness the most humbling and astounding thing I have ever seen dogs do. They had formed a complete circle around Drifts grave and were all stood there looking down at it from a distance of about 6 feet. But that wasn’t all, far from it. Immediately to the left of the grave from where I was stood is the sheep netting that divides the garden from the field and my late Jace and Jaff had gone out of their way to run to the field gate at the end of the paddock to get into the garden to make the circle complete! I was completely gobsmacked and just stood and watched in awe. There was absolutely no question about it at the time and none since in my mind that they knew exactly what they were doing and were expressing their respects to a fallen member of their pack. The forming of the complete circle must have been a prerequisite to the procedure and absolutely no different to what we humans would do for a fallen comrade. I’ll never forget Drift as I’ll never forget all the other wonderful dogs that it has been my pleasure to have as friends over the years, but that moment stands out head and shoulders above all else I have ever experienced with any of them. Reply | with quote | Posted by Sanctuary 30th July 2012ce 10:02 In reply to: Re: A Dogs Tale (rockhopper) |
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