A pet is a cherished and important member of many families and only those who've experienced the unconditional love of an animal can understand the anguish felt at their loss.
Jaime, a Chihuahua/Terrier mix, came into our lives as a tiny puppy but soon established herself Queen of the house. My husband wasn't thrilled with her at first. He said if we got a dog why didn't we get a 'real' dog; a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler. Jaime, however, was not deterred by his indifference. She slowly worked her way into his heart, though I'm not sure exactly when.
Perhaps it was the time he watched all eight pounds of her flying low as she chased a huge deer across our yard. Or maybe it was the time she broke her leg tangling with a dog ten times her size who dared to trespass on our property. At any rate, they soon became inseparable buddies. So much so, that when he'd kiss me good-bye in the morning, Jaime would growl menacingly until she received her good-bye too.
Jaime didn't like to be outside by herself. Whenever we'd let her out, it wasn't long before she was right back at the door, scratching to get in.
Jim would always yell, "Who's there?" and Jaime would answer with her trademark woof consisting of two short barks.
We knew, at thirteen years of age, Jaime wasn't feeling up to par but we didn't realize to what extent. One morning we awoke to find she was gone.
We had sworn she was with us the night before, she always slept at the bottom of our bed and so we anxiously began an exhaustive search of the house and nearby woods.
Outside, just as the sun was rising, I heard my husband yell. He had found her. While walking the trail in a nearby grove of trees, he said he heard her bark. Twice. He immediately veered off the path and pushed his way through ten feet of brush and briars to find her under a tree. Her little body was stiff and cold. Jamie had died hours before.
The synchronicity (meaningful coincidence) of hearing a 'dead' dog bark, thus leading us to find her body, can surely be written off as a hallucination or imagined response to an emotional experience. You're free to make of it what you will. As for the two of us it was a magical moment filled with grace. The sun rose that morning to find two people embraced in tears of sorrow and tears of thankfulness, having been given the knowledge and assurance that life goes on. For all.
