"If you have a dog, you will most likely outlive it; to get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy and, prospectively, to equally profound sadness." [Marjorie Garber]
Last week that 'profound sadness' came to be. My dog of 17 years passed away. I cried...more of wept, actually. I did not think I would, but I did. And honestly, I do not think I have gotten over her loss yet. She was not a pet. I do not believe in keeping 'pets'. She was that member of the family who happened to be a dog.
This space I leave in honour of my Principessa: friend and guardian. Run along, mighty paw; run along with the holy hounds. Run along with Artemis. Her bow and arrows look after you now.
And to Artemis Potnia Theron, I thank you for your mercy. On my dog's grave I placed some rice, sugar and an egg. Please give it to her. Take her to the fields and help her cross mountains of wild thyme. She likes the open spaces. And when the time comes that I am ready to meet her on the Rainbow Bridge, please accompany her.
This space is also for you, Mistress.
"Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of Man without his vices." [Lord Byron at the grave of his beloved Boatswain]
I can say the same for my Principessa.
"She was not a pet. I do not believe in keeping 'pets'. She was that member of the family who happened to be a dog."
ReplyDeleteIt is the same as how we see our dog and cat.
I mourn for your lost.
my earliest memory of weeping for someone was when my dog Boogie died when i was just 8 or 9.
ReplyDeletea dog dying on you is one of the saddest things, isn't it?
It is, indeed. :( I still miss her.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand how some people find the flesh of man's bestfriend a delicacy. It seems all too wrong.
Sehnsucht I think that's what they call it. That in fact great joy is greater because we know there is great pain that can, will accompany it.
ReplyDeleteBut such abstact works don't describe the immersurable love and unconditionality that I get from Nishi. I used to think dog crazed people were just that -- crazy. Well now I sometimes feel sad when I see cows off to the slaughter (and do I love steak). Who would have thought that a dog could make me more human?
Hello Saptientia. Your words ring truth on so many levels. :) I used to think the same about "dog crazed people". Now I'm one of them.
ReplyDelete