8 Days A Week

It has been a long and difficult week.  My wife and I didn't expect that the loss of our dog would have created such an unbalance in our lives.  While we aren't one of those crazy families that treats their pet(s) like a human, we have come to realize that much of our life was focused on our dog without us knowing it.  For instance, when I wake up in the morning, I still have the sense that I need to take the dog out for a walk.  I still hurry home from work to take the dog out - even though, for the time being, there is no dog.

In the past 9 months, I have been at the side of my mother when she passed away and by the side of our dog when he passed away.  Both passed away very peacefully.  When my mother passed away, there was a definite sense that her soul had separated from her body.  I could feel the presence of both her soul and her body, but I knew that her soul was no longer contained in her body.  Although it was a sad experience, I knew that while her body finished a journey, her soul was beginning another journey.  I did not have that same feeling when our dog passed away.  There was a finality to his passing.  This is likely due to the fact that dogs don't have souls (sorry you crazy dog lovers).  However, pets do have something that other animals don't have - something that I can't explain.  While they do not have their own souls, they have some of ours that we share with them.  So when a pet dies, the part of the soul that our pet had returns to us.

This experience has led me to ponder how I would reply to a child that asks this question:  Will I see my pet in Heaven?  Since dogs don't have souls, I don't feel safe in saying that people will see their pets in Heaven.  However, I feel safe in saying this:  Our earthy interactions with our pets have given us great joy.  In Heaven, we will have that same joy multiplied infinitessimally in intensity.  Does that mean we will see our pets?  I don't know.  But anything, including that which we cannot begin to comprehend, is possible with God.

On Sunday, my wife and I are making a journey to visit a breeder that has several young adult dogs and some very young puppies.  Prior to learning that our dog was very sick, we made plans to see other dogs that we might consider bringing into our family as a young sibling to our older dog.  We had planned to make the visit last Saturday, but the breeder had to postpone the visit because the puppies arrived on Friday evening - a week early.  The delay was fortuitous, as our dog passed away the following day.  So, we will visit some dogs and puppies.  If there is a connection that develops between any of the young adult dogs and us, we won't let any grass grow under our feet in our efforts to make that connection permanent.  We will be bringing a dog crate, a leash and collar, a blanket, some dog food, some water and the checkbook - just in case.  While we won't get our hopes up, if there is a connection, it would make for a wonderful Mother's Day for my wife.