Mom’s dog Dopey died on Friday. It was 14 years since Dopey was found in a cage at the vet with a “PTS” sign attached. My sister was getting her cat’s shots and asked what PTS was and they said “Put To Sleep.” Within minutes Dopey was saved.
My sister had Dopey for a number of years and then she visited the farm and mom never let the dog leave. Dopey was a great dog. Just last month, she was gnawing on a deer head and growling at any dog that tried to get near it.
We knew Dopey was dying so I was not surprised when mom called and told me the news. I drove out to the farm to find that mom had wrapped the dog’s body in a number of blankets. The body was just inside the door and Dopey’s little nose was sticking out. It made me laugh out loud that mom wrapped her this way.
I think mom must have been Egyptian in a former life. First, the burial shroud, then the way I had to dig the hole, east /west, not north/south. Dopey was laid on a thick piece of foam, then put into the grave, but her head had to be on the west end of the grave so she could see the sun rise in the mornings. And lastly, mom wanted Dopey to be buried with a deer leg, one of the last things she had enjoyed. If we had some stones, we probably would have built a pyramid atop.
To mark the grave was a temporary grave marker we found at Leo’s farm. It was from one of his uncles dated 1941. We adapted this for the dog cemetery and put some old silk flowers atop the mound of dirt. We said some prayers and shed some tears, and went back to the empty farmhouse.
My sister had Dopey for a number of years and then she visited the farm and mom never let the dog leave. Dopey was a great dog. Just last month, she was gnawing on a deer head and growling at any dog that tried to get near it.
We knew Dopey was dying so I was not surprised when mom called and told me the news. I drove out to the farm to find that mom had wrapped the dog’s body in a number of blankets. The body was just inside the door and Dopey’s little nose was sticking out. It made me laugh out loud that mom wrapped her this way.
I think mom must have been Egyptian in a former life. First, the burial shroud, then the way I had to dig the hole, east /west, not north/south. Dopey was laid on a thick piece of foam, then put into the grave, but her head had to be on the west end of the grave so she could see the sun rise in the mornings. And lastly, mom wanted Dopey to be buried with a deer leg, one of the last things she had enjoyed. If we had some stones, we probably would have built a pyramid atop.
To mark the grave was a temporary grave marker we found at Leo’s farm. It was from one of his uncles dated 1941. We adapted this for the dog cemetery and put some old silk flowers atop the mound of dirt. We said some prayers and shed some tears, and went back to the empty farmhouse.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment