Recently, I have been thinking quite a bit about the nature of love. According to some spiritual experts, it’s the most powerful emotion in the known universe. It’s supposedly what you commit to when you get married, it’s what you feel when you have a child, and yes, it has allegedly been known to move mountains, although I haven’t yet found any scientific evidence of that. But here is what I have found. It is not strictly a human thing. It exists among dogs. It crosses species boundaries. It undoubtedly has a past life component.
Let’s start with the dogs. Maybe we’ll end there, too.
Three years ago, in November of 2009, we bought Noah, our golden retriever, from the South Florida Golden Retriever Rescue Center. He had spent most of his nine months in a crate, to be used as a stud. The people who owned him also owned his parents and when they ran into financial difficulties, they gave up all three dogs. So Noah, who was then called Presley, arrived at our home, he was still groggy from his trip to the vet that morning where he was neutered. He wobbled into our kitchen with the woman from the rescue center, and instantly bonded with Rob. He was the same rich red color as our previous golden, Jessie, who had died a year earlier after her eleven-year run with our family.
From the start, Noah had issues. He was scared of everything and everyone, except for Rob, and later on, me. One day, we went to the gym and left him for an hour in the house. When we returned, we discovered he had destroyed a couch cushion – I mean, he had decimated this sucker, torn out the stuffing, reduced the cushion to history. We put him outside while we cleaned up the mess and seriously discussed returning him to the rescue organization.
But, we’re optimists. We kept him. And gradually, as he became more socialized through daily trips to the dog park and contact with humans who just wanted to love on him, he grew into the family. He still barked at our daughter, Megan, when she came home for visits, but it seemed to be something about her exuberant energy that freaked him out – and her blond hair. Yes, I know they say that dogs don’t see in color, but I think a blonde haired woman had abused Noah in his previous home, perhaps with a newspaper. He used to be terrified of the newspaper, but Rob worked with him and now he bounds outside every morning to scoop it off the driveway and bring it inside. For a treat, of course.
After Megan graduated from college, she came home to live while she applied for jobs in her field and worked at various part-time jobs. In early September 2011, she said, “Hey, Mom, let’s go look for a puppy. I would love to have a puppy.”
I am a total sucker for these words. My best animal companions have come from these random excursions. So Megan and I headed over to Big Dog Ranch and found a puppy that captured both of us. They told us she was a border collie mixed with lab. Her DNA Internet test said she was a Pomeranian mix. Never spend the $ for this test. Nika is obviously not a Pom. She’s a Heinz 57, a Ketchup of border collie, lab, Australian cattle dog, Greyhound… whatever. For us, she is the personification of unconditional love. She accepts you as you are, and your species doesn’t matter.
She also ended up with mange. It manifested itself at about four months, until Nika was as bald as a radish. Our wonderful vet prescribed Promeris and kept a close eye on her and now, at 16 months, she is mange free.
When Megan landed a Disney internship at Epcot working with dolphins, Nika stayed with us. She and Noah played together, ate together, slept together. Nine long and beautiful months. Then Megan’s internship ended in June 2012 and she started a dogwalking business and Nika moved to Orlando with Megan.
At least once a month, we visited Megan or she visited us or we met in Cassadaga and, of course we brought the dogs. Every time these two dogs were reunited, beautiful things happened. One time Megan pulled into a B&B near Cassadaga and Nika leaped out of the window of a moving car to get to Noah. Always, they seemed to pick up just where they had left off, just as we humans do, commiserating, planning, enjoying.
Megan and Nika were here for a week for Thanksgiving and both dogs were really in their element. After all, Obama had swept the election, the humans were optimistic, their lives were branching out in new directions, things were looking good. For Nika, who has become an urban apartment dog, it was a chance to go in and out whenever she wanted, For Noah, it was about Nika.
The relationship between these two is really indescribable. Both of the dogs accept our three cats – and vice versa. Cats aren’t the issue. The issue is separation. Nika is clearly Megan’s dog, she is her human. But it’s equally clear that Nika loves her Noah and that Noah loves his Nika and…here we are. An impasse.
Love and its obstacles. And hey, it’s not like either of these dogs can act on whatever they’re feeling for each other. Both are neutered. This is some strange and wonderful soul connection, two dogs, three humans, and well, we’ll see. Nika mange free. Noah is humanized.
Here’s Nika, navigating for Rob. Noah’s head is to the left of hers. If he could fit up here, too, he would be right next to her.
Our vet is the most wonderful woman! Her husband has been battling lymphoma for several years now, and although Dr. Deb isn’t old, the challenges have aged her. But she is absolutely the most caring, loving Physician to Animals that I’ve ever met. We were among her first patients years ago, so she has seen us through difficult times. This card was such a beautiful, thoughtful “gift” from a woman who has dedicated her life to the care of animals and their humans. She doesn’t have a jaded bone in her body, and it’s easy to see how it hurts her, too, when that “time” comes. No doubt she goes into her office behind closed doors and weeps. I wanted to share this warm poem she sent. It’s such a comfort.
Loved this.
My husband has just come into the house with today’s mail from our snailmail box. There was a card from our vet, with a poem written inside, inspired, it says, by an old Norse legend. I want to share this with Adele and with everyone who has mourned the loss of a precious pet:
“By the edge of a wood, at the foot of a hill,
is a lush, green meadow where Time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
when their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
for here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass without even a care,
until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
Together again, both person and pet.
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
the time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
and then, side-by-side,
they cross over. . . . .together.”
Beautiful, math. Thanks for posting.
In that case I am going to surrounded by a lot of cats. I hope they are not jealous of each other. (Smile)
When I do my readings, it’s the pets coming through, that fills me with such wonderment. I loved this post about your furry, and not so furry family. 🙂
sorry I didn’t approve these earlier! I love that animals come thru, nat.
Adele, I have a synchro with you. I get psychic messages through songs in my sleeping dreams, and this morning I came awake with the old Cole Porter song,
NIGHT AND DAY, singing repeatedly in my mind. I haven’t heard it in years.
It certainly coincides with your DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. That’s the space I’m occupying in these moments, waiting for the Sun to shine again in my heart. You have my deepest, most bonding empathies. Like you, I can’t stop crying. Maybe tomorrow…..
Thank you for that empathetic response. I find that grief comes in waves. I think I have it under control and than bam, it hits again. I always hated that expression, “Time heals all wounds.” Probably because it is true and we are at the mercy of fate. One thing I have learned in my old age is not to try and deny the feeling of grief. I have also found that when something hits you like that it alters my consciousness in some way – too complex to describe here. Am sure you know what I mean.
What a wonderful story (and great pictures too!) ……… how lucky to have these friends, and for them to have you.
I agree about love – love, like everything else, is not just a human perogative. My mother always rescued cats (and a few dogs and geese), so I grew up with lots of animals around, some from abusive or neglected backgrounds. They all clearly had personalities, and developed bonds with each other and us. I still take care of some of her cats, and of course have some of my own. Last year an old male Siamese died. His constant companion was a young spayed female who made a point of sleeping with him, and when he became ill would lick him. After he died she disappeared within a few days………….I honestly think she just couldn’t live without him around.
I guess that’s the main reason I’m a vegetarian. Animals are too much like people to me. Somehow I can’t get that sense from broccoli, fortunately.
That’s a beautiful and sad story about the young female cat. We had a dusky conure who loved the dog we had before Noah, another retriever. She would ride into the house on Jessie’s back, straight over to the treats bag.
Rob would then get out dog treat, kali would pick it up with her beak and drop it in Jessie’s mouth.
I know what you mean by the animals and their personalities. They are as distinct and different as human personalities. I have recently decided that I can’t talk about my cat’s personalities because they aren’t persons. So I refer to their catalities.
I too had to give up eating meat a long time ago because I always know and think about the animal as I do my pets. Perhaps being an artist causes me to see these images so clearly in my mind and that kills my desire to eat them. As a child I always preferred vegetables but it was a meat and potatoes culture back then so was stuck with it until I could do what I wanted with food.
Very touching about the female who disappeared after her friend cat died. I could go on and on just about those kinds of stories. Too many tears today.
Once again you have posted something that was in sync with what is going on with me.
I woke up with a head cold of constant nose blowing and sneezing. I am sure this is a grief cold. My cat Karma is gone. I don’t know what happened but must have been an animal that got her. I am very upset by this and now can’t stop crying. She was a wild feral passionate brat cat but we did bond after a lot of devotion to her and I miss her terribly.
Last night I was dwelling on love. It is something that invades the body whether it is for a human or an animal, it is real. People who have never loved an animal never understand this. Too bad for them.
I have to get my s–t together and try to do something today. I don’t want to talk to anyone about Karma because I just start crying. Grief, like love takes over the body and there is nothing we can do about that.
An aside of no consequence except for I Ching devotees – on Monday my reading for the day was 36, Darkening of the Light. I hate getting that hexagram and made no sense during my day. But it was that night was the last I saw of Karma. So the reading was appropriate. This morning I got #36 again with 5th line changing to #63 – After Completion.
Thanks for your wonderful love filled post. Crying all over again. I so identify and understand the post about her dog, Sunshine.
It’s terrible to lose a pet, cat, dog, bird, whatever. Math recently lost her dog. I feel for both of you.
I have no great fondness for hex 36, either, adele. But wow, that hex nailed your situaiton…as did 63. I’ve already lit a candle for math’s dog, so now I’ll light a candle for Karma.
A heart warming story on this cold day, well cold in Cornwall. How lucky Noah and Nika are to have found each other and the MacGregors. Some things are meant to be.
After reading Mike’s story today about his folders that he found,it lead me to a random blog with some nice stories that synced with me.
And check out this lady’s great looking dogs –
https://beccagivens.wordpress.com/animal-talk/bluebonnet-photo-shoot-2012/
And are purple dog collars the “in thing” over there in The States,or is it a bit of a sync that one of the lady’s dogs has a purple collar like one of your dogs has as well ?
Oh, how difficult to read this story with tears streaming down my face. As you know, Trish and Rob, my beautiful Sunshine, my canine companion soulmate, died in my arms two weeks ago yesterday, and I remain inconsolable. She had been diagnosed when she was seven, two years ago, with mammary cancer, and we had two subsequent years of wonderful quality life together before it consumed her and I had no choice but to release her. For me, that was as soul-wrenching as pulling the plug on a human family member to prevent further suffering. It’s my conviction that love is love and that it has no borders and no restrictions and no limitations.
Many people think me irreverent when I say that I loved Sunshine AS MUCH as I love my human family, just in a diferent way. And that I grieve her physical loss as much as I grieve the loss of a human beloved, just in a different way. Perhaps there are degrees of love, but for me, love isn’t measured in degrees but in its differences, and the heart and soul have an infinite capacity to love, simultaneously, objects of genuine affection. The books A DOG’S PURPOSE and A DOG’S JOURNEY offer such marvelous insights into the minds and thoughts of our animals, and the facts of their souls’ reincarnating, as do humans, to be with loved ones again and again and again, brings tremendous comfort.
Surely Noah and Nika have a Oneness, a Union, that stretches far beyond this current life, as they continue to join their three humans yet again, as well. I know that my Sunshine will come back to me someday, or that when I transition, she’ll come bounding across The Rainbow Bridge with wagging tail and a huge Labrador “grin” to greet me Over There. Meanwhile, I still forget she isn’t “here”, and I listen for the tinkling tags on her collar as she would come up the stairs to join me, and I look for her because I temporarily forget she’s gone. These photos of Noah and Nika are treasures, and are proof positive that Love is without end. Thank you, Guys, for sharing their magnificence with us.
I’m hoping that once everyone is on the other side, our animal companions can actually speak to us!
Noah is a wonderful dog who finally won the lottery when you took him into your hearts. And Nika is just adorable. I wish these two a long and fruitful association, even if only part time. Better than nothing, I know. Thanks for the great story, Trish. I loved it. And anything that sparks love in another is a good thing. 🙂
“Anything that sparks love…” what a beautiful line.