Nala, Nigel, Noah, Nika

Nala is now at least 6 months old and quite comfortable around the house. She’s spayed, has all her shots, and now runs around outside in the backyard, chasing lizards and insects. She also climbs trees. But whenever I shake the treat jar, she comes dashing in.

Sometimes, Nigel or Nika or both of them play with her in the backyard,. Even though Nigel is many times her size, she doesn’t seem intimidated. Even Nika, Megan’s dog, is much larger than she is. But she likes dogs, cuddles up to them when she’s in that be my friend mood.  

Here are Nigel (blonde) and Nika at dinner with us one evening.

But because she was with Noah when he passed, I wonder about the effect of that. Does Nala sense him around? Do Nika and Nigel? I think they do, but it’s more natural for them  to see what we do not.

Today when we were leaving the dog park, a woman whose name I don’t know stopped me at the gate and said, “I heard about Noah. I’m so sorry.” And then she hugged me.

It’s this kind of compassion from virtual strangers that reduces me to tears. Every pet owner knows what it’s like to lose a beloved buddy. And every pet in a house with multiple animals and species feels the same void we humans feel, but not in the same way. At some level, I think animals understand that death isn’t the end of anything, that it’s just another level of being.