 Barked: Mon Jan 23, '12 9:56am PST |
 | |  | | Oh....just seeing this now! I got to know Duncan.....or Duncan version #2 as by the time he became my neighbor he wasn't quite what he once was. Saw his decline and knew he'd be stubborn about it. Some dogs just are that way.
I don't think it is a discomfort with death, but rather the giving of death; one could argue the gifting of it. That's a pretty hard place to emotionally be, because we can only imagine what we as humans and mortals can never truly know....what does the dog think on the issue, of his world. I always felt that my beloved GSD, Pogo, who struggled with all sorts of health problems, remained out of loyalty to me. When Onion grew up enough to stop acting like a spaz brain, I think Pogo decided it was ok to pass the baton and let go.
Who knows the answers, really. What we do know is that Duncan is a dog who lived 17 years on this earth, traveled many places, had many fine adventures. He could have been a statistic. Not simply a shelter statistic, but I hope Duncan won't mind me saying that, this being her very first dog, she really had not a clue what she was doing  Or getting into. Part of that getting into, though, was she had no clue of the precious bond and layered life that you live when welcoming a dog into your life. In her case, it not only took her on many adventures, but changed the course of her life.
I don't really mourn Duncan. I can more celebrate him. He had a good life...a fine life for a Beagle, going on as many adventures as he did. He touched a lot of people along the way. He was a payback to shelters, for inspiring his owner in the ways that he did to involve herself in the cause. And without testicles, left a very definite legacy. That's good stuff right there. A life well lived, a journey of consequence, with lots of tail wags, fun smells and rich adventures along the way. |  |  | |  |
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Mourn the loss, celebrate the adventure. 
