Pets are pure unconditional love in action, but the only trouble is, they are with us for such a short time. Losing a dog, cat or any other animal companion is, for many people, on a par with losing your best friend. They’re not ‘just a dog,’ they are energy, just as we are, and because energy can never be destroyed, just like us, their spirit lives on in another place. They are still close to us, we just don’t have the comfort of their physical presence.
A few days ago, a friend’s dog succumbed to cancer. I’d seen them out together recently, because despite his condition, this beautiful dog still lived every moment, loving his walks, even though they were challenging for him and his guardians. My friend said she was dreading having to make the decision when to say goodbye, and I had the overwhelming certainty that he would pass peacefully in his sleep, saving her from that particular trauma. This was indeed what happened.
With a pet or a beloved family member or friend, you are never ready for that last goodbye, even when it’s expected. There’s and old saying, ‘Where there’s life there’s hope,’ and we do hope, don’t we? If not for a miracle, at least for more time to enjoy their company, add more to the memory bank and say what we need to while we still can.
Paddy
I met my friend yesterday, and she was distraught, because although she is a firm believer in the afterlife, for all living souls, not just people, she wanted a sign that her beautiful boy was safe and happy. Right on cue, I felt his presence, and sensed rather than saw his big grin. In fact everything about him was big – he was a true gentle giant. I also felt the happy swish of his tail, or as owners of big dogs tend to term it, ‘the Weapon of Mass Destruction!’ Even dogs who have had their tails docked will swish them again in Spirit, to show their happiness.
To prove it was indeed him, he suggested I ask his Mum about the carrots, and she said he loved carrots chopped up in his food. Then he mentioned mud, and this really made her laugh. There might not be a great deal of mud here on the Costa Blanca, but back in the UK he was a real Mud Monster. If there was any dirty water or thick mud around, he’d home in on it and roll in it, and he asked me to be sure to tell his Mum that she couldn’t stop him doing it now!
The really funny – and really horrible – moment came when my friend said she even missed the smell of him. Not just the gaseous aromas that big dogs seem to muster at will – I keep an air freshener by the side of the sofa for when Luna farts! -but also the characteristic smell associated with the latter stages of his illness. Right on cue, my nose was assailed with what I can only describe as something incredibly toxic. I’d never smelled anything so bad – and I live with a dog who could win an Olympic Gold with her emissions!
Luna
Incredibly, my friend also got the smell at the same time as me, which was great evidence for her that it was indeed her beautiful boy letting her know he was happy and well in Spirit. Thankfully though, it didn’t reach anyone else, as all this took place in a fairly crowded bar! Loved ones in Spirit will often bring in an aroma associated with them, just so you know it’s really them. When my father first started to come through to me, I would smell the Senior Service cigarettes he used to smoke. Even after all these years, I still recognised it. Spirit use smells as a calling card, and apparently so do spirit dogs!
When my own dog Paddy was killed back in 2019, he was back with me the very next day, as I waited for surgery. (As I tried to help him, he was so traumatised he bit my finger badly, something he never would have done under normal circumstances). I woke from a fitful sleep, and as reality kicked in, I started to cry. Next thing, I felt a cold nose nudging my good hand, and the weight of his head as he snuggled up to me to comfort me.
It wasn’t just wishful thinking on my part, because when the nurse came by to check on me, she said, ‘Let me straighten the covers, it looks just like there’s been a dog lying next to you!’ Then a look of horror crossed her face as she remembered why I was there, but I smiled and said, ‘That’s exactly what’s happened. Paddy’s been back to see me!’ She gave me a funny look and beat a hasty retreat, no doubt to tell Sister that maybe I’d been affected more than they initially thought and perhaps the psychologist needed to have a word!
A few days later, I went to the local spiritualist church for comfort, and the medium, who didn’t even know what had happened, came across to me and said that he’d been told by Spirit to tell me that everyone who passes feels only joy and peace at the time of transition, whatever the manner of their passing, whether it’s peacefully in sleep, like my friend’s dog, or the sudden and violent end to life that Paddy experienced.
That was a great comfort to me, because I was sure Paddy must have been terrified in those final moments, although I told him how much I loved him as I held him close. I know he heard and felt that love, and that he was at peace. There were more signs from Spirit for me though. Although Paddy himself didn’t come through on that occasion – he’s been to me lots of times since, but that’s for another time – the first three loved ones who came through during the mediumship demonstration were all dogs!
After the service, the medium told me that he rarely had dogs come through, and usually only in private sittings, not demonstrations. I knew at once that Paddy, or one of my human loved ones in Spirit, had found a way to reassure me that he was well and happy in the afterlife, along with all the other treasured pets who’d crossed the Rainbow Bridge. That was – and still is – a great comfort to me. I like to think that Paddy has found Patch the Border Collie, George the Jack Russell Cross, Sooty the Miniature Poodle, Pip the Sealyham Terrier and Flash the German Shepherd, and they’re all together in a pack, enjoying life eternally. Our pets can bring comfort from Spirit, just the same as our other departed loved ones.
George