If dogs have been an important part of your family as they have been for my family, then you know some dogs seem to have a special sixth sense about things. While for the most part they try to keep their special gifts to themselves, every now and then they slip up.
That was the case with two of our dogs, Lucky and Lil’Bit. Lucky was the black sheep of the family, not only in color but also in temperament. She loved to find ways to leave the confines of her normal indoor living routine which made her a masterful escape artist. Lil’Bit, on the other hand was a near angel of a dog, doing exactly as she was told, never straying, always staying close to home…except when she came under the influence of Lucky, the wandering black sheep.
Whenever the two got out together, they’d could be seen high tailing it out of sight and often staying away for hours. More often than not, they’d arrive home near supper time, covered in mud and leaves smelling to high heaven from their afternoon jaunt in the woods.
I remember one such occasion when they had once again mysteriously escaped, except this time, they returned clean and no worse for wear. It wasn’t until a few days later that we learned why.
My wife ran into our neighbor, Carl, who lived a few houses down from us.
“Saw your two dogs the other day,” Carl said with a smile.
“Oh yes, I’m so sorry. They have been so good lately and it was such a surprise when they got out. I sure hope they didn’t cause any trouble?” My wife replied.
“Oh no, no trouble at all. Did you have any idea where they went?”
“No?” My wife asked.
“They attended my dog’s funeral,” Carl said, a sadness growing on his face.
“What?” Ann exclaimed. “Oh no, I didn’t know Toby had died.”
“Yep, died a couple days ago. I was burying him in the back lot when your two dogs came running up. They sat down not far from me while I finished burying him, then they left.”
“Wow, that’s amazing!” my wife replied. “Toby was Lil’Bit’s father you know?”
“No, I didn’t know that,” Carl replied, “But I guess that explains why she felt like she needed to be there. She had to say her final goodbye.”
“Yes, I think she and Lucky were paying their respects and one final goodbye. I’ve never heard of anything like that, but I think that’s what they were doing.”
