Ghost Dog, Me!

Sailor here.

I am still Mom's ghost dog. And it's fun!

I heard her tell Aunt Judy that Jib has stepped into my shoes, and I went to check it out. But, really Mom, I don't HAVE shoes. I don't even have feet! 

But Jib is doing some of my job. He is now the Fun Police. Especially when Kite and Banner are chasing and barking and pouncing on each other.

And Kite has really grown up! You should see him! He almost looks like a dog now. But he still has puppy mind and adolescent nose and is brainless most of the time now. I was NEVER brainless.

Jib now sticks close to Mom, so close that she sometimes runs into him. Then she says, "Ooph!" and stumbles and Jib dances away and apologizes.

So I tried sticking close to Mom, too, and guess what? MOM WALKS RIGHT THROUGH ME! She doesn't Ooph or stumble or anything. She just goes right through me. And it doesn't hurt. And I can walk right through her, too. And Jib. And Kite. It's fun!

But there are things Jibby can't do. He can't make Mom's tears stop the way I could. He can't bark at the mailman the way I could. He can't say Good Night to Mom in the same way.

But he's learning.

And Zoe, well, she's running the Iditarod now, so she's really busy. She sent me pictures and she is lead dog and bossy dog and fast dog and best dog.  She says she will lead the winning team under the burl arch in Nome, just wait and see. The only thing she misses is the fish snacks. She says she doesn't have teeth any more or a throat or stomach, so fish are pretty much for the living huskies on the trail. But she is finally doing what she always dreamed about: running The Last Great Race.

Shadows

Jib here.

Mom wrote another poem for Sailor. She is still sad, but I am helping her be not so sad.

She says, "Zorba danced. I write."

Shadows

                                  

Only his shadow remains.

The shadow of a bark

Echoing in my ear

As the sun reaches toward twilight;

The shadow of a breeze

Swirling in my hand,

 Cold nose on a warm day;

The shadow of the grass

Rippling across the field

As my ghost dog runs by.

The splash in the water bowl,

The click of toenails,

The scent of wet fur -

Mere shadows all

But here,

 Never gone.

 Forever…

Shadows

(Don't) Go Fly a Kite (Ears)

Jib here.

Kite is having ear woes.

I had ear woes, and after a year and a half, Mom gave up.

But Mom says she can't give up on Kite. Mom says at some point, he's supposed to get all dressed up and go into the conformation ring and run around in circles and stare at cheese. And he needs tipped ears for that.

Why?

Does he need tipped ears to hear Mom call him to Front from 50 feet away?

Does he need tipped ears to hear Mom say, "Find Mine" when he's doing Articles?

Does he need tipped ears to hear Mom tell him to Drop when he runs to her on a recall?

Does he need tipped ears for that? And that? And that?

I don't think so.

But Mom isn't going to give up.

So to spare little Kite a world of glue and bother, let's all chant:

Tip, ears, tip!

I'm Going Home

Sailor here.

I'm going home. Mom told me a long time ago that if I were too lonely without her, I could come back to Earth as her ghost dog.

I am not lonely, but Mom is. She is sad.

So I am going home to be her ghost dog until she smiles again.

I will run next to her and she will see the grass ripple as I run by. She will feel the fleeting touch of my nose in her hand. She will hear the echo of my greeting. I will leap and  bark and she will feel the whisper of my paws on her shoulders.

She will smile.

Then I can be happy.

Nothing Has Changed

Sailor here.
Zoe had a sleepover last night.She didn't go back North.  She stayed here to play with me.
Nothing has changed.
She still tries to bully me.
I still tell her off.
Then she laughs and runs in circles.
I herd her.
I laugh and herd her some more.

Zoe, how about a snack?

Hallelujah!

Sailor here.

It's wonderful at the Rainbow Bridge!
I can eat all I want. All day long if I want.
The water tastes great!
I can run and never get tired.
Zoe came down to chase me.
And best of all, guess what?

I got my testicles back!!!

SAILOR (November 13,1998 to October 18, 2012)

From Sailor's Mom:

Sailor, you turn toward me in the sun and your coat shines before my eyes, gold as the first rays of dawn, red as the sunset. You are my sun, my warmth.

Your ruff glows white as that perfect cloud on that perfect summer day.  You are my cloud.  You are my sky.

Your eyes are the deep brown of the earth, glinting with mischief, alive with happiness.  You are the earth, soft and rich.  You are the soil from which my love grows.

You are my happiness.  You are my light. You are my life.

Your love sweeps across my sky, across my earth, across my heart, shimmering, beautiful.

You looked up at me this last time, grateful, adoring.  There is no sadness in your eyes, no regret.  I see peace. I see love. 

There are rainbows in your eyes. 

And some day when my pain has faded to a whisper, I will smile with memories of you

and fill my heart with all the colors of the dawn, of the sunset, of the earth, of the sky.  

Sailor, you and I will walk together always in the shadow of the Rainbow.