Yes, I said: Keep Barking! Here is why. Obviously you have something important to say. May be that this message / communique / news is ONLY important to you - but - I doubt that. In the Animal World we try to not waste calories, dance moves, or a new song lest it has to do with survival. There is an urgency to these actions or they are not worth our time and energy. Dance and song are crucial to the survival of a culture, a family, and an individual. Song is voice, an intermediary of sorts connecting Animals to their environments, families, and themselves.
TRUE STORY: Our amazing Rottweiler did not have a good start in life. I will list them: abuse, neglect, methamphetamine house, police, Child Protective Services, loss of his entire family, Animal Control, parking lot, ending up surviving on throw-aways and scraps from a Mexican restaurant. His farts were epic.
The end of his life, however, was wonderful. He sang. He sang all night. Not howling. Not whining. Not barking. He sang inviting us all in on his decision. He had not been well. It was his heart = his great big wonderful heart!!! After living with us for years, he was slowing down. Never getting to be first to arrive when the pack was called, never the first to eat, nor first to get the Lion's size place on the couch. Now, he sang. Here is what I think... he sang to his Coyote friends that he was tired. That he was through. That he wanted to move along on the Circle of Life. He was ready. And he wanted to invite them.
Respectfully cognizant of cultural boundaries for many years; the Coyotes, dozens of them, kept an agreed upon distance from our house, barn, Dogs, Cats, and Horses. It was respectful. Healthy. Contractual. Unspoken. On this night, our Rottie changed the rules and invited them to assist him in his transition. Don't scoff. Maybe you have not lived long enough yet to experience this first-hand. Maybe you are a bit urban, unable to tune in close enough yet to see the Magic of Nature with its magnificent timing and opportunities. Stick around. Be open. You will see the Magic someday. You will see there is an order and a plan for everything... and yes, you are a part of it... a big part.
Close to the end of his story: My family gathered but did not interfere. We would have if the Coyotes became visible. As we stood at the back door, our magnificent Boy sang as if in another world. He held each note for what seemed an eternity. The Coyotes got closer, sneaking through the grove. Standing alongside us, our German Shepherd and our Terrier did not move, remaining vigilant. This was our Boy's Ceremony - not ours. We respected that. We took turns staying near the doorway, witnessing until morning.
The vet said: "It is his heart and he will be gone in a few months and the time will include pain, meds with side effects, debilitation, with no hope of a positive outcome." I told her about his singing the night before. She never even asked me to take him out of the truck - she listened to his heart and did her exam right there because we both knew today's outcome. She left us alone for our final good-byes going back to the office to prepare the shots.
When we got home, my teenage Son met us, already prepared to carry our Boy to his beautiful resting spot exactly where he had lifted him from only an hour earlier. The grave was dug. Right there. Stones had been collected. Sage and Sweetgrass was there. The Dogs got to say good-bye. It was so sad yet dignified... Dignified in that we honored his choice. His choice when to say good-bye.
KEEP BARKING. KEEP SINGING. KEEP COMMUNICATING. KEEP LISTENING.
