2/28/2023 0 Comments Tessie finds “The Farm”. When a beloved family dog passes on, parents sometimes tell their children that their dog has gone to a beautiful farm, and that she is very happy. She is romping with the other dogs, lying in the grass among the wild turkeys, even making new friends with rabbits and other small critters, and occasionally chasing coyotes off her territory. Tessie actually did all that in her earthly life, and it is a story worth telling. Tessie was born in Alabama and lived as a street dog for her first four years. Since she was not spayed, she had many litters of puppies. She was feral and had figured out how to survive. I would think that this is where her uniquely independent spirit was brought into being and nourished. One day, a merciful rescuer found her on a porch of an abandoned house surrounded by her latest litter of puppies. The rescue team (angels in my book) were able to catch Tessie and her puppies and nursed as many as possible back to health. Tessie was spayed, treated for heartworm and perhaps a host of other things until she was better. A very long truck ride to Massachusetts was arranged by Sweet Paws, a rescue group near us in Massachusetts. Tessie still needed to be socialized for quite a while before she could be adopted out. Feral habits that kept her alive change slowly and require deep trust. Leslie, a friend who had her horse in our barn, had recently lost her dog. She adopted Tessie and actually changed her name because she did not think that Tessie looked like a “Bridgit”. Leslie assisted in Tessie’s slow but steady transformation, but Tessie still maintained some of her feral habits. She insisted on sleeping in Leslie’s car at night and Leslie made it oh so comfy for her. Leslie taught at a local high school during the day, so we became the “best doggie day care”. We had three other dogs and, little by little, Tessie became part of the pack. Tessie figured out how to ramble around our farm without getting herself into any trouble. Thus, she was free to roam as she pleased during the day. She would come in on rainy days or when it was just too cold. During this time, we figured out that she was part Chou (purple tongue) and part who knows. She often reminded me of a chubby Sheba Enu. This went on for several years as she became the “farm dog”. It became common to see her surrounded by a bevy of squirrels, rabbits, birds and sometimes up to 25 wild turkeys. However, on occasion when a coyote came on “her” property, she turned into the grand protector. To our surprise and delight, the coyote ran away. About four years ago, a significant event occurred. Leslie had a serious accident in the barn and was in a rehab for several months. Naturally, we took Tessie in full time. Our dogs taught her to sleep indoors as part of the pack. Each had their own bed but they all slept in our room by our side. One day, she even jumped onto the couch. She was home. When Leslie returned from the rehab, she saw all that had transpired with Tessie. In an act of true generosity, Leslie asked if Tessie could continue living with her new pack on the farm. In total, including our doggie day care years, Tessie had been here for close to a decade, Tessie was an “old soul”. There was just something about her way of being that obliged visitors, especially older women, to say something wonderful about her. “She’s a shaman”, “a seer”. “If you ever need a place for Tessie, I will take her”. She had an endearing quality about her as she explored her world, sometimes just basking in the sun. She had a quality of “groundedness”, perhaps something to which we all aspire. The Rainbow Bridge A few weeks before she died, we noticed that Tessie’s limping had become more pronounced. One day, a large lump appeared on her back. We assumed a tumor and brought her to the Vet. Diagnosis – Metastatic Cancer. Although we are experienced with living with old dogs with various ailments, Catherine and I do our best to balance long life with quality of life. We gave her some pain killers that helped for a bit, but the limping got worse. I asked Tessie if she could please give us a clear sign so that we could let her go. The night before she died, she woke up in the middle of the night, and howled in pain. We sat with her throughout the night and she calmed down, but it was now clear. A wonderful horse Vet, Sarah, has one of her horses in our barn. She had agreed to put Tessie down in our house when the time came. It was the last Sunday in January. Since this was the winter that wasn’t, the ground was not frozen. Catherine and I dug a grave in our animal graveyard. It took us a few hours. Digging her spot next to all our other pets in the graveyard is a grounding and wholesome thing to do. I had the thought that all our other beloved pets who had been buried there would welcome her. Sarah came over as did Leslie. The pain medication had kicked in and Tessie was quiet and peaceful. The euthanasia process involves two shots. The first deeply relaxes the muscles. Then there is about a 10-minute gap waiting for it to fully kick in. These 10 minutes are remarkably poignant because the next shot we all know will stop her heart. An air of silence and mystery surrounded us. As mentioned, we have three other dogs, one who particularly loved Tessie. She stayed through the whole procedure. The other two saw Sarah take out the needle and they said “OK, we’ll be going downstairs now.” In that situation, a little humor really helps. We carried her to the grave wrapped in one of our old, clean sheets and buried her. We filled in the grave, made a mound, and said a few parting prayers. Over the past month I have “seen” Tessie (at least in mind’s eye), at all her favorite spots – under the large pine tree, on our “island” in the middle of our property, “following the sun”, and in the middle of the turkeys. Thank you Tessie for sharing your presence with us. Enjoy the farm!
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David FeldmanDog walker, Dog Mediator, Father, Husband, Categories |