A milestone

Well, today was an (almost) first for me. I almost cried in a movie. I've never cried in a book or movie before, but I welled up in Hachi: A Dog's Tale. There's not really much to say about that. I guess being a farm girl I learned to love animals. I had a dog; she was perfect. I bawled like a baby when she died. I actually will admit to still crying sometimes over that dog. Finally, I feel like I am ready to give my heart to a new puppy. Unfortunately, living arrangements and lack of means don't allow me to act on this instinct. I wish that everyone could know the love a good dog gives. Well this is rather ramble-y. Anyway, I thought I would find a poem about dogs to post, and I did. "The Best Place to Bury a Dog" is touching. Maybe you aren't like me and don't connect to animals more than people. If so, just ignore this rambling of a devoted animal lover. That shouldn't be too hard to do. But if, like me, you have been changed and tempered by the loyalty, love, and absolute trust that only a dog can give, I hope you find solace in these words.

THE BEST PLACE TO BURY A DOG

"There is one best place to bury a dog.
"If you bury him in this spot, he will
come to you when you call - come to you
over the grim, dim frontier of death,
and down the well-remembered path,
and to your side again.

"And though you call a dozen living
dogs to heel, they shall not growl at
him, nor resent his coming,
for he belongs there.

"People may scoff at you, who see
no lightest blade of grass bent by his
footfall, who hear no whimper, people
who may never really have had a dog.
Smile at them, for you shall know
something that is hidden from them,
and which is well worth the knowing.

"The one best place to bury a good
dog is in the heart of his master."

--- Ben Hur Lampman ---
from the Portland Oregonian Sept. 11, 1925
[AKA "If A Dog Be Well Remembered"]
[AKA "Where TO Bury A Dog"]

RIP Kaya, You are always in my heart.