Thank You Enzo

Hello there bloggers,

I've been thinking a great deal about Ziggy Boy lately. It just doesn't seem fair that he was taken away from our family so early with out any warning. It's been very hard with each passing day to accept his death, but I almost feel as if I can accept it now. All due to a simple book I randomly picked up at an airport.

The book is about a family who struggles through some really tough stuff (I won't go into details because it gives a good deal of the book away). But throughout their entire struggle, Enzo, the family's dog is there to support them though every step. The book is told through Enzo's eyes, which are very human, and shows just how human our furry friends can seem.

I find it amazing how a few simple words can hold such a great deal of meaning...

“In Mongolia, when a dog dies, he is buried high in the hills so people cannot walk on his grave. The dog's master whispers into the dog's ear his wishes that the dog will return as a man in his next life. Then his tail is cut off and put beneath his head, and a piece of meat or fat is placed in his mouth to sustain his soul on its journey; before he is reincarnated, the dog's soul is freed to travel the land, to run across the high desert plains for as long as it would like.

I learned that from a program on the National Geographic channel, so I believe it is true. Not all dogs return as men, they say; only those who are ready.

I am ready.”

I think Ziggy was ready. I think he knew in the long run we would all be okay without him. I think he had learned all he could from his life as our wonderful dog and was ready. Ready for his soul to take the next step in life and become man.

I've been thinking about this a great deal lately, and I believe it applies to not just dogs, but all animals we love so dearly. Those once in a lifetime animals with such human like qualities. Those who always seem to leave us without us being ready. I think they know we will be okay. I think they ready. And for me it justifies his passing in a way I can accept and almost feel relief.