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Where to Bury a Good Dog


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Where To Bury A Dog

By Ben Hur Lampman

 

There are various places within which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a setter, whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple, or any flowering shrub of the garden, is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else.

 

For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost—if memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all.

 

If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call—come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they should not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he belongs there.

 

People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, 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.

 

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Very true.

 

After I lost Missy I wanted something that really captured her essence to keep with me. I found a heart locket - sterling silver with a black onyx heart. It seemed quite fitting for my heart dog that was mostly black. I put a lock of her hair in it and wear it often. There is something reassuring and comforting about it.

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I've buried two dogs in recent history. One was a rescue, probably malamute/GSD/something, originally owned by someone else who lived literally in the middle of nowhere. He got the dog as a "watchdog" - man was half-deaf, and wanted a dog who would bark when someone arrived at the 'ranch.' Dog never dig bark! LOL. After living in the boonies for three years, the man had to leave and take care of elderly father where he couldn't reasonably take the dog, so I did. Loved that muttsky. He adjusted so well to travel and city (well, small town!) life; took over my leather chair. When he passed, I thought he needed to go back to the ranch area under a tree. Sniff, sniff.

 

His female buddy at my house was another mix, BC and probably husky. He was about 1.5 yr old when she was four months, and they bonded instantly. Played like maniacs. When she passed at age 12, I thought they needed to be together, so back to the "boonies" she went, under a nearby tree. My favorite photo of her is lying under the tree that was to be hers, while I buried him. Waaahh.

 

This location is one that I pass frequently on my travels, and I always blow a kiss to each of them as I pass by.

 

My current old girl (16 yr & 2 mo) is truly my heart and soul dog. She will be cremated, so I can have some small part of her physical being with me always. She never liked the other two, and they never liked her, so she doesn't need to go there.

 

This is the best line of the OP: The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.

 

diane

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