The Best Place to Bury a Dog
 

The Best Place to Bury a Dog
“… For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, laughing, begging, it matters not where that dog sleeps.

On a hill where the wind is not rebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pastureland where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is one to a 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.

If you bury him in this spot, 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 may call a dozen living dogs to heel, they shall not growl at him nor resent him 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 have never really had a dog. Smile at them, for you shall know something that is hidden from them.

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

Author Unknown

When at the cottage, one of my GSPs used to go down to the lake and stand at the end of the dock looking out at the lake all on his own every late afternoon, you'd think he went down there to watch the sunset every night.

One of the neighbours was an amateur artist, painted the scene and gave it as a gift. The dog died years ago but when I look at that painting he's right there in the room. It hangs in the dining room.

Awesome gift.

As for the poem the author is Ben Hur Lampman

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 flavorful bone or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder.

These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter. For if the dog be well-remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where the dog sleeps. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppy hood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pastureland, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog and all one to you, and nothing is gained and nothing is lost .... if memory lives.

But 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 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 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.

From the Portland Oregonian, Sept. 11, 1925. By Ben Hur Lampman


One of the many sources: [url]http://www.takingthelead.co.uk/2/thoughts/best%20place.htm[/url]

I lost my dog today. She got very sick, very fast.The vet doesn't seem to know what it is. She was vomiting blood, pooping blood, lethargic, fever, labored breathing, low white blood count and high liver count. The vet seems to think she may have been poisoned. I also have a male dog that was in the same kennel with her. He got sick first, but he got better. Sadie was not that lucky. The thing that disturbs me is I left her at the hospital to be looked after, and come to find out, there was not anyone there from 9 pm to 7 am. She was dead when they came in. Not that they could have changed the outcome, but I would have preferred for her to be home and not alone. Is this common practice for an animal hospital to leave animals unattended at night? Are they missing something or could this be a poisoning? Who would be that cruel? Surely not a goodhearted person!!

I'm sorry for your loss. That is a terrible story. :grouphug:

I think you should start a new thread in the Pet Health section for this. I don't think it will be seen here (a lot of people don't like to come in this forum because it's too sad).