... as we recently did, it is therapeutic to turn to the written word on the subject. Two pieces:

Where To Bury A Dog

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.

by Ben Hur Lampman

And Lord Byron's "Epitaph to a Dog," written in 1808 upon the death of his beloved Newfie:

Near this Spot
are deposited the Remains of one
who possessed Beauty without Vanity,
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
and all the virtues of Man without his Vices.

This praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery
if inscribed over human Ashes,
is but a just tribute to the Memory of
Boatswain, a Dog
who was born in Newfoundland May 1803
and died at Newstead Nov. 18th, 1808


When some proud Son of Man returns to Earth,
Unknown to Glory, but upheld by Birth,
The sculptor’s art exhausts the pomp of woe,
And storied urns record who rests below.
When all is done, upon the Tomb is seen,
Not what he was, but what he should have been.
But the poor Dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend,
Whose honest heart is still his Master’s own,
Who labours, fights, lives, breathes for him alone,
Unhonoured falls, unnoticed all his worth,
Denied in heaven the Soul he held on earth –
While man, vain insect! hopes to be forgiven,
And claims himself a sole exclusive heaven.

Oh man! thou feeble tenant of an hour,
Debased by slavery, or corrupt by power –
Who knows thee well, must quit thee with disgust,
Degraded mass of animated dust!
Thy love is lust, thy friendship all a cheat,
Thy tongue hypocrisy, thy heart deceit!
By nature vile, ennobled but by name,
Each kindred brute might bid thee blush for shame.
Ye, who behold perchance this simple urn,
Pass on – it honours none you wish to mourn.
To mark a friend’s remains these stones arise;
I never knew but one -- and here he lies.

Thank you, Bill.

I've had dogs all my life. I currently have two labs, an 8 year old yellow and a 12 year old chocolate. Both are female.

It is said that most dog lovers / owners have one dog they recall as their best among all they've owned. My chocolate is that dog. She has simply been my best, most loving canine companion, indeed, probably my best and most loving friend, canine or otherwise, in all my life.

We do not have much time left together, as she is ravaged with arthritis, her eyes are failing, and she is showing signs of dementia. Her passing is going to be extremely difficult for me. She has been "The One".

You are in my thoughts regarding your recent loss. And thank you again for posting these two pieces. They give me strength, especially as I feel the gentle nudge of my chocolate upon my feet as I type this post.

The Last Battle

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this -- the last battle -- can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.
We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.
Take me to where to my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.
I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.
Don't grieve that it must be you Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close -- we two -- these years,
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

-- Unknown

DAMN !
I can barely type. I'm having trouble seeing the screen !
I've been called many things, but my respect,admiration, appreciation , love and understanding has NEVER been questioned---------by those w/4 legs.
the words from 1800s are strangely new to me. Thank you.
One disagreement I've had for a while. It will not truly be heaven without my kids. I truly will be disappointed w/o them !
When my day comes, I expect to see those happy, handsome black tails from earlier in my life !

How wonderful the world would be if our dogs lived for ever and we got to buy a new shotgun every ten years.
They are always in our hearts.

My personal sentiments are echoed by the poetry and posts on this thread.

My wife and I lost Patch, a GWP, in Sept 2015.
It was the most emotionally disturbing event I have experienced in my life. We were inseperable. She knew what I was thinking and I knew what she was thinking. The following 6 months were extremely difficult.
In Feb if this year we welcomed Penny, a pure Dratharr and one week ago Rusty, another GWP also joined our family.

The loss of Patch has eased but is still not erased. I still miss my best friend but my time and emotions are now committed in providing a good home, plenty of excercise and hunting for our two new friends.

Best wishes to all of you for Xmas, we will be unwrapping chew-bones under the tree with Penny and Rusty and thinking of Patch.

Regards to all dog lovers.

Paul.

Paul, the secret is we MUST move forward and give another dog a chance to love and be loved. Good for you for having two, and merriest possible Christmas!

Hurts some thing awful to loose on of my kids and proclaim no more will I suffer the heart ache. Never works, within a month or two at most I must have a companion to accompany me on my morning and even walk thru the vacant fields and woods.
Cemetery for my kids is down along the creek that provided them with so much fun and me as well.

I have a shir pei mutt now and a 10 month old Ryman setter I am enjoying the antics of.

Al

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Paul, the secret is we MUST move forward and give another dog a chance to love and be loved. Good for you for having two, and merriest possible Christmas!

Bill you are absolutely correct on all accounts, we and life must move on.
Doesn't mean to say that at times it is not easy, as Allyyooper points out, the loss of a close dog can be a difficult time, but we must move on and continue to nurture, train, love and hunt with our furry loved ones.

I am over-joyed to be able to report that our two new scally-wags have become the very best of friends and are now inseperable after only one week together.

We will never forget our Patch, but we are now moving slowly in to a new era in our lives, an era dominated by the presence of two beautiful GWP's, Penny and Rusty.

I don't post much here but do a lot of reading. The subject of dogs is a subject very dear to me as is with all of you here. I have cremated all of mine and they will go with me someday.
I grew up with dogs as a kid. Beagles and labs. They were all hunting dogs but they were also in the house. I went on to work them in the military for five years and learned to truly appreciate the bond and faithfulness of a dog. I could go on and on about the miracle of the dog as I have read every book I could find on the history of them and have never been without a dog for more than three weeks of my entire life. They are the best people I have ever known.

Thanks Bill. Needed to wash out my eye's a bit. For close to 30 yrs now every one of my dog's has been buried here at home. I still need them around. Last one was Bodie, Jan 11, 2017.Still have Squirt, Stormy and Missy but still miss Bodie!

Bill started this thread almost exactly 6 months ago. I responded a few days later, remarking how I had very little time left with my chocolate lab.

Well, she left us Friday. Simply the best dog I've ever had. It's so very hard for us.

Quite a lot has been written about the meaning of our relationship with dogs which provides comfort at times like this. I don't recall exactly how it goes, or by whom it was written, but the one that softens this horrible blow for me follows below.

It has been plagiarized and amended many times. I believe it was born out of Mark Twain's writings.

To paraphrase, it reads: "One of the greatest hopes we can have is that when we die and enter Heaven, the first thing we'll hear and see is the barking, yipping, galloping, tail-wagging commotion of all the dogs we've ever owned as they run to the gate to greet us."

Goodness knows I'm planning on that, Tom. If they aren't waiting for me, I don't know what I'll do.

She was quite the girl, though i haven't seen her the last few years since you've moved. You know, the way you are with dogs, I'm pretty sure she'll be waiting for you. You are the only person to whom my Wyatt would ever deliver a pheasant besides me, and that says a lot about how dogs see you. And it pales besides the relationship you had with Toons.