Sending A Sign: What Did Your Hounds Do?

[DocsDoctor]

It's three days since Doc had to leave me and I've been of course. Here's his thread: http://forum.greytalk.com/index.php/topic/312974-goodbye-doc-barefoot-doctor-20082001-15042015/

 

Still two things happened this morning which made me , and which I would rather share with all of you than my friends in real life, who might well .

 

First of all on the pavement on the top of the hill on my way to get a newspaper I found a tangle of pink and yellow ribbon, woven with a pattern of paw prints and the words 'Good Earth' with a little star/sun/flower. (And also 'Gum Drops', it has to be said.)

 

And then when I started up the computer the words 'Magic Doctor' flashed up briefly in the task bar at the bottom of the screen. (It's one of the startup programmes, I think.)

 

Thank you Doc - not just a Barefoot Doctor now, but a Magic Doctor! What a clever boy!

 

And thank you Mother Nature for letting him get through. The ribbon went in with the rest of my washing and is now drying nicely on the line

 

And now I'd love to hear some similarly consoling stories from the rest of you .

[dante2zoe]

The night after I found Dante in the back yard with a broken leg and had to let him go (he had no signs of osteo and had even been to the vet the week before), a derichio came through. The next morning, I was surveying the damage in the yard (which is surrounded by a 6 foot wooden privacy fence) and where he had been found, there was an orange marble. It was not there the day before. Each of my dogs has their own colored leash so I can distinguish them easily. Dante's is orange. When I picked up the stone, I felt a wave of peace.

 

Three weeks later, Indy fell and hit his head, causing a brain bleed. Two days after he died, I heard his nails and turned around, seeing him in my hallway. He looked at me, turned around and walked away.

 

It will be three years this spring and I still cry when thinking about those experiences.

 

Glad Doc could bring you some peace to your heart. Hugs

[DocsDoctor]

Oh, those are both lovely! Thank you Cindy.

[Guest Taras]

The night Treetop left I was standing in the backyard crying and looking up at the sky. And I said out loud "Tree let me know you there and I can stop crying" and a shooting star went right across the house. He also sends me blimps a lot . When he thinks I need a laugh. He hated blimps and would bark his fool head off at them and I would laugh at him. Love that boy

[seeh2o]

The day after Carl passed I was talking to my dad on the phone when he and I both heard the sound of a dog sniffing the phone. Neither of our dogs were anywhere near us or a phone.

 

This past Wednesday I saw a black greyhound run into the house. It didn't move like Doodles, Bowie, who is fawn, was laying on the dog bed behind me in the bedroom. So I watched the front door and a few minutes later Doodles came strolling in. All greyhounds accounted for except for the first black one to run into the house....Carl. I saw him out of the corner of my eye in the kitchen the week before. Again, all living greyhounds were accounted for on dog beds in other rooms.

[macoduck]

The spirit of Mutt le mutt came to me on the anniversary of her passing. Every night she slept beside my bed, right where my feet would touch down. If I didn't reach over and pat her head I would hear an "umph, umph" until I did. That night last week I had only been in bed for a minute before I heard an "umph". I rolled over. PUdge wasn't physically there but I felt her presence.

 

With the other dogs I have heard a jingle of dog tags in a back room when all the dogs were with me in a front room.

 

Little Nina, my gaglo, visited me before I adopted her. I would see the blurry form of a small greyhound out of the corner of my eye. It happened several times. Then one day I drove a load of kibble to GFNC and met a very small elderly galgo girl who had just been dumped by her long term owners. Hello Nina.

 

We area multiple dog household. Wally didn't send a sign after he left but he did tell that he would be the next.

He never ventured near our doggy graveyard before this day. I too one side of the fence down to clean it up and Wally walked right in. And stayed there until I went all the way back to the house to get my camera. He probably stood in there for 10-15 minutes. Wally lived a few more months after that, but he was indeed the next to go.

 

Our doggy graveyard has doubled in size since that photo was taken.

Edited April 18, 2015 by macoduck

[JohnF]

Like Dante2zoe said. I too 'felt a wave of peace' shortly after my last dog had passed at the vet's. The clamoring in my head just faded out and the sense of loss across a great distance began. Angel was a true heart dog. I expect to see her again in some form or other in another life.

 

I think we all look for signs when loved ones pass. Like that 'Penny from Heaven' poem.

 

I remember when my Mother went, clearing her personal possessions from her room in the nursing home. There was this old stereo CD player that had long ago stopped playing CDs. I took it home and plugged it in for the radio and the CD player started.

[EllenEveBaz]

Eve and Baz were my first greyhounds. After they both had died, Baz came to me in a dream, having a wonderful time playing with a big group of other dogs. He told me that Eve was ok, she was with another person.

 

Another time, Scout was standing on a chair and looking out the window. Scout turned to look at me, and all of a sudden it was Baz standing there, the same position. But you are dead, I thought. Yes, he replied. But I am here.

[robinw]

Once I woke up from sleeping and I swear, I could smell and feel Phoenix's soft fur. It was so real.

[schultzlc]

You all have me a little teary-eyed just reading these.

 

My first hound, Phantom, was adopted by my family when I was 12. He wasn't big on sleeping in anyone's room with them for some reason, but preferred to spend the night on his pillow in the living room. But, every night, in the wee hours of the morning, he would make rounds to go and check on everyone. His tags always jingled, so you could hear him coming. I was away at college when he passed, though I had just been home for the weekend a couple of days before. A few times, when I have been back at home visiting my parents, I have woken up in the middle of the night to hear tags jingling. I know it isn't coming from my girls, as they wear boomerang tags. My parents, individually and on different occasions, have heard him as well. Phantom was such a good dog. I can't believe it has been 10.5 years since he crossed the bridge.

Edited April 19, 2015 by schultzlc

[DocsDoctor]

Such touching stories, one and all. Thank you, everybody.

[Guest MnMDogs]

I had a very vivid dream the night we said goodbye to Mork. I was in the kitchen, Ryan was in the living room, and Mork was running to the sliding glass door. I yelled at Ryan to go open it, since I could tell Mork wasn't going to stop, and would crash into the glass.

 

Before either of us could move, he just disappeared through the door, and was gone. Maybe not a sign but it has stuck with me since he died.

Edited April 19, 2015 by MnMDogs

[racindog]

Honestly I would have to write a book to share the amazing marvelous and LOVING communique's from my bridge children. They know what we need and just because they have crossed over does not mean that they are going to stop loving and taking care of us. Only their body died-their spirit-the part of them we loved and that is them-is fine. Actually I do even keep a personal log called "Signs" of many such events because they are so marvelous and comforting. It started out for my soul mate Slim but has since expanded to include communications from several other bridge babies. I had to smile when you mentioned the computer incident as I have discovered that it is not at all unusual for them to visit us via the computer! In fact Slim's first visit to me was via the computer as well. They deliberately make their visits unmistakeable so we know they are real. They know how in our grief and our culture that is not attuned to such, that we may try to discount the truth that they actually did visit. Sometimes an animal on earth will allow their spirit to enter and they will visit via another animal. You will always recognize this as you will recognize Doc's energy-kindred spirits know each other. Don't be afraid to "challenge" Doc by saying you need him to make sure it is an unmistakable sign-something unique to you 2 etc- so you will know for sure its validity. They don't mind at all -they still understand us possibly better than we understand ourselves-and are quite capable of responding.

 

But I have found that Slim is with me all the time just as much if not more than he was when he was here in his earth suit. I was so completely devastated when he crossed over. I just couldn't move forward anymore-until he taught me from the other side that he is still with me. I am a fairly religious person and honestly God spoke to me during that time and told me that Slim didn't die-that only his body did-but that Slim was OK. I have found this to be true. He has sent me special signs ever since he crossed over and anytime I feel the need for reassurance I'll ask for another and he'll send it. Yeah he's in the spirit world and I'm still in the earth world but who cares? We can still be together. We are all spirit beings. I didn't fall in love with his body. I fell in love with him-the real him-his spirit. In fact I have learned and other dogs have told me that you have more "power" in the spirit world. Slim has shown me this too. I don't understand the details of all this. I think it has something to do with love being energy and therefore it can't be destroyed etc. But I don't need to know how/details. That it is true is all I need to know. I don't think our human mind is capable of understanding and explaining everything. In fact I think that the heart knows what the mind can't understand.

 

One day Slim uncharacteristically removed a parallel Bible from the bookcase and destroyed part of it. This was totally out of character behavior-he just didn't destroy or damage stuff. I kept it because I could still use the pages he didn't maul. Four months after he crossed over he used it to send me one of his beloved "signs." When I began to open it to look up something it quickly “fell” open(because it was so heavy) where he had attacked it a few years ago. And the place it fell open to was our verse-the one I put on his picture in the kitchen-“For love is as strong as death…”Song of Solomon 8:6 What a “coincidence” that years later out of over a thousand pages he selectively mauled the pages causing it to fall open there on its own years later when I needed it. You just never know.

 

I greatly enjoy Slim's "picture straightening game" he started which thankfully has been going on for years now. Slim moves and makes his canvas picture crooked, and then I re-straighten it and then he makes it crooked again. He picked the picture that rest against molding so that there is no way it could move on its own-he wants me to know that it is definitely 'supernatural' and that he is still playing with me as he always did. And then sometimes he will even make a 2nd and /or 3rd one crooked as well - a nice touch for sure! Slim has an awesome sense of humor.

 

Enjoys Doc's signs. He will be with you always.

 

WE ARE NOT EARTH BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS GOING THROUGH A TEMPORARY EARTH EXPERIENCE. And never forget you will ALWAYS have each others love:
For love is as strong as death….
Many waters cannot quench love,
Nor can the floods drown it.
Song of Solomon 8:6-7

Edited April 19, 2015 by racindog

[brindlehound]

I haven't received a sign from Magic yet, who passed the same day as Doc. I asked him to give me a sign. I have felt at peace since I left the vet that day. It's possible that was my sign. I can talk about him without tearing up.

[MarcR]

The day that Cleo left (It's exactly one year ago today, in fact), I was at the back of the yard with Myun and Antnee. I looked up to see a red-tailed hawk perched on a fence post not more than 15 feet from me. Now, red-tailed hawks are quite common, but in the 40+ years I have lived here, I've never seen one so close to the house. The hawk sat on the post looking at me for a few minutes then spread her wings and lifted silently into the air.

[Guest normaandburrell]

After my first grey died, I heard his nails clicking on the wooden floors of our house on several occasions. We had no other dogs at the time.

[duncan41]

During the year and a half that Suze was sick, the application of essential oils was a twice daily ritual. It provided special one-on-one time and left our house smelling wonderful. Suze was a welcome visitor to her Vet's office because not only was she smart and compliant, but everyone described her as a walking air freshener and mood booster. The effect was so powerful that the first thing DH said after returning from our Vet's office without our girl was, "Please put the essential oils away." He was so hurt by her loss that the aroma of the oils would have been too much for him to bear.

 

About 3 days later, I sat down to eat dinner and with each of the first three bites of food, I got an unmistakably strong whiff of lavender essential oil..............not the flowery perfume scent, but the earthy aroma of the particular brand of Lavender essential oil that I had used on Suze from day one. Because I was still numb with grief, it took until that third bite of food to realize what was happening! It was at that second that Fuzz, Suze's litter sister, jumped up and started play bowing all over the place, barking and tail going 90 miles an hour in her signature helicopter movement. Suze's presence was so strong in the room that I felt as if I could reach out and touch her. The experience only last a minute, but left no doubt in my mind that Suze had dropped by to let us know that she was still around.

[GreytNut]

When I came home from the vet after putting Argus down due to osteo, I reached for the doorknob and there was a big fat black widow sitting there. They're uncommon in this area. I took it as a sign that he was deeply unhappy with me until I got into the house and smelled gas. There was a problem with the furnace and it was leaking gas and carbon monoxide. The utility company shut it down and red tagged it. I realized that the black widow was a warning of danger and poison. He was looking out for us, not rebuking me.

 

Shortly after Tiny had to be put down, also due to osteo, I dozed off on the couch and half-woke to feel his head in my lap. I petted him for a while before I woke all the way up and he was gone.

 

For weeks after I lost my cat Sapphy (she and I grew up together and she died at 21) she would appear at random around the house. I would see a flash of light almost like a sparkler, then I would clearly see her for a few seconds. Then she would disappear. The first time she appeared on the counter where I had given her sub-q fluids. She caught my eye, jumped down from the counter (I even heard the thump of her landing) and then was gone. After a while the appearances stopped. I think she just wanted to check in and make sure I was OK.

Edited April 23, 2015 by GreytNut

[queenwinniesmom]

Sorry if I've told this story. I know I posted about it on Facebook the day it happened, but I'm not sure if I did on GT. I've written about the many times that Nick has sent me butterflies, usually at the beginning or end of vacations at places he loved, or when I was having a rough time and needed the comfort. The latest butterfly was the most meaningful. It was during last summer when I worried about Polly every day. She was so frail, and slipping away. I was so afraid she would die when I was in Spain, and she did. I was weepy sometimes just thinking about how I was losing my sweet girl, and how much I would miss her. On one of those days, when I had the dogs out in the yard, I saw a beautiful black and orange butterfly (like a miniature Monarch) the kind Nick sends. I said, "Hi, Nicky," like I always do. I expected the butterfly to flutter around me for a while as usual, but this time, it came closer and closer, oblivious to the 4 big dogs in the yard. I was looking at it in amazement when it landed on my foot! It stayed there for at least 10 seconds, and I burst into tears. I think Nick was really making sure that I got the message---that even though we lose them, they are never really gone. They are always with us.

[GeorgeofNE]

George sent me hummingbirds.

 

I don't know why I believe he did, but there seemed to suddenly be twice as many, and they kept looking in the sliding glass door at me.

[seeh2o]

It happened again last night, which makes it 3 times in the last 3 weeks. I'd come home from work, fed the dogs. Bowie was in the living room waiting for treats, Doodles was finishing up her dinner and I was standing behind her when I saw the back half of a black greyhound run outside, I even saw the pads and nails on his back feet. It was as if he had just eaten and ran outside to pee, which was his habit every night.

Edited May 1, 2015 by seeh2o

[Guest jenmm]

My heart hound Yankee is buried in our backyard. My husband transplanted daffodils as a marker. Every year, the daffodils come up, a sign of rebirth. The first year, one of the daffodils was white with red, a ring of fire daffodil. No other daffodil in our yard looked like that and I had never seen one like that before. It was unique just like my boy!

[Charlies_Dad]

I believe Charlie sent us a sign. He was a huge couch potato and would always get up there even though Lynn did not want him there. Got to admit I am guilty of allowing him to stay there many times when I caught him up there. He also loved our bed, not when we were in it as we do not allow that but any other time if one could not find him, just go to the bedroom and there he'll be. Well if the couch was off limits, you can only imagine the bed! Jack on the other hand never ever got on any furniture. A day after we lost Charlie, I found Jack up on the bed . That was the only time he ever did this and unfortunately he followed his brother two months later.

[racindog]

I believe Charlie sent us a sign. He was a huge couch potato and would always get up there even though Lynn did not want him there. Got to admit I am guilty of allowing him to stay there many times when I caught him up there. He also loved our bed, not when we were in it as we do not allow that but any other time if one could not find him, just go to the bedroom and there he'll be. Well if the couch was off limits, you can only imagine the bed! Jack on the other hand never ever got on any furniture. A day after we lost Charlie, I found Jack up on the bed . That was the only time he ever did this and unfortunately he followed his brother two months later.

Very touching. Thanks for sharing.

[Magdalene]

Dazzle and Mystique died two weeks apart from each other. I live in a three-level townhouse with my sister, two cats, and the two dogs prior to the death of the dogs. The top level of the house is where the bedrooms are, and all of the critters, Dazzle especially, used to like to run back and forth along the hall for the fun of it. (She was easily amused.) She always sounded like a herd of elephants when she did this.

 

The morning after she died, my sister and I were downstairs--my sister was in the kitchen with one of the cats, and I was in the living room with the other cat and Mystique, when we heard somebody running back and forth in the upstairs hall. The surviving animals heard it too--they were all attentively looking upstairs. I called out her name, and the sound of the running stopped.

 

Mystique died two weeks later, on a Saturday. The following Monday, I was in the kitchen packing my lunch for work, when my "Adopt a Greyhound" bracelet fell off the microwave.....I had been nowhere near the microwave. So I put it on and wore it that day.

 

 

To add to this.....I wonder if Mystique knew her time was coming. I had Dazzle cremated and brought her ashes home and sat them on the hearth of the fireplace. Mystique was fascinated with the box. She kept going over to sniff it in the week between when I got it back and when she died. I couldn't decide if she somehow knew it was Dazzle, or if it was her way of understanding that this was her fate, too.

Edited May 30, 2015 by Magdalene