The next big hurdle will be to bring Katie home, the final insult to the sensibilities of people who loved her. There is nothing to be done for it but to carry on. We feel each other’s pain, and are ready to take an ice pick to the person who dares to say, “It’s just a dog.” We all know the sad truth. No one knows the depth of sorrow one can have for a departed dog like another dog owner. We are sloppy with our tears, and unpredictable with our sobs, but there is dignity and gut wrenching sadness in the mute stoicism of a dog that is suffering his own loss. Seeing a dog mourn, we think, is worse than seeing it in ourselves. He searches our faces for some understanding of where his friend has gone, but sees instead the anguish of loss, and he doesn’t understand why. He waits, as taught, for his elder to go outside before him, but she’s not coming, and this youngster is now the oldest dog in the house. He sleeps on his pal’s favorite spots because it still smells like her. He searches room to room for the buddy that has moved on. Yes, there are many ways to mourn a dog, but none as eloquent as those expressed by the dog that’s been left behind. The Force, however, has been deeply disrupted by something far greater: The transition of the spirit and soul of one 30-pound black and hairy dog from her earthly binds to a new heavenly home Listening for the bark that warns us against everything and nothing, each a disruption to The Force, and thus, worthy of notification Extinguishing a nightlight put there just for her to see in the dark because where she is now, it’s dazzling Making room on the bed for someone who doesn’t need it anymore. Anticipating the sound they make before dinner, but hearing instead…………….nothing.Īccidentally squeaking their favorite toy, or rustling a bag of their favorite forbidden snack, but no one comes running Glancing at their favorite spot, but they’re not there. There are a thousand ways to mourn a dog. It may bring a tear, but perhaps that may be cathartic: We share something with you that we wrote when we lost our own dog, Katie, less than a year ago. Louis, we are so sorry for your loss, so recent and so raw. This entry was posted in Tibetan Mastiff and tagged buddha, Dalai Lama, Lhasa Apso, tibet, Tibetan Mastiff, Tibetan Spaniel, Tibetan Terrier. Tibetan Mastiff with child painting believed to be by Tang Jiang Perhaps word could spread in the Tibetan Mastiff community about the predicament of these wondrous dogs. The article at this linkis “safe” to see in that the photos and video it includes show no graphic abuse or cruelty, but it is beyond sad to see nearly 1,000 Mastiffs that have been abandoned in Yushu prefecture since summer living like cattle in a shelter doing its best to keep them. What was once a status symbol in China has fallen on very hard times. And here is where our story takes a turn. It’s said that some of the Tibetan Mastiffs found in the United States today are descendants of dogs given to Dwight Eisenhower. Some sources say the fate of the dogs is unknown, but another source reports that Darby gave one of the dogs to the famous explorer, Lowell Thomas. In the 1950s, His Holiness gave a pair to President Dwight Eisenhower as a diplomatic gift (though one source writes that it was a mistake because Eisenhower had requested two Tibetan Terriers).Eisenhower gave the puppies Senator Harry Darby who raised and bred them. Two of the dogs were posted at each of the four entrances to the estate. The Dalai Lama with his five year old Tibetan Terrier, ‘Senge,’ in India circa 1968īefore he was forced into exile, the Dalai Lama kept eight Tibetan Mastiffs to guard his summer home in Norbulinka. In addition to Lhasa Apsos having been bred and kept in the Potala, the palace and monastery of the Dalai Lama, His Holiness’ own dog was a Tibetan Terrier named, “Senge.” Valued in Tibet as companions and guards of temples, several native dog breeds emerged from that country. When Buddha called all the animals to him, only twelve showed up, and in recognition of their loyalty, he dedicated a month to each of them in the Tibetan calendar, the dog being one of the twelve (2006 was the most recent dog year, the next occurs on Februwhen it becomes the Earth Dog year). So, on to the post:īuddhists live in accordance with a creed that does not harm any living creatures, but Tibetan Buddhism has a special connection with dogs. If this post ends differently than where it started, now you know why. Here we were, writing a benign piece about an uncommon breed when a concerning article was sent our way. Note: In the course of writing this post, an article came to our attention that some would say was “spooky” in its timing.
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