Tulips in the wild

Country Notebook

By Rogene "Jeannie" McPherson

Journal columnist

It was time. My son’s long-time best friend was nearing the end of his life, and the difficult decision was made to put Gus down. If you’ve read my book Posts from the Country, you’ve met Gus in the story called “Come Home, Come Home.” Gus was a rescue dog although a full-bred German Shorthair. For the first four years of life he was caged.

My son gave him a beautiful life full of adventure especially when he came to the farm. My infamous dog Digger, also a hound of sorts, and Gus loved to sneak away and often stayed out overnight making us frightening silly. Even as recent as a month ago, they made an escape, but Gus was too tired to stay out more than a couple of hours.

He is buried on a bluff overlooking a major creek running along my property. More than one squirrel would be tormenting him to compensate for the danger he put them in if they knew he was buried deep below in the leaf-composted soil. I still have some tulip bulbs my son can plant, but in retaliation the squirrels might just dig those up. Deer, rabbits and squirrels do not like daffodils due to their poisonous nature.  They also have a long-term history of returning year after year, less so than tulips. Likely this first year, we will try a variety of bulbs. Gus was a big dog so the gravesite will be adequate.

All this fuss may seem foolish to some, but if you have ever lost a favorite pet, it is part of the grieving process. I asked my son if he wanted to wrap Gus in a blanket and he said, “No” as he wanted the freedom of his physical body to return to the soil.

So, what about the spiritual body? I am convinced I will see all of my dogs in heaven. If not in the first heaven, then in the second in the New Earth and New Heaven. Randy Alcorn has written a very comprehensive book called Heaven and writes in detail how our pets will be a part of our eternity. Colton Burpo, the young man who went to heaven as documented in the book Heaven is for Real, was asked if he saw animals in heaven. He said animals were everywhere, and they were not fighting with each other.

My sons have been observers of the life and death of many of my dogs and grew up knowing it is a normal part of life. I’ve also given them permission to grieve. I rarely saw my Grandpa or my Dad cry, but I would not have loved them any less. It’s a much better emotion than being angry leading to hitting and yelling. Unfortunately too many use anger and weapons to look for peace. I don’t recall any time my anger lead to resolution. Going off to sulk and cry always worked better for me.

Notice I used the word “worked” in my previous sentence. Sometimes I remind myself the past experiences teach me to work through my emotions. That work is not always easy.

Yes, I cried for Gus, but in fact I wasn’t crying for Gus. I was crying for me and especially my son.  Mothers have the right to always be a mother.

It’s alright to cry when losing a friend, human or animal. And, it’s also appropriate to cry when we think of the many dogs and cats that suffer from abuse, be that in fighting rings or left out in inclement weather. Let’s teach our kids about sensibility, the ability to see beyond themselves.

Rest in peace, Gus.

Rogene “Jeannie” McPherson, from the Centerville area, is a regular contributor to the Linn County Journal. Her latest book Posts from the Country, Adventures in Rural Living is available online at Amazon.com, Thriftbooks.com, and Barnesandnoble.com.