Dear Dr. FOX: I read one of your articles after researching your experiences with dogs. To make a long story short, I had two older huskies, both of whom passed away two weeks apart around Christmas. The first one went to the vet and unfortunately died there. I saw the same signs with the second cat, and I knew she would be passing by soon, so I brought her to my house to hold her.
I monitored her every breath for 5 hours straight. At the very end, she took three spaced breaths, and finally her lungs stopped, as did her heart. As I placed my hand on her chest trying to find any sign of a pulse, her body vibrated for almost four seconds. I couldn't believe how she felt.
I tried to find out as much as I could, but have you ever heard that the body vibrates after death? Did you feel her conscious energy or her soul leaving her body, or was it a medical coincidence? — DM, Cleveland, OH
Dear DM: I felt what you experienced as I held the animals on their way. My interpretation is that this is a release of their bioelectrical energy. I held my beloved cat Mark Twain after he suffered a stroke for about four hours while he was in and out of consciousness. Then he had a seizure that lasted about 3-5 seconds and his body convulsed. And I felt that energy released and he was gone.
I theorize that this energy is what we call “spirit” or “life force” and that after death it returns to a unified realm that some people call “heaven.”
One of my journalist friends told me that when a dog died on a veterinarian's operating table after euthanasia, he saw the dog's body rise up in a very clear and ephemeral way. He said it seemed to evaporate and disappear. Metaphysically, this is called an “etheric double.” The etheric body is characterized as a life force that also exists in the plant kingdom and maintains its physical form until death. Then it separates and the body returns to its natural decay.
Thank you for sharing your experience. I wonder if other readers, including veterinarians who euthanize animals, have felt and felt the same way.
Dear Dr. Fox: Our adorable little mixed-breed Chihuahua, Bailey, was great at learning words. He passed away in 2022 and it was like losing a child. We were retired when we adopted him, so he got a lot of attention.
We had to spell out a lot of words so he didn't understand what we were saying. Eating, going outside, snacks, carrots, sleeping, riding, getting in the car, etc. The cutest thing was that he knew our grandson's name. They come here almost every day, and Bailey has taught herself to go to the front door and wait for them at 3 p.m., after school. Whenever I said their names he would bark and run to the door to look for them. We miss him very much.
We then adopted a small elderly Pekingese who was in hospice care. He was such a blessing to us and we were able to have him with us for six months before he had to cross the bridge. He was almost deaf, but within a few weeks he started picking up my habits and movements. For example, lying in bed at night while watching me get ready for bed. Dogs are very intelligent creatures. — Virginia, Cumberland, Maryland
Dear VB: Many readers will appreciate what you share about your intelligent little Chihuahua. Not all dogs pay that much attention to words. Still, as your Pekingese made clear, you shouldn't look down on people who don't or can't learn many words. We need to appreciate all dogs, who have different talents and in many ways possess more virtues than we do.
Great initiative to help cats and prison inmates
A bill introduced in the Hawaii State Senate would fund a pilot program that would allow vetted and trained inmates at the Women's Correctional Center to adopt cats from animal shelters until they are adopted or returned to the shelter. It provides: If passed, the bill could reduce overcrowding in shelters and improve inmate welfare, advocates say. (Full text: KHON-TV Honolulu, January 31)
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