A Message from KhakiDawg

By now you all know that I am no longer there on the Earthly Plane with you. I did not want to leave because I love my mom and dad so much and I know how much they love me and will miss me, but we do not have any choice in these matters. When our name is called, we have to go.

As I drifted away, feeling Mom’s arms around me, it was very peaceful. I wasn’t quite sure what was happening. I looked around as I entered a big beautiful meadow and saw this old man walking toward me. When he got closer, he looked down at me and in a very soft, kind voice he said, “You must be KhakiDawg?”

I nodded, “Yes, I am.”

“My daughter said you were coming and asked me to meet you and show you around,” he explained.

“Oh my goodness!” I exclaimed, “You are my mom’s father. She told me all about you and said that I should never be scared because you would always be looking out for us. Wow, what is this place?”

 

His kind eyes looked around and he said, “This is where the Rainbow Bridge is. See it over there? You get to hang out here while you wait for your loved ones to pass through to get you. Then you can cross over the Bridge together.”

“Do we have to wait very long?” I asked. “I miss her so much already.”

“We don’t measure time in Earth years up here,” he answered. “I have been here 43 years, but it seems like a blink of an eye. We are very busy around here watching over our loved ones, so the wait is not a big deal.” He looked down at a goofy-looking Airedale sitting beside him. “This is Elvis. He was our family dog when your mom was just a little girl. He got here a little bit before me. He is waiting for either her or one of her brothers to come by and get him.”

Then he motioned to a little Sheltie sitting on the other side of him. “I think you know who this is!”

I looked at her and immediately I knew. “You are Rusty. You were my mom’s dog right before me.”

“Yes, I was,” she said. “It is good to finally meet you in person. You did a great job kiddo. I knew you would. I got to stay with her for 18 years, and when I had to leave, I knew she would need a very special friend to take my place. That is why I chose you. We have all been watching you, and you sure did step up to the plate with your assignment. We are very proud of you.”

“What is going to happen to her now?” I looked back over my shoulder and could see my mom crying. “She is so sad.”

“Let me explain how love works,” Rusty went on. “Down there love is more physical. We need to be able to feel and touch those that we love. So it is really hard when we have to leave, and it takes time for those left behind to be able to continue to feel the love that we leave in their hearts even though they can no longer see us and touch us. She will be OK after awhile. She still has Sandy and Annabelle there with her, her two brothers, sons, grandkids, and she and Patrick have each other, as well as all of their friends around them. There will be other dogs too. We will send her some more when she is ready. But for now, we have to let her grieve. You would do the same thing if she left before you did. Look around at all of the pets that are here waiting for their people. I think you probably know quite a few of them.”

I turned my head to look out over the beautiful meadow at all of the other animals. I saw dogs, cats, horses and even some birds. They were all playing, napping, splashing in the pond and just hanging out with each other. I recognized so many of my friends that came up here before me. Oh wow, there is McDuff! He was my very first dog friend/housemate when we lived on the ranch in New Mexico. I was just a little kid dog then and he was my mentor. He taught me all kinds of very important dog stuff because he was older and wiser. He had lived his whole life on a ranch and knew how to be a strong, confident dog. He told me the difference between ‘Stranger Danger’ barking and silly barking, made sure I knew not to get too close to the horses’ feet so I wouldn’t get stepped on, and to not leave my own yard without permission. He helped me grow up to be a confident self-assured dog like him so I could take good care of my mom. Not all kid dogs get to have someone like him to help them learn the life lesson. I can go and thank him now for helping me grow up to be the great dog that I became. Hey, look who is trotting up behind him, Champ, my horse friend. He and JoJo used to play tag with me out in the pasture. At first I was afraid of them because they were so big and their feet made a loud noise when they chased me. Boy did we have some fun! Look, here comes black cat Clancy and my cat buddy Sundown. Geez, this place is like a party. I see so many of my friends here.

Look over there. There are Uncle Jack’s two Dukes, and there is the entire McCabe-Dodson Pack: Goldie, Cookie, Brandy, Majyk, Logan and Zoie. Wow, over there are the Orwig Dogs, Bruno, Kokomo and some that I didn’t even know. “Where is Ben, Mr. Begley? I don’t see him. I walked beside him in my very first parade when we first met the rescue people.”

“Ben came by not too long ago,” he replied. “But he didn’t have to stay too long because even though he had people that loved him when he left, the couple who had loved him almost his entire life was already here waiting for him. They went over the Bridge together.”

I looked back at the dogs and cats out in the meadow. I could see Mazie and Damon Youhas. Is that Bennie over there? I could also see all of the dogs that belonged to the rescue people that we worked with. There is Honey, Bronco, Luka and Pele Tataseo,  Chelsea and Morgan Wenström-Lane, Bruno Holland, Ralli Ball, Daisy Blean, Pepper, Sandy and Bear Joyce and Allie Guilbault. Hey, there is my old friend Willow Armijo with her housemates Grlfnd and Trevor. I remember her. We went dog furniture shopping with our moms at WestWorld one year. There is Duke Hansen. He has the softest fur for a boy dog. Look, it’s CindyLouWho Wehry. “Is she still blind, Mr. Begley?”

“No Khaki, when you guys get here, everyone is perfect. There is no pain, no sickness, not even cancer or brain tumors like you had. See, you have fur on your leg again.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed. “So, does that mean that Beetle Bailey and all of the other sick dogs that came up here are all well again?”

“That’s right. Khaki, you leave all of the junk behind. Look over there at Conrad Donahue. Doesn’t he look great? And there are the Hubler kids, Spike, Wrangler, Megan, Charlie and Lucy.  They are all just fine.”

“Boy, this really is a wonderful place to hang out waiting for our people. Are Patrick’s dogs Cassie and Tasha here, too?”

“Yes they are, Khaki. They are out there in the meadow. You will meet them, I’m sure.”

 

“Mr. Begley, can I ask you a question?” 

“Sure Khaki, but please call me Walt.”

“OK, Mr. Walt. Can we ever go back to visit from time to time? I know Mom would love to see me again.”

“No Khaki, you can’t. You see, that is how dying works. That beautiful red furry body you were walking around in got worn out. Bodies don’t last forever, so you have to move out of them.  What you have now is your spirit and your soul. You can sneak down once in awhile and make your presence known by brushing up next to her or snuggling by her while she is sleeping, but you have to be careful to not knock over anything or be seen.”

“What would happen if she sees me?”

“I have visited many times over the years. I was there when each of her sons was born, Daniel and Michael. I was even there when her granddaughter Chelsea was born. But I got busted. I was so caught up in wrapping my love around Dan and that beautiful baby that I let her see me. What a mess. She was so startled that she fell down and the nurses had to help her up. So you see, you really haven’t gone very far away, and you can still let her know that you are near her. You just can’t let her see you or touch you.  You go on now and see your friends. Elvis and Rusty will show you around. If you need anything, I will be right here.”

“Just one more question, Mr. Walt. Is there any way I can let Mom know that I arrived here safely? I would like for her to know that I am fine and I will wait right here for her.”   

“You just did, Khaki. Welcome to Heaven!”