.png)
Loki, my intelligent, beautiful, handsome Puggle (Pug/Beagle) crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past Wednesday in the afternoon at Bliss Point Farm, north of Charlottesville, VA, surrounded by friends and family. He had a wonderful day roaming the fields and trails of Sarah and Reimer's where we lived for almost 9 years before we moved to Alexandria. It was an idyllic life for a dog with 12+ acres to roam off-leash with bunnies, deer and fox to chase, scent trails to follow, and grassy green fields to joyfully roll around in on your back on a particularly bright day. There were always visitors at the farm whose comings and goings Loki watched (and sometimes barked at from his perch on the back of the sofa in my bedroom on the second floor)--neighbors dropping by, guests arriving at the B&B, and the comings and goings of residents.
Here in Alexandria, where I have lived since February 2023, Loki so enjoyed his 3 walks/day smelling all the pee-email and leaving pee-mail and just, well, being together. We had many fun outings to new places in the area--the best was a stroll around George Washington's Mount Vernon, the memory of which I will cherish. Then there were the myriad restaurants where we could sit outdoors in the evenings and food share. Oh, and the French boulangerie in the neighborhood where I live. In true French fashion, they allow dogs to be inside. I would get my coffee, and he got his Milk Bone (and bites of whatever sweets I bought for myself--as long as it wasn't chocolate). We were sitting pretty. City living also has its delights for both human and canine.
Loki was the best dog, the brightest dog, the perfect dog, the most beloved dog on the planet. That is what I used to tell him. But as is wont to happen in this physical world, his body began to break down in serious ways from a collapsing trachea. Struggling to breathe and coughing in a hard way for hours on end, he and I made the decision to help him cross over before things worsened and he suffered more.
Some people believe that animals don't have feelings. Or that they do not feel love--for others of their species or, much less for those who are not of their species. Yet, they have the same neurobiological mechanisms for feelings and love that humans do. I daily watch YouTube videos showing deep love and friendship between humans and animals--even reptiles--and between animals of different species--even historical predator and prey. Recently, I recently watched a video about a scientific research study that proved that when cats stare into your eyes, oxytocin, the love hormone, is released.
Gandhi said that you can judge the level of a civilization by how animals are treated. How is it that we believe animals are simply stupid, simple beings who are only driven by instinct, fear, sex and food? How long will it take for human beings to recognize their own capacity for love, caring, and compassion in the eyes of other species--2- and 4-footeds, winged, feathered, furred, scaled, and shelled? Today, while out boating on the Potomac, my friend and I passed buoys on which Osprey couples perched on their nests. They mate for life. Mating involves love and commitment. Protection and connection. It has been shown that animals grieve when a loved one dies. Yes, they feel and remember.
Loki had soulful eyes who looked deeply into mine. He was very low key (hence, I think the reason for the name he came to me with). He was like a Buddha dog. Patient and kind. Funny and wise. A love dog. My dog.
I have been so blessed to experience in my life a plethora of 4-footed love: the love of dogs who have been my constant companions for some 35 years. The love of cats who, no matter their independent spirits, have nonetheless loved me well, as I loved them. They would all look me in the eyes and say, "I love you, Rachel." The names of both canine and feline were Kali Ma, Toots, Bea, Griselda, Milo, Moppy, Ginger, Sophie, Lily, Sym, Wee, Louie, Loki.
God is love. Spirit is love. Love is woven through the fabric of the living energy of the cosmos. It is the stuff out of which life is created and is ever creating. Without love, we would be nothing. We would not even exist. Love fuels the drive to incarnate in the physical so we can look into one another's eyes and touch one another's heart. There is nothing like the body. Nothing like holding the hand or the paw of a loved one. Only here, in this physical domain can we have all that and more.
I have also felt love beaming out to me from trees and mountains and other so-called "inanimate objects". Sentience is everywhere, in everything. As shamanism teaches, everything is conscious and self-aware.
And, yes, love is everywhere.
Loki was my love, my companion of 11 years, and my "bibi" (pronounced "bee-bee"). As the song sung by the White Horse Guitar Club goes (my anthem for Loki): "if I needed you, would you come to me? Would you come to me? Would you come to me for to ease my pain? If you needed me, I would come to you. I would swim the sea for to ease your pain." That is how deep our love and commitment was.
Never underestimate the love of animals for you and the lifeforce out of which they emerge into incarnation so you can learn finally, how loved you are and how to love better and deeper. How to love for life. This was Loki's gift to me.
Thank you, my beloved Loki, for being my constant and patient companion. You are sorely missed even though I know your soul and spirit will remain with me through eternity. And perhaps before I die, you will return someday in another beloved 2- or 4-footed form so we can share this physical journey together again--and experience the grace and bliss of looking deeply into one another's eyes.
Comments