The Magic Wanda

Gloria and Chloe March 2002

I read somewhere, more than once, that when dogs are near the end of their lives, they know. Sometimes, they'll bark for what seems to humans, no reason. What some believe is that these dogs are barking at dogs (cats, other animals) who have crossed that very special rainbow bridge to “the other side.” It is believed that the rainbow bridge is the crossing animals make on their way to Heaven. I started to believe this was the case for Chloe because her barking was getting really bizarre. She would bark at things (inanimate, invisible, etc.) and she would wake up in the middle of the night and act as though she didn't know where she was. This was totally unlike her and we started to see a dramatic change in her behavior.

On a warm Tuesday evening in June 2005, while we were driving Chloe to the vet, I whispered in her ear, "Chloe, your Mommies loves you so much. You're going to go to sleep tonight and when you do, you're going to see Maggie and Snowy, and all the dogs and animals that God created. You'll be able to SEE again, Chloe." I couldn't stop crying, even though I was trying so hard to stay calm for Chloe and Gloria's sake. Finally, as we got closer to the vet, I said to Chloe, "Please give Mommy a sign. Please let me know you're all right. Come to me in my dreams, Chloe."

As we watched our little girl take her last breath -- we were devastated. Gloria watched and was crying. Her sister of 17 years, three months, and five days would be without her lifelong companion. Gloria was literally crying for her sister. This tugged so hard on our hearts.

Of all the dogs we've taken in (and kept) and there have been many, Chloe and Gloria were always so very extra special. All of our dogs (and cats) are special, but these two were extraordinary. They came to us right after 9/11/2001 and gave us something to focus on rather than watching the news and worrying about terrorists. They showed such dignity and courage coming to us at almost 14 years old and having lived together with their one owner their entire lives. They were OLD when we got them! People couldn't believe their ages. Whenever we had them out (at the beach) or pulling them in a wagon (they got a little lazy in the older days) people would say, "What beautiful dogs. How old are they?? We’d say, "17" and they'd say, "17 months?" When people would hear they were 17 years old, they just couldn't believe their eyes. All of the great memories of these two girls flooded back to me the seconds before the vet gave Chloe the final injection. I didn't even feel as though I was present in the room. I felt as though I was somewhere else. I wanted to pull the vet's hand away from Chloe and tell her, "STOP!" But instead, I started to cry. Deep down, I knew it was the right thing to do because we could see her (finally) at rest.

When we went to sleep that night, the light on the side of our house went on. It's on a sensor, and goes on, usually, when our cats walk by. It's no where near the sidewalk and so it wasn't possible that it was a person. I asked Des if she had left the cats out and she said they were both inside. I went to the window to check -- no cats.

The light went on a second time and again I said, "Are you sure the cats are inside?"
Des said, "YES!"
I got up and found both cats sleeping soundly in the back bedroom. The light went on a third time.
I said to Des, "It's Chloe. She's giving me the sign I asked her for!"
Des said, "Chloe, if that's you -- stop turning the lights on."
When I got into bed, the tv and air conditioner went off.
I said, "Oh no, a blackout! We're going to have to open all the windows.” (It was very hot.)

I got up and out of habit, hit the light switch in the living room. The lights came on. I went to the front door and saw that all the neighbors' lights were on. The only lights that went off were the lights in the bedroom. Des reset the circuit breaker and we both went to sleep knowing our little girl was indeed safe and sound.

The stories, photos, and ideas on this blog are the intellectual property of
M. Samantha Kinsley. This material will appear in her forthcoming book,Dogs Are Better Than People.