Our Pets Live On

Almost two years ago, my dog Tinker died from throat cancer. My family and her companion, my other dog Cinnamon, have missed her deeply since then. We made a steppingstone in her memory and placed it in the backyard in a spot where she often relaxed in the shade.

Just about a year ago, I packed up my family and moved to another state. Tinker's memory steppingstone came with us. We were in temporary housing all summer. Since we didn't move into our new home until fall, we didn't have the opportunity to do much with the yard.

This weekend I unpacked a few more boxes we had left in the garage - mostly gardening items. In unpacking I found Tinker's memory steppingstone. I found a spot in our new yard that I think Tinker would have likely enjoyed. After leveling the soil, I placed the steppingstone in the shade under and tall pine tree.

Cinnamon was out in the yard with me as I unpacked and placed things in the yard. A minute or so after I walked away from Tinker's memory steppingstone, Cinnamon walked in that direction. It was almost as if she caught of whiff of a scent and wanted to check it out. She found her way to the stone and sniffed at it for quite a while. Then she pawed at it a couple of times before walking a few feet away and laying down.

Just to be clear, the spot I chose for Tinker's memory steppingstone was not a spot Cinnamon had shown any previous interest in at all. I had been putting other items in the yard that required me to dig at the earth in the same way I did for this steppingstone and Cinnamon paid no attention. In all the times I have placed objects out in the yard, unless they were of the size that looked like they could be an animal, Cinnamon has never showed any interest.

This particular object, in my opinion, holds our memories of Tinker and possibly Tinker's spirit. That energy is strong enough to be detected by our dog. I have heard that dogs are more perceptive when it comes to energy levels. Cinnamon's behavior has given me proof of this.