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His name was Rascal and he was a Shepherd mixed mutt. My wife found him shivering under her car and took him in. He was barely weaned; she trained him in all the good things a pup should know, and discovered there was much more than she realized. Like when she made a co-worker a cake, and year-old Rascal discovered he could paw at the table cloth until the cake was in reach ... and when my wife got home, only the back semi circle of hollowed out icing remained, and Rascal was stretched out in happy agony with a very fully belly. Rascal endeared himself to everyone; he rode in her Nissan pickup with her; when she went through Dairy Queen's drive-thru they gave her a small cone-in-a-cup for Rascal, and the bank's drive-thru kept a jar of doggy treats for him. Her parents eventually took him over and he lived the rest of his happy life with them. He grew old as dogs all do, and finally developed cancer, which all dogs do if they live long enough. My wife and I were asleep, and sleeping, we dreamed. She dreamed of Rascal as a pup, cocking his head a little with his tongue out laughing, and begging for a ball to be thrown. I dreamed of a pond and Rascal and I swam it together. We lay on the far bank for a time, tired and happy, and then I had to swim back, but Rascal could not: we were both saddened that I had to leave, and I woke. My wife and I both woke and looked at one another and with one voice said, "Rascal." We marked the time. 0430 hours. Next day my mother in law called. My wife said "Rascal died, didn't he?" Her mother was ... surprised. They'd had him put down at 0430, for he woke in pain and was crying; it was his time, and he went quickly. My wife hung up from talking with her mother and turned to make tea. She looked out the patio doors. Rascal was looking in at her with his head cocked and his tongue out, laughing, begging for a ball to be thrown, and then he faded, and was gone.
_________________ Never attribute to malice what can be explained by stupidity. Wearer of the Arc-and-Compasses
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