Contributing writer
By Jewel Gilbert, Editor
Emma looking for her squirrel friends. (Jewel Gilbert photos)
It’s Friday night, and Emma and I are relaxing on the front porch. I’m sipping a glass of wine, munching on a bowl of cheese Bunnies (my favorite cracker) and writing on my laptop. Emma is gnawing loudly on a fresh bone. Life is good.
Emma finishes her bone and moves to a spot on our second-story porch, where she commands the best view of the street. There’s a lot of action to hold her interest this time of night. Our street is busy with after-work traffic. But in a minute or two, she’ll be asleep.
Suddenly I hear a small but distinct scream, and Emma starts barking like crazy. She’s up on her hind legs on the porch railing, so agitated I’m afraid she’ll forget where she is and jump over it. I look in the direction of her barking. A car has run over a squirrel scurrying across the street, looking for acorns, unmindful of the speeding cars trying to make the traffic light.
I’ve never seen Emma so upset. I call her, talk to her. She won’t take her eyes off the little corpse. I’m just grateful the squirrel seems to have died instantly. Every time another car goes by, she growls fiercely. Mind you, Emma is a dog who never growls, never gets angry. I’ve actually only seen her growl once or twice at another dog who came at her aggressively and cornered her. Normally, she just cuts a wide swath around the aggressor and goes about her business.
Nest of baby squirrels in South Africa.
But not tonight. Emma is furious at every car that goes by for their lack of respect — for the squirrel, I suppose.
I don’t like seeing my happy girl grieve. She shouldn’t have to suffer the kind of pain we humans have to put up with through life. Dogs are supposed to be happy all the time.
I give her a Bunny (one of her favorite crackers, too). She takes it and swallows it quickly, without much pleasure. Then she resumes her watch and continues to growl at the cars going by. My heart aches for her sadness, and there is no happy ending to this story.
But I will hold Emma a little longer tonight, when we say our prayers. And we’ll pray for the squirrel.
And there are people who say that animals do not feel exactly like we do…. Ther can be happy, sad, suffer like us smile while dreaming……. Exactly like us….
You are so right, Marcia!
This story is lovely, Jewel. I can picture Emma on the porch. And the story does have a happy ending.
That Emma has feelings and that she is loved by many, even far away in California!
Thanks, Lillian. So nice to hear from you.
I am sorry lovely Emma had to witness such terrible thing. Give her a big hug for me, please!
I sure will. Any excuse to hug Emma makes me happy.
This brought tears to my eyes. What a lovely, caring spirit Emma is – the price for being such a beautiful being, unfortunately, is that she clearly feels things deeply. And so, I also know that she feels your love and comfort. Thanks for sharing this sad, but at the same time, beautiful story.
I guess that's what makes dogs so wonderful. They are complex characters just like us! Thanks for your kind words, Ingrid.
When my kids were younger we had several cats at one time and one of them his name was Cole died suddenly, we think he had been hit by a car. We buried him under neath a large piece of driftwood that we had brought home from the coast because he had always loved to play in it. And then had a small ceremony for him and shed lots of tears. The older cat who's name was Fred later started bringing dead mice and placing them around this driftwood. It was like he was bringing Cole gifts, just like we take flowers to the gravesite of our loved ones. Just blew us all away that Fred knew his friend was buried there and that he was bringing these mice to him. I think animals do grieve and do have some feelings.
So true, Jo. We always said we wouldn't get another cat when Mingus' time comes. We love cats, but they'don't travel as easily as dogs do. But Emma is 5, and I can't imagine how sorrowful she would be without him. So I guess there will always be at least one of each in our household. Thanks for writing.
:oj