AMID WARS and rumors of war, $45 billion deficits,
tainted blood supplies, devastaiing droughts and the death
of kings, what draws responses from the readers of this
newspaper? The death of an old dog, 0 that’s what.

Since writing a month ago
about euthanasia for my old
Chesapeake after his last bird
hunt, there nave been phone calls
and letters that the supposedly
important events in this world
never produce.

Half a dozen people, all but one
unknown to me, telephoned to
thank me because the shadows
were growing long for their own
dogs and the time for parting was
near.

The column, they said, was go-

‘ing to make it a little easier to say
goodbyc.

People sent sympathy notes.

A typical one: ‘‘We understand

. now how devastating such a loss
can be. Our sincerest sympathy.’’

One man wrote from the
Yukon, ‘‘May Namko’s Coolee
Chilco rest in peace.”’

Perhaps strangest was this let-
ter:

Dear Paul:

Thank you for telling us about
Chilco. This way we alf get to
know him just a little bit and
share his enthusiasm. :

Your talking about him was a
help to me and no doubt to many
others who have made those oh-
so-final decisions. The stories may
differ in detail but the feelings are
always the same.

| When the time came for our old
Joey I even promised the vet that
I was ready, then promptly
dissolved into tears in front of
him. .

He was kind. He said ‘‘We
think we're ready, but we never
really are, are we?"”

Odd, relly, since Joey was just
acat. We'd had him for 18 of his
20 years, on his conditions, most-
ly. He was the one who adopted
us.

It should hu ve been simple but 1
agonized; Was it the right deci-

. sion? Then something strange
happened which made the deciston
“easier.

I should mention that Joey’s
final invalid apartment had been
carefully furnished in the warmest
corner of the laundry'room.

‘ The day after Joey died, our

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PAULITICS & PERSPECTIVES «

son came up and asked ‘‘What did
you do to the laundry room?”*

“Nothing,’' I said, “Why?”

“Don’t give me that, Mom,’’ he
said, ‘You did something. The
whole room is filled with perfume.
You must have sprayed it with
something to cover the smell of a
sick old cat.” :

But I hadn't. I hadn’t been able
to deal with Joey’s room yet. I
had done no laundry.

Ten minutes later I checked for
myself. Nothing. No smell. The
room was normal,

Must be our son's imagination,
I figured.

By the next day, the family
Jaundry couldn't wait any more.

I went downstairs and opened
the door. The laundry room was
filled with a most lovely perfume,
one I couldn’t identify. I checked
everywhere for the source but
could find nothing.

The smell lingered for about
five minutes and was gone.

Later that day a former London
Bobby dropped by with a couple
of books for us to read. One book
had a page marked, so naturally 1
read that page first. ;

The author said sovietimes after
death a perfume will form in the
area the deceased frequented and
that the occurence indicates ‘all is

well” with the departed soul,

There is even a name for it. It is
called ‘‘the odor of sanctity.”’

Mind you the author was
speaking of people, not pets. But I
20 to thinking. Eighteen years is
a long tine to live together and
maybe, just maybe, the same thing
could happen with an animal. Ei-
ther way, I have a fveling that
Joey is OK and I have a feeling
that Chilco is OK, too.

Midge

Just to keep things in perspec-
tive, Namko’s Caclee Chilco is
unlikely to produce the odor of
sanctity. He had the odor of
Chesapeake.

These dogs are a breed that
have an oily undercoat which
helps keep out cold water but also
gives off a powerful pong.

In my laundry room about the
only odor that could make me
think it was him would be a lot of
old, unwashed socks. Or worse.
That dog could empty an entire
stadium wiih one fart.

My hunting partners, who
sometimes suffered such assaults
within the tiny confines of the
riceburner car, used to complain
bitterly that Chilco held his breath
afterwards and refused to sniff his
share.

I write this reminded that

besides humans and the other

apes, dogs are probably the only
creatures who laugh, and Chilco

would laugh if he knew what |
was saying about him.

Which is another way of saying
thank you Midge, and Yukon
Ken, Mark, Elizabeth, Ron, Ken,
Maria and others who took the
trouble to write or phone about s0
small and large a matter.

For those with pets so ald that life
contains tore pain than joy, the

ee si otk

drug can be administered by any
veterinarian for a few dollars,

There is no pain, no convulsions
and there need be no fear; the
animal just falls asleep and never
wakes. When the time comes, it is
one of the kinder acts you can
commit,

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