

Bookworm column: 'No Sad Dogs' good read after pet loss

1:38 PM, Oct. 30, 2013  |  Comments
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These days, your arms feel awfully empty.

The house is too quiet and tidy. There's no click-click-click of toenails on the floor, no slobbered water, no toys strewn about, no kibble to clean up. You even miss those shedded little hairs.

Your pet is gone, and you're left with a tagged collar and lots of questions. Is she with other animals somewhere beyond? Did he know how much you loved him? Did she forgive the mistakes you made? In the new book "There Are No Sad Dogs in Heaven" by Sonya Fitzpatrick, you'll find comfort and answers.

From the time she was very young, Fitzpatrick knew that she could communicate with animals. Her talent wasn't the Dr. Doolittle type, though; Fitzpatrick talked with cats, dogs and cows telepathically "with mental images and physical feelings that don't depend on hearing ?"

Today, that includes animals that live here and those that "live on ? after they've passed from our lives." She can communicate with them, Fitzpatrick says, because our beloved pets leave us physically but never in spirit. They are here, as they were in life ? and that comes straight from the horse's (and dog's, and cat's, and rabbit's) mouth.

When a pet passes, says Fitzpatrick, they are greeted on the other side by other animals and humans they might have known. There is "no separate place for animals" in the spirit world; they spend their heavenly time with all creatures that lived on "this plane." In the afterlife, they are happy, youthful and pain-free; Fitzpatrick often sees visions of playful dogs and contented cats.

Animals that have passed over don't miss us because they never really leave us. They know they were loved, and they often tell Fitzpatrick how much they appreciated the care they enjoyed from us. Still, like humans, animals have a finite time on earth, so there's no need for guilt; they had to "go home" when it was time, whether by accident or illness. Animals also ask Fitzpatrick to urge their humans to get another pet - because that new puppy or kitten may be the old pet in a brand-new body.

Annnd I can hear the skeptics right now.

It could be argued, I'm sure, that author Sonya Fitzpatrick tells pet lovers exactly what they want to hear. Indeed, many accounts inside "There Are No Sad Dogs in Heaven" are the same as the last: our pets don't leave us, don't blame us, are happy in heaven and may reincarnate. Fitzpatrick does recount some spot-on conversations, but there's also a lot of overgeneralization.

And yet - does it matter? A book like this undoubtedly will offer comfort to grieving pet owners who have empty arms and hearts. Even better, Fitzpatrick strongly urges animal adoptions and responsible pet ownership.

Skeptic or not, it's hard to argue with the goodness in that, and so I recommend this book - especially if you've lost a beloved pet. For you, the comfort inside "There Are No Sad Dogs in Heaven" may give you a new leash on life.

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