1/21/2016 (Day 21) Lhasafur the Philosafur, My Little Dalai Lama

A year ago today I had to help my wonderful dog "Pupup" transition into Spirit. He was almost 15, suffered from ''doggy dementia"  and had declined a great deal in the last year of his life. I knew he was nearing his end and could sense that he was in physical pain along with the cognitive decline that had become painfully more obvious over the last several months, so I consulted with a friend who was an animal empath, and she told me that he was in more physical pain than I knew and that he was ready to transition into Spirit so that he could be out of pain. And so I made the phone call to arrange to have him put down. I was blessed to have had this wonderful companion for almost 12 years. He was the best dog a person could ask for. He was with me during the deepest, darkest hours of my life...through the Dark Night of my Soul and there to help me find my way back  into the Light. He was a wonderful companion, and I am so thankful for the time we had together. The way that he came to me is a wonderfully magical story, and, to honor him, I would like to share it with you. 

Back in the late 90s, my parents adopted a little dog from our veterinarian. Her name was ''Mopsey" and she was a Lhasa Apso mix. She was a fiesty little thing who tested each of us before she gave us her love, but then loved us all fiercely. My father had done some reading on the breed and discovered that Lhasa Apsos originated more than 800 years ago in Tibet, where they were owned by monks and cherished as carriers of good luck. They participated in religious ceremonies and guarded the monasteries, thus acquiring the name of "Tibetan Temple Dog." In their native land, they were also called the Abso Seng Kye "Barking Lion Sentinel Dog" and their keen sense of hearing and intelligence uniquely qualified them for this role. They were never sold, but were often given, in pairs, as gifts by the Dalai Lama to visiting nobles and dignitaries. The Lhasa was first introduced to England in the 1920's. In 1933, the Dalai Lama gave some Lhasas to a friend from America and they came here. After hearing about their background that day, I told my parents that I wished I had a Lhasa Apso of my own, so that I could , I joked, have my very own little "Dalai Lama."

At the time, my daughter rode horses at a place called Craig Equestrian Center, in the town of Leverett and I would clean stalls and help take care of the horse in order to barter for her lessons and riding time. Roberta, the woman who owned the stables, was also the animal control officer for the town and had a kennel where the strays were kept until they were claimed or adopted out. One cold day in April, I had arrived at the barn and while I was standing by my car putting on my layers of barn clothes, there was barking coming from the kennel, which was about 20 or 30 yards away. The dog kept barking and barking and so I turned and looked at it and said, ''all right, all right, just be quiet already, I will come and see you when I'm done getting dressed."  And, lo and behold, the dog stopped barking, sat down and just watched me. For some reason, on my way out of the house that day I had gone back in and grabbed some dog treats ''just in case'' there was a dog there. So, I headed up to the the kennel with the treats and went inside, and there was this big fluffy mop of a dog...all covered in knotted white hair and a complete mess. And he looked up at me, with the most amazingly intelligent looking, black lined, eyes I had ever seen on a dog, barely visible in all that fur and I fell instantly in love. In his mussed state, I couldn't be sure, but, looking at him I was almost certain that he looked like a Lhasa Apso. 

I gave him a treat, and a moment later, when someone came up to front of the kennel to ask me a question, he instantly took a stance of protection in front of me and proceeded to bark like the dickens at the poor woman. I had never had a dog of my own before, but I was pretty sure this meant he had claimed me. So, I found Roberta and asked her about him and sure enough, I found he was available for adoption. I told her that I would have to take him home and see how he and Mopsey got along (at the time I was living with and taking care of my parents who were ill), but if it worked out I was really interested in adopting him. She said sure enough, he was available for adoption and I could give it a try. When I asked her what she could tell me about him and where he had been found and when she looked at me and said the he'd been found by the monks at the (Tibetan) Peace Pagoda in town, a huge wave of goosebumps traveled through body and I knew, in that moment, that this was MY dog...the one I had wished for... that he had come to find me so I could ''have my own little Dalai Lama!"

 As I said, his eyes were very intense...when he looked into your eyes, it was as if he knew every possible thing there was to know in the entire Universe (one of the reasons it was so hard to witness his steady cognitive decline the last year of his life). This coupled with his being such a furball when he found me, plus him being the Lhasa I had wished for, led me to come up with the name "Lhasafur the Philosafur, My Little Dalai Lama."

He was the most incredible dog! I consider myself blessed to have been chosen to be his human and have always cherished the magical way by which he came to find me. And, then,  to make it even more syncronistic, couple of months ago, I learned that someone who has, in this past year, become a cherished friend of mine, was the person who donated the money for the land that the Peace Pagoda stands on, adding another layer to the story of my precious little Pupup's journey to find me (Pupup turned out to be much easier to say and so that was what he ended up being called). I am so thankful to have had him to walk with for 12 years, he was as a very special gift from the Universe who couldn't  have come a a more perfect time then he did and will always live on in my heart < 3