Around the time I was three years old, our collie mix girl, Lassie, and her beau, the neighbors' boxer bulldog mix named Honey, presented us with six tiny wiggly perfect puppies. Lassie had them in a huge old hollow tree in the backyard. My brother, Gene, crawled in the tree and removed them one by one. Daddy put them in the dog house so they would be safe, and it wasn't long until Lassie came out of the tree and joined them. Snug as a bug in a rug.
I can still see their little closed eyes and hear their soft puppy sounds. I'd breathe in that sweet new puppy smell until Mama made me leave them alone. I was enchanted.
As they grew and their little eyes opened, I was allowed to hold them. I'd sit for hours holding and swinging a sweet little girl, who was sable and white. I'd sit on that wooden seat of our backyard swing and swing and sing to her and she would snuggle up against me so very sweet.
When she was about six weeks old, these mean boys came with their father and Daddy gave her to them. I cried and cried and cried. Truthfully, I will still cry over losing this girl.
Daddy said we could not keep her because she was a girl. Well, I was a girl, so that disturbed me even as a child. I couldn't understand why being a girl meant you weren't good enough to keep. I knew my brothers got to do a lot of things that I would be punished for doing just because they were boys, but I honestly never made peace with that fact. I could climb trees as good as them. Why were they allowed to do that, but I couldn't?
But I digress....
Daddy let me keep a black and white boy. I loved him, but never quite as much as my sweet girl. I, personally, never believed boys were better than girls.
About a year later, I went with Daddy to a house in Gaffney, SC, and there was my sweet girl. The boys had beat her and made her mean. She didn't even recognize me. I will never get over this as long as I live. I'm in my mid-60s now, so you can believe me when I say that.
Many years later, when I was in my early 50s, I was looking for a companion dog for my boy at the time, a Texas Heeler named Buster. It took me months to find her, but on April 15, 2006, I walked in an SPCA in North Charleston, SC and there she was, the perfect puppy. Four months old. Sable and white. Sweet as pie. I adopted her that day and named her Dolly because she looked (and still looks) exactly like a perfect baby doll dog.
Dolly and I had a special bond from the beginning. She was so sweet and would snuggle so still. Precious. But Dolly had been abused and was afraid of strangers especially, men. Even more especially, mean little boys. There was something just familiar about her. So special. She reminded me of my sweet girl puppy from my childhood. Precious girl.
A vet told me Dolly was a sable Border Collie, and for twelve years I believed that vet. Dolly looks exactly like a sable Border Collie, so I had no reason to think otherwise.
Then last year I came across a very good deal on doggie DNA tests and decided to have my dogs' DNA done.
My present red heeler boy, Stark's DNA came back as purebred Australian Cattle Dog, as expected. He came from an SPCA, but he was obviously purebred. No surprises there.
Did the exact DNA mix of parents happen and attract the soul of my precious puppy?? I may never know, but it does make me wonder.
Was the soul of my sweet puppy scarred by the mistreatment of those mean boys all those years ago? Is this why Dolly hides from strangers today? Again, I wonder.
What about our souls? Does God give us more than one life? Will our next life be better?? Worse??
All these things make me wonder and are on my mind today.
When we see someone we love or hate on sight, is this because our souls knew each other in a past life?
Do our beloved pets sometimes come back to us?
What are your thoughts?
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Update: My precious Dolly lived to be 16.5 years old. She passed away in April of 2022. She had advanced Cushing's Disease and a brain tumor. So many seizures from the tumor, but she remained a happy girl her whole life long.
Dolly grew more precious every single day. I feel she still visits me from time to time to let me know she's happy and healthy again. I know we will meet again. My precious girl. 🙏🏻
