Cava went flying

MY dog, MY wife, MY children, MY grandchildren; I OWN a dog...
These are words we use almost every day.
Just as if we can OWN a wife, a child or a dog for that matter.
Have you ever thought about what it really means when you speak about "owning" a dog?
Do you really think that a dog can be your property, just as if (s)he is a fridge, a car or a television set?
A while ago I read a German book about communicating with dogs and I liked it when the author did not use the word "Besitzer" (owner) when writing but "Bezugsperson" (the person to whom the dog relates most closely). In English we can imagine that we use the word dog - "carer" instead of dog owner.
I like that because when a dog is willing to live with me then I am more than willing to take care of the dog.
Cava was a dog I cared for and he has been one of my best teachers. He was not a big dog and he was not a dog of a breed with a reputation (like German Shepherd or Doberman or Pit Bull or whatever). But he had a lot of charisma and he was a natural born leader. He showed me how he clearly was the leader of our pack simply with his energy, his presence, his behaviour and his body language.
He did not have to shout. He was not nervous. He did not use violence. He was definitely not human. Whenever I copied him when dealing with so-called "difficult" dogs, it worked.
He was a dog and I accepted him as a dog.
I never owned him.
Cava is gone now for he was very ill and suffering.
We took the decision to have him put to sleep and made an appointment with the nearest vet in Wynberg.
Cava left us for the eternal hunting fields at 11 o'clock on Friday 11th of the 11th month of the year 2011.
Half an hour later having a cup of coffee at Tashas while overlooking the Table mountain in Cape Town, Eva and I saw a small, white cloud in the blue sky. We very clearly saw that the cloud represented Cava's head, his body, his tail and his four long legs.
He was flying away.
Five years ago when Chica was put to sleep I was literally devastated. Today I know that while I cried for Chica I also cried for myself. A lot of my sadness was self pity.
When Cava left us I felt much more balanced that 5 years ago. He showed me how he dealt with dying. Dying was something as natural as living for him. Our other dog Lupa was present when we put Cava to sleep but she certainly was not devastated.
Dying is as natural as living.
It must not necessarily be a very sad event.
Cava is not suffering anymore. He is now hunting in the skies.

With love and blessings

Bruno