In Loving Memory of Johnny

Biju Ale | Sep 9, 2018

It was time. The longer we waited, the more severe the pain would impinge on Johnny. We were prepared or at least told ourselves so.  The doctor euthanized her today. The grief plunged deep in us and we all burst into tears. The decision would mean the liberation from the vice-grip of the lymphoma.Johnny was an indigenous dog adopted first by Rikke and Lasse, my mother's close friends who lived in Mint House in Chundevi, Kathmandu. Circa 2010, they returned to Denmark. However, they could not bring Johnny with them. Johnny was always fond of my mother and would gravitate towards wherever she went. Eventually, she found her new home in with us in Gyaneswor, after Rikke and Lasse's departure.

Johnny was a sharp, loyal, and highly disciplined dog. She had great strength and agility. While we stayed at Gyaneswor, she used to dash around 50 yards of the compound and at times spring up like a bobcat to paw a flying crow. My mother trained her to great discipline. She would always heed for my mother's command of permission to eat, no matter how tempting the food or how closely placed to her. Johnny was my best friend. We had lots of fun playing together and enjoying together myriad delicacies from delis to pizza. In the winter I would tuck her cozy on my bed next to me at night. When we shifted to Budhanilkantha, she had less space to play around but we would take her for a walk every day. Johnny would everyday anticipate us near the door when it was time for us to get back home from work and school. I can testify for Rupert Sheldrake when he mounts a scientific case for a 6th sense-like connection between us and our pets, in his book - 'Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home: And Other Unexplained Powers of Animals'. As we opened the door, Johnny would spring at us to lick us and she would run around the house with ecstasy. From an early age, she had very good manners. There wasn't an incident when she was mischievous in her life.

She is now gone. What remains is an open pack of her rawhide chew bones, her body harness, and her bed. The wonderful memories with her persist.  Johnny's demise is my greatest loss in life. Though the scriptures aren't explicit about it, I still believe that God will restore our beloved pets in heaven. His great love for us renders highly, this possibility.

Johnny basking in the sunshine at Gyaneswor. Nov 24, 2014

Glimpses of Johnny: