The Flute Playing Dog

When we first got our little puppy, I noticed he was very musically astute. He
did not pay any attention to the TV until one day a little girl was singing
“Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” on a commercial, and he perked up his ears. He
loved that commercial! He could be sound asleep, but when that song came on,
he would wake up and cock his head and make the cutest little sounds.
When I played the flute around the house he would do the same thing: cocking
his head, looking at me and making cute little sounds. He tried singing along,
but I play for hours, and he became used to the sound. We would have the stereo
on for hours, and he would pay no attention. But when my flute albums
came on, he would immediately jump up and look at me and then look at the
stereo and then look at me again. He was trying to figure out how I was playing
the flute without having a flute, or trying to figure out how my flute music
got in the noise box.
I went away one day and left one of my Native American flutes out. When I
got home, I found that he had somehow taken the flute out of the case and
chewed on the mouthpiece. I was furious. He incurred the wrath of John that
day. I gave him a severe talking to, spanked his little butt and put him outside
as discipline.
Things went on pretty good for a long time, but late one evening I woke to a
faint sound coming from the basement. It sounded like something whistling.
Not knowing what it was, I very quietly crept to the basement door and looked
down. What I saw amazed me. My puppy Nagi had the flute in his mouth, but
not like a stick. He had the mouthpiece in his mouth, and every time he would
exhale it would make a sound. Then he would cock his head and make a funny
little noise and do it again.
Granted he was chewing up the mouthpiece of the flute, but he was holding it
with both paws long ways. I was in shock and torn about what to do. I felt like
running down the stairs and spanking his butt, but he was so cute. He was just
trying to do what I was doing, and although he was chewing up a very expensive
flute, the squeaks were out of tune and his technique was horrible, I just
couldn’t be mad at him.

Our shar-pei George died in his sleep 3 days ago. He was 9 years old and had been a wonderful friend to everyone he ever met.
George had a habit of waking us in the morning by putting his front paws up on the bed. This morning, as I was laying in bed, half awake, I felt paws on the bed near my feet. I didn’t think anything unsusual at first because we have another dog,Capone, even though he never does that. I figured it was Capone filling in for George. I was still tired so I didn’t open my eyes. A few seconds later, I felt the paws on the bed near my shoulder. I opened my eyes expecting to see Capone staring me in the face. There was nothing there. I immediately sprung up to look for Capone. He was in the other room sound asleep.
The experience was real, not imagined. I believe George is still around us.
Laura

My heart goes out to you. I understand and have shared your pain.

She won’t forget you.

Please take comfort from some of these stories and check out Newshounds next year. I have a chapter in there including some of these stories and many more about dogs communicating after having passed to the Rainbow Bridge,

Warm barks to you!