Dear God, Please help me become the person my dog thinks I am.

I think I could turn and live with animals, they are so placid and self-contain'd,
I stand and look at them long and long.
They do not sweat and whine about their condition,
They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins,
They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God,
Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things,
Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago,
Not one is respectable or unhappy over the whole earth.
   -- Walt Whitman, Song of Myself

Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.
     -- Mark Twain

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.
   -- George Eliot

Napping after a long run on the beach

The Release
A poem for Dorothy on the eve of her passing
by my sweet brother
J.P. Brehony

You touched me in ways no others could
Breathing into me this spirit
This life
Doing my best to mirror and mimic you

Seeing your world from two feet above the floor
I must have seemed silly to you at times
A world of pant legs and table legs
Became a universe for me to behold
Sights, sounds, and smells I knew you would never know
You created boundless means for my playfulness
And safe harbors for me to rest my head

You seemed to honor my way of being who I am
Indifferent to your foibles, platitudes, and schedules
I yearned only for your presence
Your glance and touch
To complete my day

I thank you for the ocean
Wondrous in its scope
You made me feel as if it were all mine
The crashing of each wave
Etching a new song into my soul
Each different
Each alive
Each new

A home by the Sound
You will never know the special scent of the waterfowl at sundown
But I will never forget
You've given me all these things and more
A funny towel strapped to my belly
My legs now too weak to carry me

Now you show the purest love
To release me to the world of tomorrow
A place you know you cannot visit
Not even in your dreams

But when you see the diamond-topped waves glimmer in the morning sun
Know that it is there that I dance on sturdy, strong legs
With this salt and brine
This salt and brine
To carry me Homee

Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Mark Grossman, DVM, Dr. Mary Burkart., DVM, Melissa Cooper, all the staff at Roanoke Island Animal Clinic, and Dr. Cynthia Lynn Branch, DVM for their wisdom and compassion in helping our beloved Dorothy to live a long and happy life.  And to all our friends and family who love Dorothy as we do.

Read Kathleen's column inspired by Dorothy in the Outer Banks Sentinel and other newspapers