Thank you so much to everyone who reads these posts and hears what my heart is saying and sends a sweet note. How I miss my scruffy-lookin' guy!!

A few nights ago I had a dream about him that made me feel so good. In the dream my Murphy was a mature dog, but healthy. Near the end of the dream he mated with the young dog I currently have (which would have been impossible - he was neutered, she is spayed) and she gave birth to one perfect male puppy which we decided to keep and raise. I was so happy because I had the perfect little doggie family. Murphy seemed so proud of himself in my dream for creating that little puppy! I awoke with a happy feeling that lasted all day and into the next.

I told my co-worker about the dream a day or so later. She explained to me that when I dream of him and they are happy dreams, he is trying to tell me that everything is OK with him. He is enjoying himself, making puppies in heaven if that's possible!

But last night I had a sad dream of him; I need to ask my co-worker how she would interpret that? In the dream I went to put some left-overs in Murphy's dog dish but before I did, I saw there was uneaten food in his bowl already. Suddenly I felt this rush of utter sadness in remembering he was gone! I was crying in the dream and when I awoke I had tears on my cheek. Maybe he is trying to tell me to put his dog dish away? I have all his stuff in the kitchen like he's still with us. I don't really WANT to put the dish away, but it does cause me sadness when I walk past it in the kitchen.

Have any of you dreamt of your dear pet? What kind of dreams do you have?

I had a dream about a week or so after Sadie died where she was romping around the house and jumping up and down from the furniture like she did when she was in her prime.

A couple of weeks ago I had another one where she had made friends with a ferret and was cleaning it. I'm not sure what that meant but it was pretty cool.

I had a dream about my Gizzy a couple of weeks after he passed. At the time I didnt really understand it, but I think it has become clear to me now.
In my dream I was in the garden, and Gizzy was sitting on the shed (he was an indoor cat, and only went out when acompanied) I walked over to the shed to reach out and hold him, each time I reached up he just seem to get further and further away. I was able to see him and talk to him but I wasnt able to touch him.
I think he was telling me it wasnt my time to be with him completly, but he was always around. I had a bad time dealing with the loss of him, and thought about ending my life a few times, just to be with him.
It has been 5 months now since he left my lap, and I have had a few dreams, good ones and sad ones, but what I do is try to understand them. I read a very good book "animals and the afterlife" it taught me to understand to some degree what he was trying to tell me.

Wow, Bluemoon, I just got that book "Animals And The Afterlife". So far I've just skimmed over it, but it seems good.

Hi, Laney, I don't seem to dream much about anyone who has passed on - human or animal - and sometimes I wonder if that in itself means anything. And then I decide that I'm thinking too much and I just try to let it go. But I did have what I'm now convinced was a visit from Lucy, my beloved terrier-poodle mix from long ago. I didn't actually 'see' her, but I strongly felt her presence, and she was with another dog I didn't know. It was so nice and unbelivably reassuring. I always thought that if I ever had an experience like that, I would freak out, but I didn't. It was very calming.

About the dream about Murphy's bowl in the kitchen - maybe that dream was a way for him to tell you it's okay to put it away. I think that bowl must be really weighing on you. And I just have a suggestion, for you to take or leave as you feel is best. See, maybe you could put the bowl away for an hour. Just for an hour, or even a half hour, or fifteen minutes, put it out of sight. And then after the set time is up, if you want to get it back out, then get it back out. Maybe it's just going to take some baby steps (did you ever see "What About Bob?" ), just a little at a time, as you can bring yourself to it. Maybe if you put it away, but you know it's still there in a cupboard somewhere for you to see whenever you want to, it might help. But of course, that's for you to decide. I wish you all the best.

I hope today's a good day for you. Murphy hopes so, too, I'm sure!!

Michelle K.

When I lost Magic in Dec 2006, I had sort of the same dream as you, bluemoon, and it's one of the only dreams I've had about her. We were in an over grown garden, and I saw Magic, and kept following her, trying to catch up with her, as I had so many times during her life here with me. (She got out of the house so many times, until toward the end, when she seemed to appeciate what she had.) She wouldn't let me catch up with her, and kept turning to look at me, and it was as though I could read her mind - "Don't follow me, it's not your time." It was clear as glass what she was conveying, and I started to come to peace with her loss right about then. I still missed her terribly, but the heartbreaking feeling of not being able to stand life without her, the guilt, the "WHY?" was gone. It didn't matter, somehow. She was gone, but she was at peace, and she wanted me to remain here. That's all that mattered. As usual, she got her way, and she always will.

I agree with Michelle K. about the gradual putting away of the feeding dish. Go with your instincts. One of the things that humans have learned to ignore in their march toward progress is that instincts are nature's way of guiding us. You'll make it, and we're here for you, don't forget. Do take care, and let us know what happens - Barb