Dreams of Dogs

My childhood dog, Inky, a black Labrador mix, died at the age of 9 due to a rare blood cancer. Throughout my adulthood, I always felt guilty, feeling that I could have raised my dog better and given her a better life. And then one night, when I was at my mother's house, I had a dream.

My dog, Inky, came into my dream, bouncing around, jumping full of joy. She was the young, vibrant puppy that I had known as a child. She was no longer lethargic, she was not looking at me with the sad eyes she did as I carried all 35 lbs of her into her last vet appointment - she was well, she was energetic and she was happy.

When I told my mother about the dream later that day, we both agreed that Inky was telling me something - she was telling me that she was okay, she was having fun, and that I did do a good job raising her.

And I felt better.

And then, a few months later, Tiny happened. A bouncy, boisterous puppy - who just so happened to be a Labrador mix - jumped into my life. At first, I was a little doubtful of my ability to raise so young a puppy, but my closest friend and I have shared her, and things have gone really well. She went from a small, 10 lb little thing who was no bigger than our cats, to a big, 50 lb dog who is gentle with the cats and loves her family.

But it wasn't until recently that I started thinking about my dream again. And during a recent trip to my mother's, with new puppy in tow, I reminded my mother about the dream as we stood over Inky's grave.

And she said something astounding to me. She said that the dog in the dream may not have been Inky at all. Later that same day, she asked me who named Tiny. I said that we didn't name her, she came named.

I stopped, looked down at Tiny, and she stared back at me with the same big, brown eyes and floppy ears that Inky did, as if to say, You see? Here I am. I got called back to watch over you.

"Yeah, it definitely is interesting," I said, walking Tiny around the house. "That her name is so similar."

And then it hit me. She was the puppy in the dream. She did come, as if to say...get ready! Here I come!

And her name, Tiny, a name that was given to her and stuck, even as she approaches and passes 50 lbs, has remained, a name so similar that it confirms...Tiny was chosen for us.