All These Places

                I think the most heartbreaking things in this life are the ones that are as sad as they are beautiful.  That being said, my heart was broken into a thousand little pieces this morning.

                This morning, the town had finally rid itself of an early spring heat wave and for the first time in over a week, I had to put on a jacket to head to the park with my dog.  The air was thick with the threat of rain.  This past week, the mile-long gravel path that surrounds the greenery of the park had been packed with walkers and joggers and the expanses of grass had been clogged with soccer games and ball-fetching dogs.  However, today there were very few people taking advantage of this cool morning so as I crossed the street, I was quickly able to notice that there were some strange shapes under some pine trees in the middle of the park.

                As I got closer, I saw that I was looking at a dog lying under the tree.  After a few more steps, I realized that he was not alone.  There was another dog sleeping beside him.  Ten feet away, under a different tree, were three more dogs, all sleeping soundly without a single person nearby.  And then, on the other side of the first tree, between the sleeping dogs and the parking lot, there was a sixth dog, sitting straight up, ears alert, glancing around slowly.  The dogs seemed to be all covered by the mist that hung over the park and I stopped, wondering if my eyes were playing tricks on me.

                I had heard about the pack of homeless dogs that wandered the city and I gasped when I realized I was seeing them in person.  I began thinking about who I could call and it was then that I saw the red Animal Control van pull into the parking lot.

                The tan dog that was standing guard began to bark.  The other dogs woke quickly and stood up.  The Animal Control officer got out of the van, one man with one dog-catching device.  He didn’t stand a chance.  The group of dogs started running away from the man and crossed in front of my path.  One of them was hopping along on three legs, one hind leg held aloft and another looked like my dog Bayou, except his coat was nearly dreadlocked.  They paid me no attention as they crossed the street towards escape.

                I saw the Animal Control officer throw out a cuss word and head back to his van.  I watched as the pack of dogs headed down a sidewalk running close together with a large whitish husky mix in the lead.  And then, I lost sight of them.

                And it was sad because it is always sad whenever a dog is without a home and without someone to take care of it.  And it was beautiful because though the dogs had no human companions, I could tell that they loved and took care of each other.  And it was breathtaking because I was glimpsing an animal’s return to its natural evolutionary beginning.  Stranded, these dogs had become like wolves, travelling with each other, no leash, no soft bed to sleep in, taking refuge below trees while one stood watch over the rest.

                I got that burning feeling in the back of my throat that comes when you force tears back when they want to come.  And as I walked back home, the tears started to fall.  I want to do something to help these dogs but I don’t know what that is.  To separate them from their pack would be to deprive them of something beautiful.  But to let them keep wandering in streets where hunger and danger await them doesn’t seem quite right either.

                I know that I will never shake this morning’s image from my brain and though in some ways I wish I hadn’t seen it, I also know that I would have missed out on something by not seeing it.  In that one scene, I felt great sadness that these dogs had been left in their situation but I also saw the beautiful display of survival and love shared amongst creatures.  And if that’s what heartbreak is, then I gladly welcome it to return time and again.

                And if you hear in a future post of my seven dogs, you will know that I figured out a solution…