While Patricia suffers grief and guilt over her beloved dog’s passing, Remi visits her from the “other side” with his undeniable wet dog smell.

Patricia writes:
“I went on vacation last September while my former daughter-in-law, Kristina, kept my dog, Remi. A few days before my return, Kristina called to tell me that Remi would not eat. Because he could not stand by himself, he was laying under a tree, so she took him to the vet.”

“Seeing his condition, the vet wanted to put Remi to sleep, but I asked him to make Remi comfortable for a couple of days until we came home so we could see him one last time.”

“As I was heading out the door to visit Remi at the vet, my phone rang. My Remi had passed away during the night. I was heart broken. Remi was my son’s dog, he gave him to us in June. My son didn’t know how long Remi had to live at the time, but thought that there was still some puppy in him.”

“I’ve had visits from loved ones before… one at the foot of my bed asking for forgiveness. I could see her plain as day. I felt someone that I knew, pass away in the moment. But I have never experienced this before. I went to my bedroom and could very strongly smell the scent of a wet dog!  I called my boyfriend, John, to the bedroom to ask if he could smell it too? Yes he did!”

“The wet dog smell has come and gone, but I know this was Remi… I had such guilt for leaving him while we went on vacation. I felt like I abandoned him. My heart ached and I cried when I thought of him. It was so hard getting Remi’s ashes, paw print and collar, that I left them in the sack after I brought them home. Is my puppy okay?”

Commentary- The loss of a loved one is a heart-breaking thing to experience- whether it’s a person or a pet who is truly cherished as family. It’s both so common and easy to feel as though we could have done something more or different, for our loved one, than what we actually did. The result? Feelings of guilt.  

Although we may question ourselves after the fact, we can’t always know when our loved one is about to pass away. Sometimes it’s abrupt and completely unexpected, but still, many times we look to ourselves for blame, when it’s not our fault… it’s just what happened. Time was up and there was nothing more to do.

The truth is, in any given moment, we are all really just doing the best that we can, so it’s important to go easy on ourselves. Grief is hard enough without piling on a heap of guilt. Easy does it, and forgive yourself for what you could not know in advance. 

The good news? To show and comfort his bereaved master, Remi manifested that “wet dog smell” to let her know that he is still alive and wants her to have the peace of mind it takes to begin her healing journey.

When I think of Remi, I see him happily running through the beautiful fields and streams of heaven now. Freed from the body that once failed him, he has no limits now. And, as wet as a wet dog could ever be, Remi took a detour, when he made his grand reappearance in the bedroom of his masters, in the form of that “wet dog smell.” This visitation made a huge and wonderful impact on his family. Remi is more than fine now, he is happy and free and running with the pack. What a gift from Remi! But, that’s not all he gave those he left behind.

Shortly, after his passing and the overwhelming wet dog smell experience, two kittens appeared at their apartment. Patrica kept one and named her Jasmine, her sister kept the other. It would seem that Remi offered these cute kitties as a parting gift to console his family. (See the kitty, Jasmine, below)

Remi admiring himself in the mirror

Remi knocking at the door

Patricia writes: “Remi would knock at door, when ready to come inside. His gentle eyes knew no strangers. And, he absolutely loved children. I still miss Remi.”

Jasmine with John

“Jasmine, will take leaves and toys to Remi’s memorial I have under a table.  Sometimes she sleeps on his box of ashes.”

“I must tell you, she has certain personality traits of Remi. So cute it blows our minds. John babies Jasmine all day. They play peek-a-boo. At night it’s all about me… mama. Jasmine cuddles.”