Recently I received a wonderful note from Grazia of Italy, whom had read one of my Pets "Your
books made me understand a sign that our dog sent me, when she had died. It is
true that, without the guidance you give, such signs would remain odd little
events with no explanation. " - Grazia Piombo and the Afterlife books and was able to understand a sign from her dog. Pets, like people, will make us hear their name to convey to us that they are still very much around us.
Grazia wrote:
Grazia was kind enough to convey the whole story and gave me permission to share it. Here is the story in her own words:
We got our pup from a family who were giving away the latest litter of their own dog couple. Since she looked quite similar to another dog who had formerly belonged to an aunt of mine, we called her like this aunt’s pet. For reasons that go too far to explain, this aunt had settled for ‘Pepsi’ as a name. Our pet was a crossing of a Setter and a Cocker, black with a white patch on her belly, and a white strand on the outermost tip of her tail. She was one of those creatures that break hearts without trying, with her own little fan base among the children in our neighborhood (although, more dogs than not may have the famous ‘aww’ effect).
Pepsi was sweet and a bit shy, smart and so charming, she managed to turn my mother from a cat person, to a dog person. (My mother later resorted to birds since, due to an accident she had, and her age, she could not walk well enough anymore to take care of a dog properly.)
Our pet passed away in June 2006, when she was almost sixteen years of age. Luckily, I was not at home when it happened; it was bad enough to learn the news on the phone. Naturally, we all fell into deep mourning for a long while.
Several months later, and it might have been the anniversary of her passing (but, since I had no idea of the significance of such dates then, I cannot say this for sure), I went to our local Aldi to buy some groceries. Imagine the surprise when, out of the blue, a lady in a row nearby turned around and called her young teenage daughter: “Pepsi!” – I had to look again. Never before or after have I heard anybody, or any pet except the two in our family, being called by that name (in this case, probably a nickname)! Thanks to your books, I now understand that our own Pepsi was giving a signal.
When I went home, I told my mother about this unexpected, funny and a bit poignant moment, and we renewed the memories of our darling.
Thank you for giving her a little space in your Hall of Fame.
