Our Good Boy Goes Back to the Beach

Tomorrow we scatter Punchy’s ashes.

We’ve had dogs die and not gotten their ashes but learned that this type of economizing is short-sighted and sad-making. Learning our lesson, Punchy’s remains have been in a beautifully detailed tiny urn for well over a year. He died December 27, 2022.

We plan on taking him down to the Lake Superior beach with his old friend, Swirl, and Tempest, a dog Punchy never met but that he would like. Tempest is gritty and businesslike, a true working sled dog, not much ego, high energy, devoted to whoever loves her. There’s no quit in Tempest, nor was there in Punchy. I know this from sitting beside him in his last days on our dining room rug, waiting for him to give in to the collapse of his body.

Up here, in this place, we spend time talking about Punchy’s ashes. We remember his bow-legged gait, how he trotted down the beach behind Swirl but always came back when we called him while Swirl kept going. Maybe we’ll let the ashes fall a little each step like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of crumbs so they could find their way home.