When Grey Shadow passed away a few weeks ago, my heart wrenched like it has with no other animal’s passing. His death was not expected, and for me, it was a loss of a consistently friendly face.
Grey Shadow, a low-content wolf-dog who came to the Sanctuary with his mate and son, was one of the most entertaining characters in the compound. He was full of health problems, arthritis, hypothyroid, obesity, and still expressed side effects of a previous mineral deficiency. So perhaps, his death should have been expected at any moment. However, this wonderful “tub on legs” never shown any signs of pain or discomfort, and in fact, may very well have been the happiest animal at the Sanctuary.
Care-takers were constantly greeted with as much licking as they could handle, and much scent-rolling and
affection for as long as they were interested. After his initial greeting, Grey Shadow would tumble off, and often, investigate the fecal bucket his human friend had brought in, as though it was his own personal treasure chest. This particular habit, while not necessarily appealing, was one of his most endearing traits. It was a well-known fact throughout the compound that two things made Grey Shadow happy: Food, and, well, poop.Grey Shadow had a wonderful demeanor. Each time I walked past his enclosure, he was guaranteed to stiffly push himself up from the ground, trot over and, tongue hanging limply from his mouth, greet me as I passed. He was completely content to busy himself with sun bathing, resting in the shade, slowly munching on bones and left-over breakfast, or, when a friendly bi-ped assisted, go for a short walk. Grey Shadow was easily pleased with a short walk of five-ten minutes. While he enjoyed this thoroughly, he would tire easily, and if he did make it too far from the compound, become stressed being away from home too long.
One time in particular, it was as though he suddenly realized we had made it too far. He stopped in his tracks and refused to go in any direction but back the way we had come. I desperately tried to convince him to go the shorter route back to his enclosure, as we had been going in a circle, but he was dead-set on returning the path he new to be the way home.
I suppose I must realize that Grey Shadow is in a happier place now. He’s probably much lighter, and more energetic. But I can’t help but think that for Grey Shadow, his reward in spirit is not countless meadows and forests to run through freely, but instead, a nice shady tree to lay under, an endless meaty bone, and a treasure-filled fecal bucket.
