Can dogs talk?

     So what happened to Sandy the dog? Al and I had agreed to let him go peacefully in his own run, rather than taking him down to the vet. But, neither of us wanted him to suffer needlessly.
     He became weak, falling down and was unable to get back up on his feet. Then he lost his appetite and refused his dinner bowl. Very unusual! Finally, I sat down beside him on the leaves and said,
   "Sandy, if you want us to take you to the doctor's office and you want to die there, we will. If you want to stay here and die at home, that is ok too. But you are just going to have to show us what you want us to do. We don't want you to suffer."
     Now that was a very long speech to make to an old deaf dog. But, as soon as I finished it, Sandy stood up without any help from me and walked to the other end of his run, where he tried to relieve himself. Then he turned around, came back to me and curled up in the pile of damp leaves as if to say, "I like it here!" He couldn't have made his wishes more clear.
     Two days later, he slipped away peacefully...and now lies out in his run, buried in a leaf covered plot which is marked by a cross and his favorite shoe.
     Thank you, dear Lord, for our good friend, Sandy and for filling the void he has left in our lives with your love. In Jesus' name, Amen