The night our dog died
When our family dog died, I was in my early twenties still living in the home I was raised, an Indian family in the suburbs of London

As anyone who has had a pet will know, it was devastating for all of us and it marks the one creepy story in my life

The evening that our dog passed away, my younger brother walked into my bedroom at about 2am and quietly asked if i was awake. Of course, that did the trick and I said I was. "Can you hear that?". With such a question, I was wide awake in a nano second and sitting upright. I strained to pick out what he seemed to hear very obviously, but couldnt hear anything. he repeated twice "there, can't you hear that?". I might add at this point that my Brother is very level head-headed. Very anti drugs and anti anything that results in loss of mental self control, very stoic... So i did not think then, or now, that he was imagining it and asked him what he could hear. "I can hear Dad outside calling me"

I got out of bed and in my sleepy state, I imagined that perhaps our Father had gone sleep walking or got stuck outside (why, I didnt know, but I was trying to match scenarios to what my Brother was telling me). He had never done either. So, we walked to my Parents room and peered into the darkness. I quietly called out "Dad?" and he woke with a slight start obviously a bit suprised to have both his adult sons looking in to the room. This time my brother just said he could hear a voice in the garden and now the whole family was awake

What followed would be comical if it wasn't so odd at the time. We all quietly trooped downstairs and I picking up the nearest solid object as now I supposed there must be an intruder in our back garden

Our garden is accessed by huge sliding glass doors. It means that you can see the outside clearer than the inside because of the ambient light from the street. As we walked towards the doors, it was obvious that the garden was empty

Again, my brother asked "Cant you all hear that???" By now he was slightly bewildered more than anything. My Father asked "what exactly can you hear?" and he told him what he told me orginally "Dad, I can hear YOU calling out to me". I still remember my Father's reaction when he asked him to repeat what he just said. My Father's face showed a sense of recognition & sadness. He seemed to nod.. He looked out at the garden and said to all of us "everyone go to sleep, I am going to stay up a while"

At this point I just thought the whole thing was rather silly and happily trooped up to bed, and was asleep immediately

The next morning, I came downstairs and of course asked what all that was about. My brother was already awake, but my Father was waiting for me to get up before saying anything

My father is a hindu. The religion is the world's oldest major religion and is a unique combination of culturally led traditions, supersitions & dogma. My Father is a humble man and never imposed the religion on us London born boys (he even sent us to Roman Catholic Schools without blinking). So he chose words knowing that his audience were in many ways removed from his beliefs, neither familiar nor overly skeptical

he told us that according to Hindu belief, when animals die, they dont know that they have passed on. Humans know that they have died, so, unless they have 'unfinished' business, they dont hang about. But pets want to come back into the home that they have lived in for years. As they are on the outside, they call out to someone in the family in a human voice that this person will recognise in the hope that they will let them in.

I went quite cold, and my Brother was so unnerved, his face actually went completely blank

My Father then said that he had sat facing the garden and prayed for our pet dog and told her to go in peace.

I never questioned my Brother about it and he did not defend what he said he had heard nor started to fob it off as something imagined

We never spoke about it again
(sabre32, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 5:03, 27 replies)

That's spooky
And a little sweet
( zulu eh?, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 7:00, closed)

I wonder
what happens if he had "let the ghost in"? Is that good/bad etc?
( zulu eh?, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:12, closed)

nothing would have happened
ghosts aren't real
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:18, closed)

billions would disagree

( zulu eh?, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:24, closed)

oh, I must be wrong then
because billions of people have never believed in superstition before
( emvee cruor deo cruoris, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:33, closed)

And yet you put your point across believing everyone will instantly switch to your opinion.
Just don't respond next time... Let the people who want to ponder, ponder.
( vix0r was not Matthew on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 16:03, closed)

Wow
love it. I will shortly be telling my friends on the dogwalk about it. Share the shivers around, only fair!
(Juan Quar is clinging to her front teeth on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 7:35, closed)

Nice first post
..an quite enlightening
( lucosade is counting down the minutes until, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 8:59, closed)

this may sound a little silly or inappropriate
but I wish your post could be bottled and stuck up the arsehole of whoever it was that came up with the 'Britishness test'.
(pounana Slept well, and dreamed of large women, on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 9:14, closed)

Good story.
Welcome to B3ta pull up a kitten.
( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 9:28, closed)

I've got hairs standing up on my legs now. I think I need to shave. Great first post.
(Raelene, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 9:54, closed)

I love this, it's scary and sweet. Your dad sounds brilliant too, what a nice guy. Beautifully written story too.
(resurrection_mary cannibal_ferox, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 9:55, closed)

...
Good story, well told and with acceptable grammar. Good n00b!

Have a welcoming *click*
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 9:59, closed)

Nice post
And welcome to B3ta.
(impossibly witty twat No, YOUR Mum etc etc, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 10:18, closed)

A shiver to the spine
and a tear to the eye.
( speedyballbangpots, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 10:47, closed)

^ what they said
*click*
( Wet-chinned bag shanker Cannot parse Wogan, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:03, closed)

Is your brother called
"Raggy" (well, as far as the dog was concerned, anyway) and does he say things like "Zoinks!" and "Yikes" a lot by any chance?
(Rsoles, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:03, closed)

They would have
gotten away with it.
( The Mock Turtle ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:17, closed)

Why never speak about it again?
Its obvious that there is more to life than the physical body and the universe that we see. There's endless tales and evidence to suggest that our soul or conciousness can live on after death. If a death is abrupt, then it is possible that we dont realise we have died. Animals included. I dont know why, but sometimes people are more suseptable to picking up those that are still close to this plane.
Its a sad story but the dogs spirit will have ascended. Proven by the fact this event hasnt happened since.
(Boom- Clicks on NSFW links at work., Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:34, closed)

No
It's obvious that people - understandably - are frightened of death and what happens after that, if anything, so they make up stories about ghosts and heaven to make themselves feel better.
(MJPerry was crude but clickable at, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 13:09, closed)

there's endless tales
but no evidence
(Smale is stuffed, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 15:14, closed)

Excellent story, it had shivers going up my spine. Scary, sweet and sad at the same time.
(CarryOnKay, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:44, closed)

Good first post
Welcome, etc.
(SnowyTheWereRabbit the Leporid from Hell, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 11:51, closed)

Does it only work if you / your pet is Hindi?
Interesting read. Click.
(TheManWithThePlan cussed your mum on, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 12:05, closed)

Great story, proper scary.
Thank you for sharing.
( Mrs Entity is in hiding., Wed 13 Apr 2011, 15:03, closed)

<shivers>
Wonderful story. Could you please close the window. It suddenly got chilly in here. :)
(darling_nici, Wed 13 Apr 2011, 19:58, closed)

Tear in my eye
That's so sad-it makes me want to cry for the poor dog.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Thu 14 Apr 2011, 6:42, closed)