27/10/2025
October 27. Day of the Dead for Pets.
Just because Harlow is irreplaceable, does not mean another dog does not deserve a place in my heart.
On the drive to collect Piglet, I couldn’t shift him from the front of my mind, on the drive back to our holiday let, the floodgates opened. I didn’t realise before, but once with her, there was a sense of being drawn to her, a familiar being, I couldn’t explain the feeling if I tried, but all it led me to do was wish for something to make sense - a sign I guess?
I could see my mums instant love for her also, not that she doesn’t love all my dogs but there was something awfully familiar about this too.
She sat there, cuddled on my mums lap, but staring at me longingly whilst I drove.
That evening, the next morning and following day, I just felt so much love for her and it was growing by the second - whilst adoring her, missing him and a lot of crying, he was very much not leaving my mind for a split second.
That evening on the beach I attempted to explain it to mum but I couldn’t, yet she told me she understood and felt it too. Whilst chatting about it and watching the sunset, I pointed out a Dolphin in the clouds, and a Collie ran down the beach, stopped halfway and looked longingly at the sea before disappearing back over the dunes.
I spoke of how I felt like I was in two minds about posting her on social media, but didn’t know why. Yet I also wanted to get a video to use to introduce her “when the time felt right”, explaining how I wanted to use the song “Something in the orange” - despite it never being that significant to me - it simply stood out in that moment.
As the days passed, she did more and more things that reminded us of him, despite being nothing alike - this is what baffled me the most - and we say how she is so wise for her age - as if she has lived before - just like he was.
Once home and back to normality, she was staring at me from her bed in the footwell, and the song “Something in the orange” came on, at first I laughed. Then it hit me, “she’s orange” - I joke that my dogs match, Stitch and Harlow, Raya and Duchess and now Narla and Piglet - then another realisation, I use a ‘🧡’ for Harlow’s Legacy… orange isn’t and never has been a favourite colour of mine, nor has it ever symbolised Harlow, yet since his passing I was drawn to use it and never gave it a second thought. By this point the tears were rolling, but thats not all, when I picked her out of the litter from photos and videos, she wasn’t wearing a collar, yet the response I got was “It’s orange collar you like”.
As you can imagine, I had a complete meltdown.
Call it a coincidence all you like, but from then on, the feeling that had been looming, dissipated, I posted her without a second thought and I’ve fallen in love with her more and more daily, with more laughter and possibly a few less waterworks? Maybe I wouldn’t go that far.
If you’ve read this post until the end, and have given it much thought, you may also be interested to search the spiritual meaning behind the colour ‘Orange’ and seeing a Dolphin in the clouds that day.
I wouldn’t say I am all that spiritual, but if I’ve learnt anything, it’s to take comfort in whatever you can during grieving, and if it simply keeps you surviving one more day, it could never be stupid or far fetched.
Whether reincarnation is or isn’t real, I like to think there’s a little bit of him in there, or that he sent her to me, but who knows, we all know I am simply just delusional.
My pretty little baby, I wish you could’ve met him.
