Pet Obituary: A Life Beyond Words
Chaser, an extraordinarily literate Border Collie, died at the age of 15 on July 23, 2019. In her lifetime, Chaser became famous for her incredible English vocabulary and understanding of the human language. Chaser could differentiate parts of speech such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives, and displayed levels of proficiency with human language concepts and categories that rivaled a young child.
Chaser was loved and educated by his owner, psychologist John Pilley, whose death preceded Chaser’s final exit. (Some of Pilley’s ashes were sprinkled atop Chaser’s pet grave, which is in the family’s backyard.) Together Chaser and Pilley embarked (no pun intended) on a journey that resulted in Chaser being able to recognize 1,022 different objects by name.
Training Pet Relationships
To understand the relationship between Chaser and John Pilley is to understand the relationship between people and dogs. Often, the first thing human beings do with a new pet dog is to train it so we can communicate with them. We teach our dogs discipline and commands to protect them from dangers such as running into a busy street or eating something harmful on the ground.
But we also train our dogs to share our human experiences in the great mysteries of life. We lovingly say “good boy” or “good girl” and excitedly say words like “go outside” as if both the person and the dog are about to venture into outer space for the first time. And, yes, each walk, run, frisbee toss, and outside excursion is a new and different experience with our pets.
[More pet loss advice, insights, and resources: How to Write a Pet Eulogy, Pet Loss Condolences: What to Say and How to Say It, and Life After Loss: 5 Signs It’s Time for a New Pet.]
Setting a Tone for the Future
Dogs, like people, require a safe and supportive environment to learn in. When dogs, like people, feel stressed, unsafe, hungry, sad, or anxious they cannot focus and learn new, important things. Tricks like shaking hands and rolling over can be fun for pets and people, but teaching dogs actual English vocabulary words demonstrates an incredible level of trust and understanding between a human being and an animal. Chaser and John Pilley had a truly unique relationship.
While most pet owners rely on tone of voice to communicate love, appreciation, approval, as well as danger and disapproval, Chaser and John Pilley invested in each other’s time and focus to communicate on an unprecedented level. Deep down, we all wish dogs could talk to us and explain their feelings and thoughts. Though we look to the eyes, tails, and body language of our pets to understand their emotions and dispositions, Chaser and John Pilley prove that verbal communication is an area that is worthy of further exploration with our pets.
Dog & Owner Together Again
Both Chaser and his owner have passed on, but we can only surmise that both of them are together again, talking to each other the way that only old friends can. RIP Chaser and his beloved owner.
[Visit more dog eulogies, dog funerals, and dog obituaries.]