L. R. Trovillion

Tonight, October 27th, is the evening our departed pets’ spirits return to us. It is a day set aside to honor the animals we loved and who loved us back. Día de los Muertos para Mascotas.

Some families light a candle, fill a favorite bowl of water, look through old pictures and maybe speak the animal’s name out loud.

The death of an animal companion is the loss of a family member. The grief lingers and catches you off guard. My beautiful horse, Lucida, died three weeks ago. When I see the...

• “It’s an honor to be in grief. It’s an honor to feel that much, to have loved that much.” --- Elizabeth Gilbert

October has been a hard month. I have not had the mental energy to put together much in writing or otherwise. I am processing grief. The grief over losing my beautiful mare on October 5th at much too young an age as well as the grief over my now lost self-image as a horsewoman. The barn is empty. The fields are empty. I don’t quite know what to do with myself twice a day at feeding...

Welcome to those of you who may be new.

I started these short “ruminations on life” called White Dog Walks because many of my best ideas came to me while walking my pooch, Sitka. Being a white dog (a husky, German Shepherd, Norwegian Elkhound mix) she is a guardian, spiritual guide, and harbinger of peace according to many cultures around the world. I’m not so sure about that—especially that last one since she is pandemonium on paws—but I do derive a lot comfort and inspiration from having her...