He Was Calling to Come Home

The experience I am about to share happened between February 2001, and June 2002. Although I have encountered many events that could be considered paranormal in my lifetime, I chose this event because it is closest to my heart.

When I was 12, my father gave me a puppy I named Tiki (pronounced Tee Kee). He was a Poodle/Terrier mix and was a wonderful dog. He came with me when I married and moved into my own home, and although there was some initial issue of pecking order between Tiki and my husband (i.e. who got to sleep next to me in bed!), we all managed to get used to the living arrangements quickly. Sadly, Tiki had to be put to sleep in February 2001, at age 14. Kidney and Liver failure was causing more agony than I wanted him to endure, so I felt it was best. After all, he had given me so much joy and happiness, I wanted him to have the same. (Yes, I believe pets have souls that go to Heaven, too.)

Tiki had been in the animal hospital for a full day when we received the call that we should come see him and be with him when he died. My husband and I rushed to the Vet, and I held Tiki while they injected him with the solution that would end his life. Unfortunately, because everything happened so quickly, I didn't have time to tell Tiki what was happening. (Something I always did for Tiki, and do for my new pup, is to tell them the events of the upcoming days and let them know what to expect. Crazy? Maybe, but after all, they are/were my fur kids, and I treated them like humans.) I believe the error of not telling Tiki what was happening is what caused the following events to take place.

Three days after we left Tiki's body at the Vet to be cremated, I saw on my caller-ID the name and phone number of the Veterinarian. No one was home to receive the call, so I checked the answering machine thinking they were calling to tell me Tiki's remains were ready to be picked up. (I was puzzled, because we were told it would take at least 10 days for Tiki's remains to come back to us.) There was no message on the machine, though. So, I called the office and asked the reason for the call. I was told that no one called me, and the receptionist apologized for the inconvenience. I hung up more puzzled than before, but just shrugged it off.

The next day, the same exact incident occurred. Again I called the office, and again I was told that no one from the office called me. I begged them to check the phone numbers of the families they did call that day. Someone had my phone number in his/her file, and I wanted it corrected. They apologized, and said they would look into the matter.

I wish I could say the issue was resolved. However, every day for the next week, we had the Vet's name and number on our caller ID. No message was left at any time. I stopped calling back. It was too painful, because I was still trying to get used to life without my beloved pet.

I happened to be home the day they called to tell me Tiki's remains were ready to be picked up. I sent my husband, because I couldn't bear to be back at the Veterinarian's office with people who still had their pets. Even though we now had Tiki back, I still saw the Vet's name on our caller ID about once a week for the next year or so. It always appeared when no one was home to receive the "call".

The "calls" stopped in June of 2003. We got a new puppy at that time and took him to the same Veterinarian to have his first wellness checkup. Coincidentally, we were sent to the same examining room that we lost Tiki in. I tried to be strong for my new pup's sake, but it was hard to be there. We came home, and things seemed to calm down that first day or so (meaning, no calls from the Vet). Then, out of the blue, my new dog, Reilly, began acting strange. Every spot that my old dog used to lay in the house? the landing of the stairs, the area in front of the entertainment center, the foot of the bed? seemed to bother Reilly. He gave those areas a wide berth when walking near them. One day, I really got scared. Reilly (he was only about 11 weeks old at the time) was lying on my lap as I sat on the couch reading a book. All of the sudden, his ears went back in the attack position, and his body went rigid. He stared at the landing of the steps and began barking fiercely; at least, as fiercely as a tiny pup can be! I stood up and put Reilly on the floor. He immediately jumped behind my legs, but continued to bark. I scooped him up and ran to the back deck of the house.

As I tried to calm down, I began putting the pieces of the puzzle together. The calls on the caller ID. The date the calls seemed to stop. Reilly's unusual behavior all of the sudden. I realized what may have happened. Tiki, my old dog, didn't know he died. I didn't tell him. Maybe he was trying to reach me to tell me he was still at the Vet and needed to be brought home. Since my husband didn't actually go into the Vet's office to pick up his remains, but went to the kennel out back, Tiki may not have known my husband was there. But, when we ended up in the same examining room with Reilly, Tiki definitely knew we were there. I think he came home with us, and didn't like the new pup in the house!

So, I bravely went back inside and went to the place where we keep Tiki's remains. I sat down and told Tiki how sorry I was for not explaining things to him. I proceeded to tell him everything that had happened between the time we left him at the Vet and that moment. I told him that I will always love him, but I needed a new dog to fill my heart with the same happiness he had given me.

Believe it or not, after the talk I had with Tiki, Reilly began to act normally again. He no longer seemed agitated near the areas Tiki used to frequent. And, I no longer had the Vet on my caller ID without a message reminding me of Reilly's upcoming appointments! I think Tiki made it home at last, and is now content.