He was just an old black mutt. He showed up about 12 years ago. I’d look out the window and see him sitting in the pasture, afraid to
come in the yard. He spent most of his time the first week chasing red trucks up and down the road, only red trucks. He would chase my
red truck. Slowly day-by-day he would move a little closer to the yard. One morning I found him sitting in the garage waiting for
breakfast, I knew he’d found a home. He had big sad brown eyes and a tail that would wag 90 miles an hour. When I’d ride my horse he
was always by my side. When I’d ride the tractor he would lie out in the middle of the pasture and watch me all day long. Most of the
time he liked to lie in the sun and sleep. When I’d go to the mailbox he’d come to the corner of the house and watch me hoping
I’d scratch his tummy on the way back, I always did. No matter where my wife went on the ranch the old black mutt was right by her
side, in the rain, in the snow, in the middle of the night. I named him Cisco after the Cisco Kid. I taught him to respond to English
and Spanish. He would follow me to the back door looking for a cookie and if I forgot he would sit there for hours waiting on that
doggie treat. This morning he had seizures and I rushed him to the vet but there was nothing to do but make him comfortable, he was
beginning his last journey to the land of our ancestors. He was my friend and faithful companion. My heart is sad and the shadows today are long.
Under the full moon I walked in the pasture and said goodbye, I could feel him at my side. It’s a four-day journey to the land of our ancestors. I made marks in the dirt so he could find his way. I made loud noises so he would know he was not alone. I threw out some dog biscuits so he’d not go hungry. I let smoke drift in the wind to hide his spirit from evil along the way. I’ll see in four days a sign, maybe the rustle of the leaves, or the splatter of rain in the dirt, or an image in a cloud and I’ll know he arrived.
Goodbye Cisco, adios amigo.
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