As regular readers know, Dazzle died last summer at eighteen years old, leaving a surprising legacy. A long and fruitful life for a chow-spaniel mix pound puppy. Dazzle was always special. On a September Saturday morning in 1993, my husband (who was not yet my husband) arose with a mission. He knew he had to go to the Converse Animal Shelter and get a dog. His dog, a lab mix named Ranger had died some time before, and he was without a dog. This Saturday morning, he knew he had to go.

I don’t know know many dogs or puppies he looked at that day — I was stationed in Alabama — but when he saw a golden ball of fur, he knew she was the one, and he brought her home with him. Dazzle and Plato (his Siamese cat) comprised the household.

As more animals were added through the years, every one of them worshiped Dazzle. We both remarked upon it. The power Dazzle had over the other animals in the household was uncanny. Dazzle just was, and the others just wanted to be with her.

Fast forward to last spring, when we knew Dazzle didn’t have long with us. We moved her from outside into the house. She was couldn’t hear, and we’re pretty sure she couldn’t see. I think her smeller still worked. She couldn’t move very well, so I carried her up and down the steps into and out of the house.

One area we failed the kittens was exposing them to the dogs at an early age, so both Tarzan and Lady were afraid of Dazzle when we first brought her into the house. We made her comfortable in the downstairs bathroom (which had plenty of floor space, so Dazzle wasn’t cramped) and put a baby gate across the door. The bathroom is off the dining room, and we normally keep the living room and dining room closed to the cats, but with Dazzle in the house, during the day, I kept the dining room door open. This allowed the cats to come and go as they pleased. Natasha and Ajax were well-acquainted with Dazzle, and they visited from time to time. The kittens, at first, were fascinated. They studied Dazzle closely. Since Dazzle mostly slept, she ignored the kittens, and they could study her freely. Eventually, even the kittens relaxed around Dazzle and would regularly drink her water and consume her food.

We kept Dazzle’s collar after we buried her, and somehow, it wound up on the parlor floor. That’s when things got interesting. I began to notice each of the cats rubbing on the collar, rolling on the collar, and, in the case of Lady, licking the collar. Because of this, I’ve left Dazzle’s collar where the cats can interact with it. Nearly a year after Dazzle’s death, she still has a hold over those she left behind. You may choose to believe what you will, but I believe the cats are remembering Dazzle via her collar.