“I ain’t the kind believes in ghosts, But some nights I get pretty close” Chris Knight – North Dakota

This happened last spring. It’s happened before. I don’t talk about it. I can tell the story this way though.

Windy was due any time and she was big. She was in a kennel at the end of my bed. Early spring cold and dark outside. Black sky, bright stars and deep quiet. I had a good fire going and the house was nice and warm. Nobody here but me, Buttercup sleeping on the bed, and Windy. I stayed up late with her, got up and checked on her a couple times during the night, but no puppies.

Fell asleep with the light on. I was sleeping hard about 4 AM and then Lisa was there, by the bed. She said “Wake up! Time to get to work!”

What?

“Get up! I delivered the first two puppies for you, but you need to wake up!”

I could hear a puppy crying and crying and I said Where is that puppy?

She said “By your bed. Time to get up!”

I finally got woke up. There was a puppy crying. Windy was in labor. Yep, she had two puppies. One was way at the end of the kennel and was cold and wet and crying. I tucked it in by mom and it quieted right down. Then I had to sit there a minute.

Lisa spent a good share of her life next to the sound of newborn puppies before she left us, right here in this place. The sound of puppies was the sound that called to her. Maybe it still does.

Windy delivered nine puppies and raised them all.