I had come home that night and before bed left my 10 year old golden retriever outside to do his job before bedtime.  As I let him out he was acting funny, as if he was disoriented and could not focus. I got him to my bedroom and lay down on the floor but he was not himself.  I rubbed him all over, there was no lumps or bumps, he was not panting, nor crying or whining, but he didn't seem himself.  I struggled as to whether to take him to the emergency animal clinic or not, but I was so very tired after working all day and had an event I had to go that night.  I prayed for him at that moment with my hands on him and then went to bed as I was so very tired.  The time was 11:00 p.m.  I went to sleep and was praying as I was worried about him.  At 11:45 I wake up hearing this scream as it was me screaming.  My Bud had come to me in my dreams to tell me he was gone.  I got up and ran to the light switch and he was gone.  As much as a shock as it was to lose my beautiful golden boy, our love bond was so very close that he came to me on his way to heaven and I will forever treasure that he did this.

Was the kind of experience difficult to express in words? No      

At the time of this experience, was there an associated life threatening event?          No      

At what time during the experience were you at your highest level of consciousness and alertness?    I was asleep

How did your highest level of consciousness and alertness during the experience compare to your normal every day consciousness and alertness?    Less consciousness and alertness than normal

            I was asleep

Did your vision differ in any way from your normal, everyday vision (in any aspect, such as clarity, field of vision, colors, brightness, depth perception degree of solidness/transparency of objects, etc.)?  No      

Did your hearing differ in any way from your normal, everyday hearing (in any aspect, such as clarity, ability to recognize source of sound, pitch, loudness, etc.)?            No      

What emotions did you feel during the experience?            Anxiety that I lost my boy.

Have you shared this experience with others?         Yes     I immediately told my husband.   I told others the next day.  They realized that when you have a bond, death cannot separate you from the one you love, regardless if it is a dog.

Did you have any knowledge of near death experience (NDE) prior to your experience?    No      

How did you view the reality of your experience shortly (days to weeks) after it happened:            Experience was definitely real    Death cannot separate you from someone that you love.

Were there one or several parts of the experience especially meaningful or significant to you?            Only that my golden boy loved me so much and he knew how much I would suffer, he had to say goodbye to me.  It was easier to let him go as he said goodbye.

How do you currently view the reality of your experience:            Experience was definitely real            God chose to give me a last goodbye with my golden boy.   I will treasure always.

Have your relationships changed specifically as a result of your experience?           No      

Have your religious beliefs/practices changed specifically as a result of your experience?            No           

Following the experience, have you had any other events in your life, medications or substances which reproduced any part of the experience?         No                  

Did the questions asked and information you provided so far accurately and comprehensively describe your experience?         Yes