Dogs & Ghosts

My experiences are real to me and I always base ideas on observations.
 
When I was a teenager, we lived in a house that had a poltergeist. We all slept with bedroom doors closed. The hall light would turn, once in a while. As in the switch was turned up.
 
A friend of mine who was murdered came to the house at the moment of his death. My first wife and I thought he was here (he lived with us) but we had not seen him enter. 9:00 the next morning, detectives from the Dallas Police knocked on the door to inform us he had been shot and killed.
 
My first wife passed away July 28, 1992. Along about November, she visited me. At first, it was a weight on the bed. Then it was a feeling that she was well and that she was carrying on a life afterwards and so should I. Then, she was a white fog that condensed to a small ball and zipped around the room and disappeared. The nearest thing I have seen that she related to me is the Robin Williams' movie "What Things May Come". That is nearly exactly what I got from her. I spent a little more than a year having to make a conscious decision each day to live. But, as I have learned, you don't get over it, you get on with it. I've been in some deep, dark places you don't ever want to go. But life is worth the effort. When I say I have been to Hell, I know what I'm talking about. Trust me, been there, done that.
 
We survive after our death but I don't have a readily quoted lab study. But I know it from personal experience.This same "knowledge" lets me know that the Rainbow Bridge is a real place.
 

This is a very cool topic. I definitely believe in ghosts and spirits and absolutely think animals have a "sixth sense," especially dogs. I have had many animals who bark, stare, and follow something that isn't there and they definely sense things about people; who may be bad, good, uneasy, etc. and they know what you're feeling w/o you telling them. The one story I have is about a canary I had(if you'll allow for the different species). I only had this canary about 4 or 5 months, and it wasn't that tame yet, but we still had a connection, as I do with all my animals that I've had. Anyway, i just broke up with my boyfriend and I felt very badly and I had the opportunity to go away for Labor day weekend. I was very undecided because I didn't want to leave my bird with my brothers and I just wasn't sure if I was up for it. They assured me my bird would be fine, so I decided reluctantly to go. I was a bit uneasy the whole weekend, but then I had a dream that really pushed my feelings over the edge. In the dream, it was dark and I ran to my house and it was on fire. I ran in and up the stairs and opened a bedroom door. I could feel the heat all around me, but the room wasn't on fire. My bird was in it's cage and he looked at me for a second and then flew away, across the room and out the window as if saying good-bye. I had a very ominous feeling when I woke the next morning. I told everyone and they thought I was probably just nervous about Peabody(my canary). When I got home, the first thing one of my brothers said to me was I have bad news, the bird died. It was the hottest weekend that summer where I lived(not where I was on vacation) and, as you recall, in my dream, the house was on fire. He died from the heat. I have since seen him in some of my dreams(I've had a few prophetic ones) and I kind of think a bird is my totem animal, which I also believe in. Birds always come around me. I've sensed when a couple of my animals were going to die. I've also had a lot of unexplained(too numerous to list) encounters with the spirit world, just falling short of actually seeing an apparition.
 
P.S.- Your post was touching ron2.


In memory of Maxi and Peabody.

My experiences are real to me and I always base ideas on observations.

When I was a teenager, we lived in a house that had a poltergeist. We all slept with bedroom doors closed. The hall light would turn, once in a while. As in the switch was turned up.

A friend of mine who was murdered came to the house at the moment of his death. My first wife and I thought he was here (he lived with us) but we had not seen him enter. 9:00 the next morning, detectives from the Dallas Police knocked on the door to inform us he had been shot and killed.

My first wife passed away July 28, 1992. Along about November, she visited me. At first, it was a weight on the bed. Then it was a feeling that she was well and that she was carrying on a life afterwards and so should I. Then, she was a white fog that condensed to a small ball and zipped around the room and disappeared. The nearest thing I have seen that she related to me is the Robin Williams' movie "What Things May Come". That is nearly exactly what I got from her. I spent a little more than a year having to make a conscious decision each day to live. But, as I have learned, you don't get over it, you get on with it. I've been in some deep, dark places you don't ever want to go. But life is worth the effort. When I say I have been to Hell, I know what I'm talking about. Trust me, been there, done that.

We survive after our death but I don't have a readily quoted lab study. But I know it from personal experience.This same "knowledge" lets me know that the Rainbow Bridge is a real place.

 
I don't have a ghost story (but was shuddering after reading some of these) but I just wanted to say I believe in spirits and of our loved ones visiting to make sure we're ok or to let us know they're at peace.  My father in law lost his wife & dad within a matter of two and a half weeks.  My husband (I have no idea HOW) pushed forward with life - he was very close to his mom & grandpa... but his dad was a different story.  Those dark places... like you, Ron, I'm sure he's been there.  My mother in law visited me in a dream one night telling of things to say to my FIL.  I didn't know what it all meant but next day I told my husband and he went with me to tell my FIL.... not long after, my FIL sought medical help and years after is dealing but doing better than we ever thought he would. 
 
 

This is some spooky stuff.

I went through some therapy and it helped organize the process of recovery and thoughts, etc. Then, I realized I was a dog, living in the moment, a perfect survival machine. Surviving is what I do best. I was a mere 28 then, young and still strong. It's a statistical observation that young people rebound a little easier than seniors. But statistics can be broken or bent, too. What was important self-identification. Part of the mourning was the loss of what we were, the loss of what we would have been together in the future, and the loss of my "youth". I had to learn to be selfish enough to live for myself.
 
In spite of that, I still look younger than I am. I attribute that to two things. Diet Coke, the preservatives work wonders. And I have a Dorian Gray picture in my attic. (the over the hill gang here will catch that one.)
 

28 is so very young to go thru such a tragedy.  My FIL was 39, his 40th bday was only 4 days after his wife died.... I still think that's so young.  Therapy is still part of his life as are the meds BUT the most incredible thing happened when he met the woman he is married to now.  6 years after he thought his life was over and had nothing to look forward to.  She lost her husband because of a sudden illness and they found comfort in talking about their 'first loves' with each other.  Eventually, that bloomed into them loving each other.  We thought it was and still is very cool to have a second chance with love. 
 
The diet coke comment made me laugh... but the Dorian Gray one went right over my head (as do lots of other things LOL).  []

And I have a Dorian Gray picture in my attic. (the over the hill gang here will catch that one.)
 

I'm not over the hill, just well read-and I know that one!

but the Dorian Gray one went right over my head

 
In the 70's, there was a movie with Faye Dunaway called "Dorian Gray." She played an actress who was actually quite old but never looked older than her mid-20's. This was due to a special painting kept hidden in her attic. Every year, the portrait of her took on the years of aging while she seemed eternally youthful.

Ron, Dorian Grey was a character in an OLD story--"The Picture of Dorian Grey", by Oscar Wilde.  It has been around for centuries!

Things I'm sure no one cares about but me:  The actual painting in the 1945 version of the film was by Ivan Albright and is in the permanent collection at the Art Institute of Chicago.    They have several of his paintings and they are incredible.   Many of his paintings took years, even decades to complete, and sometimes he would work with brushes with a single hair.   Anyway, they're really worth seeing if you get a chance.

God, what a memory![]
 
The version that sticks in my mind is the movie with Dunaway and the principle involved.

In the 70's, there was a movie with Faye Dunaway called "Dorian Gray." She played an actress who was actually quite old but never looked older than her mid-20's. This was due to a special painting kept hidden in her attic. Every year, the portrait of her took on the years of aging while she seemed eternally youthful.

 
AHA!  Thanks for the explanation []  I need to get me one of them there paintins []

thank goodness ive never had an encounter with a spirit before!! ::knock on wood!!::
 
but i do believe in them!
 
i have a few stories to share.
 
i have an aunt who's husband died prematurely in the vietnam war.  for awhile...she kept saying he was coming to her in her sleep.... at the foot of her bed...telling her that he cant rest peacefully..and that he's very uncomfortable at rest.  she was very freaked out... mind you...he died twenty-some thirty odd years ago, and she has since moved to the western hemisphere.
 
it is common practice to excavate remains in Vietnam to relocate them to closer burial grounds. ie. burried next to loved ones.  well...she decided to rebury him...and when they dug up his remains...they found out that a tree's root had broken through his coffin...and went right through his skull!!  (i saw pictures of the skeleton!)  ever since then, he never came back to her.
 
another story...has to do with my cousin's old house.  it's in atlantic city, and is right at a very dangerous bend in the road.  ive witnessed a few times, obvious drunk drivers, speeding on the curve and hitting parked cars there a few times.
 
well...one time her son and his cousin was up late at night.... and her son swore there was a little girl there who kept talking to him...he wasnt that freaked out because he's seen her a couple of times already...but we know the story because his cousin thought he was a moron.  years later...his uncle was sleeping over...and in the middle of the night, he bolted out of there and refused to come back, saying he saw the same little girl.  when they were moving out, they finally were told that a little girl was hit and killed right in front of their house.... the house has since been sold twice.... and is still vacate.
 
 

I do believe that dogs can sense things.

Well myself, I have grown up with Beagles. I don't believe there has been one day where I haven't lived with a beagle until I moved out.

But anyway, long story short... my dog was dying of cancer. My stepmom looked him in the eyes early one morning and said "Its ok boy, you don't have to suffer any longer" At that moment, the lights flickered- she went to pet him, and noticed that he had passed away.
When he passed, he was sitting in my Dad's recliner... ever since my dogs passing- not one (outta the 2 others after him) would even go near that chair! I once put my dog in it to see how he would react- he flipped out and ran off with his tail inbetween his legs.

I would catch my current dog that we have had for a long time... walking, then he would pause, and look up at the ceiling like something was there. We tend to think that he is looking at our other dogs spirit.

ORIGINAL: CoCo Chanel

when they were moving out, they finally were told that a little girl was hit and killed right in front of their house.... the house has since been sold twice.... and is still vacate.

Wow. That just gave me the chills!