My Good Dog. Please Stay With Me Forever...
At Least In My Heart & Mind. by Anna Cooke
I
In Hawaii, on Memorial Day for the past 16 years the Lantern Floating ceremony takes place to honor loved ones who have passed, or as symbolic prayer for a harmonious and peaceful future. More than 6,000 candle-lit lanterns bearing remem- brances and prayers were set afloat this past May with more than 40,000 people attending. In Japan, the Hiroshima Peace Message Lantern Floating
Ceremony is held on August 6 of every year on the anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Watching the warm lights of some 10,000 lanterns as they float tranquilly down the Motoyasu River in the dark of night, each bearing wishes for peace, is a powerful sight. It was this showing of humanity in such a large-scale mag-
nitude that inspired Jannette Matos to want to do something similar to honor dogs who have passed. That, and the memory of her family’s love of their own dog, Brandy, an 11-year-old Golden Retriever who died in 2012. After Brandy’s passing, Jannette noticed how many friends, neighbors and even strangers were so forthcoming in sharing their stories of loss and bereavement. “It became obvious to me that we all shared the same feelings of isolation as there really wasn’t much support for those of us grieving for a pet,” said Jannette. She and her daughters Alanna and Kiara decided to coor-
dinate a collective memorial that would give everyone an opportunity to bid farewell to their companion pets. The first Winter Park Canine Memorial was held on July 27, 2013. It was the one-year anniversary of Brandon’s passing. Afterwards, Jannette received many notes from attendees
who told her that the ceremony had a powerful impact on them, giving many a newfound sense of closure. Some told her the ceremony allowed them to finally open up their hearts to adopt another pet. The second annual Floating Lantern Memorial took place
on July 26, 2014 in Baldwin Park’s Harbor Park. Hundreds of people purchased lanterns and decorated them to memorialize their pets. It was a beautiful evening with music from a harpist playing in the background. Naturally, there were some tears as people decorated their lanterns. But mostly, the peaceful occa- sion gave way to happy memories of pets who had passed. A glittering procession of lantern-holders walked around
Lake Baldwin to Fleet Peeples Dog Park. As dusk began to fall, kayaks were filled with the lanterns and taken out to the mid- dle of the lake. Four hundred lanterns were placed onto the water, illuminating Lake Baldwin. For the second year in a row, many of the lanterns appropriately floated to the banks of Dog Beach at Fleet Peeples Dog Park. Volunteers made sure any
68 THE NEW BARKER
Dean, of Winter Park, decorated his lanterns to honor Dudley and Coconut. Photography by Anna Cooke.
straggling lanterns were picked up and brought back to land. A portion of the proceeds from the memorial went to
Paws for Peace Kennel at Harbor House of Central Florida, a shelter for domestic violence victims. The kennel houses the pets of the victims fleeing their situation. “I’ve been told that men don’t like to talk about their feel-
ings. But you ask them about their dogs, and they open up in ways I’ve never seen before,” said Jannette. She believes the Floating Lantern Memorial ceremony gives people a way to validate those feelings.
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