MONROE COUNTY, Pennsylvania – After ten years, a beloved dog has returned to its Pennsylvania family, only to surprise them by becoming a practicing Buddhist. “He used to be very wild and rambunctious,” says Melanie Hatsiff, who had given up hope of ever finding their missing Golden Retriever. “I mean, it’s really great to have him back, but now he mostly sits in our basement listening to Leonard Cohen CDs.”

After Sparky—now called “Shanti”—disappeared, the family spent years trying to locate him. “I’m not exactly sure where Shanti went during all that time,” said Melanie’s husband, Bruce. “But it’s clear that while we were trying to find him, he was trying to find himself.” 

To accommodate Shanti’s newfound spirituality, the Hatsiffs converted his old dog house into a shrine where Shanti spends a lot of time meditating and communing with squirrels. “When we throw him a stick, Shanti just stares at us. And we realize there’s no need for him to return the stick to us or for us to throw it. It’s good enough that the stick simply exists.”

Shanti’s diet has also changed from chicken and beef to a variety of grains and seaweed, although he does occasionally sneak a few Milk-Bone Peanut Buttery Bites™. Says Melanie, “After all, he’s only human.”