Celebrating the Day of the Dead
from a conversation with Ruby Lang

Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead is traditionally celebrated between October 31 and November 2. During this time the spirits of dead loved ones are invited to visit the living as honored guests. The holiday provides a special opportunity for the living to show respect for their departed loved ones while recognizing death as part of the natural cycle of life.

November 1, All Saints Day, and November 2, All Souls Day are celebrated throughout Mexico with unique customs that vary widely according to the ethnic roots of each region. Colorful adornments and lively reunions at family burial plots, the preparation of special foods, and offerings are laid out for the departed on commemorative altars or ofrendas. These offerings consist of skeletons, intricate paper cut-outs, wreathes, crosses, candles, fresh flowers, as well as sugary confections in a variety of animal or skull shapes and other edibles.

Of particular interest are the hand crafted skeletons that are delightful rather than frightening. They represent the beloved dead ones, their occupations and hobbies. As they are placed on the altar, the skeleton figures bring back fond memories causing the grieving on earth to smile. The figures with the smells of favorite foods help the spirits find the right house. From Aztec, Mayan, and other indigenous ancestors has come the knowledge that souls continue to exist peacefully after death--not for judgment or resurrection--but for the day each year when they can return home to visit their loved ones.

The Day of the Dead is also popular north of the Mexican border as well. SoLo, a home design store in the Design district of Solana Beach, a small beach town in northern San Diego, was the location of a special exhibition--a beautiful altar that commemorated pet that have departed. SoLo antiques merchant Ruby Lang's dog, Jeep, inspired the theme of this year's display. The altar was lovingly installed for Jeep, a 15 year-old Italian greyhound who had died just a few weeks earlier. The exhibition ran for 2 weeks in October 2004.

2003 ofrenda (altar) dedicated to Ruby's mother

In 2003, Ruby had also designed an altar for the Day of the Dead celebration to her mother who died when she was nine. Ruby's tribute gathered several people who, for some hadn't spoken with their own mothers or had become distant, felt the need to reconnect after visiting the altar. Ruby says that the altars and the Day of the Dead celebration itself create a dialogue among people, and she enjoys that interaction.

Jeep, an Italian greyhound, with Annie, a terrier mix (left); Ruby and her husband Danny beside the 2004 ofrenda dedicated to remembered pets

In 2004 the memorial was constructed in Jeep's memory and the public was invited to participate by leaving a photograph in remembrance of their pet to a handmade paper frame, which was then hung by a ribbon from an arbor over the altar. The beautiful rustic altar, which was nearly eight feet tall and five feet wide, was covered with flowers--some fresh and some made of paper. The ofrenda was also adorned with candles, museum-quality 18th century artifacts from Lang's personal collection, and traditional altar decorations like sweet breads, apples, marigolds, and brightly colored sugar skulls.

There were also amusing Day of the Dead skeleton figures of people and dogs in many sizes that found a creative place to gather in and around the altar. Small statues of animals, pictures of Jeep posing at various landmarks across the country that documented where she had been, dog treats, and Jeep's belongings were carefully placed. A statue of the Madonna held a book entitled Dream of Heaven by Rev. T. Sharp, A.M., dating to 1843.

The altar was an imaginative display with an extraordinary range of treasures and an attention to detail--a collage of imagery and memories. A banner handwritten read "para los animales" meaning "for the animals". The altar initially dedicated to Jeep was built during a trying time for Ruby and her husband Danny. Not only had their Jeep died just weeks before, their other dog Annie had been in critical care at the vet suffering from kidney failure as a result of advanced complications from Erlichiosis. With a heavy heart, Ruby continued to install the exhibit just hours after Annie had died in her arms to prepare for the October event.

Initially, Ruby and Danny had made the decision to dedicate this ofrenda to their dog Jeep. And while this tribute was meant for Jeep, she was inspired to honor pets that have passed as the general theme for 2004's altar. Installing the exhibit during her loss of Jeep as well as coping with Annie's critical condition weighed heavily on her. While the timing was extremely difficult, she hoped that putting together the altar would be good therapy. The altar was dedicated to Jeep in public, and also dedicated to Annie in their hearts, "we could not open that part of our lives to the public, we couldn't even talk about Annie", said Ruby. Jeep had a long and full life of 15 years, but Annie's life was cut short at five years old, "I suppose to me any amount of time is too short when you love an animal."

Jeep's story starts out much like many dog stories do. Ruby and her husband were not in the market for a dog when they passed a pet store in San Diego and decided to go in. They had a teenage daughter and were not sure if they could fit a dog in their lives. Could a teenager and a new pup fit in one house? Jeep, an Italian greyhound, was 5 or 6 months old when they spotted her in the cage. They took the little dog in the room where people go to check out dogs, describing her as "such a comical little thing, pulling on our shoestrings and bouncing up and down like kangaroo." They considered how a dog would change the dynamic of their house and wondered if it was a good idea. Turns out Jeep was just the answer. Their daughter called Jeep the "little referee" because Jeep would quickly find a way to cease any loud voices--a nip to your behind--would be the trick to end any argument.

Jeep used to lie on her husband's desk and sleep on his papers in his home office. Like so many dogs, Jeep followed the path of the sun, lying in warm sun baked spots in the house. Jeep would remind Danny when his work day was over and her playtime would begin. She could also be found toasty warm, burrowed in clothes fresh from the dryer.

Ruby and her family moved to the Washington DC area in 1990. Jeep didn't appreciate the cold winter, not even a romp in the snow. Looking at her delicate body, it was no wonder. She was in her element in the warm sun. But the DC summers can bring a supply of mosquitos. It was in DC that Jeep contracted heartworm. The vet's first response was a hopeless one, and luckily, Ruby wouldn't accept the prognosis. She contacted a friend's vet and pulled Jeep through with an experimental treatment that was risky, not guaranteeing that the treatment would save Jeep. But it did. The treatment, along with Jeep's tough spirit, saved her life.

Along came Annie, a rescued terrier mix, a few years later in San Diego when Jeep was 10 years old. Annie was an anniversary gift between Ruby and her husband. Like Jeep, Annie somehow found Ruby. Ruby knew of an owner of a dogwash company who would adopt dogs that he rescued from Rosarito, Mexico. Ruby saw Annie for the first time only to learn that she had been spoken for. That didn't keep Ruby from visiting the dog hoping to adopt her and ultimately Annie was meant to be with Ruby and would accompany Ruby to work often. As Jeep grew older, Annie added years to Jeep's life and became Jeep's shadow and student. If Jeep acquired selective hearing, so did Annie. Jeep showed Annie how to snag a treat from the pantry, a daily ritual. Shortly after Annie turned five, she started to show a decreased appetite. As Ruby discovered that Annie just didn't seem herself, visits to the vet would confirm that Annie's health was otherwise fine. Ruby insisted that specific bloodwork be done after subsequent visits.

"I suppose to me any amount of time is too short when you love an animal."

"The next day we received a call from the young vet saying that we had a very sick dog on our hands. I will never forget that call, the second worst day of my life. The first being the call my father received when he was told that my mother had been killed. I remember the phone ringing, and I remember that day," recalls Ruby,

"The vet wanted Annie to be admitted to the hospital right away." Blood tests confirmed high levels of the Erlichiosis antibody (see below) in her system believed to have been contracted years before, even before Ruby first brought Annie home.

As Annie's health began to fail, Ruby would try to maintain her dog's appetite and provide her any necessary treatment for her comfort. Jeep would sometimes finish Annie's food. During this chronic time in Annie's life, Jeep had suffered an unfortunate and untimely attack of Bloat (see below) after eating a meal. Ruby's husband found her choking and her stomach was enlarged. They rushed her to the emergency hospital not knowing what was happening and had never heard of the disorder. Once Jeep stabilized, the vet told Ruby and her husband that Jeep had less than an hour to live. "My husband made me leave the room, and in the dark of night I stood outside and cried and howled from the pain in the pit of my stomach, my heart being ripped apart."

For months after her loss, Ruby felt empty. Each fond memory was a reminder of the joy she felt with Jeep and Annie. The memory would quickly turn into a dark hole left there by the absence of that joy. She relied on the bond between her and her husband to get through the pain. That, and the passage of time....


Erlichiosis is transmitted to dogs from the bite of an infected brown dog tick. There is an acute stage or early stage when dogs may show symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, respiratory stress, weight loss, bleeding disorders, and in some cases experience neurological issues. Blood tests detect the presence of antibodies and more than one may be needed. However there are dogs that may not show or experience any symptoms during this first phase and early detection and treatment may be difficult. In this case, dogs reach a subclinical phase during which dogs develop laboratory changes showing no outside signs of illness or possibly eliminating the organism. Dogs in the chronic or long-term stage of illness may develop anemia, lameness, bleeding disorders, neurological problems, and death.


Ruby Lang sells antiques, vintage items, and a collection of rare and unusual finds at SoLo, a home design store in the Design district of Solana Beach, California.

A few eclectic items you might find are santos, milagros, and rosaries; also new items from paper artists such as whimsical paper hats, crowns, boxes and signs; one-of-a-kind painted throws, mechanical pictures, handmade scarves, and jewelry. Ruby enjoys creating displays such as the altar each year.

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