MisteRogers' Neighborhood1968

Mr. Rogers:
[a fish in his tank had died, so he buried it in the yard] When I was very young, I had a dog that I loved very much. Her name was Mitzi. And she got to be old, and she died. I was very sad when she died, because she and I were good pals. And when she died, I cried. My grandmother heard me crying, I remember, and she came and just put her arms around me, because she knew I was sad. She knew how much I loved that dog. My dad said that we had to bury Mitzi, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to bury her because I wanted to pretend that she was still alive. But my dad said that her body was dead and we'd have to bury her. So we did.

[Goes back into the house]

Mr. Rogers:
I remember after my dog Mitzi died, my aunt and uncle gave me a toy dog, like this, that I used to play with. I used to make it go like this, then make it pop up again like that. Pretending. Even now I can still remember Mitzi's prickly fur and her curly tail. She had a tail that went around like that.