How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
A week or so later, Smokey died. After dinner the family went into the backyard, where Ethan had excavated a big hole and they wrapped Smokey's body in a blanket and put it in the hole and covered it with dirt. […] He and Mom cried a little. (13.1)
Bailey gets to witness a burial procedure, something he doesn't get to see done to himself when he dies, even though he is later reborn. That's maybe for the best, since it would be really weird to see your own funeral.
Quote #5
The next day, after Mom and the boy left for school, I went out into the yard and dug Smokey back up, figuring they couldn't have meant to bury a perfectly good dead cat. (13.3)
Again, we see the dog's chill attitude toward death. It's also pretty clear that he doesn't completely understand what's going on with a burial. Death seems natural to the dog, so he doesn't understand the big deal—why not just let the cat, you know, rot somewhere in peace?
Quote #6
I hadn't given it any thought at all, though I supposed deep down I knew that one day I would wind up like Smokey the cat. I remembered the boy crying the day they buried Smokey in the yard, and I hoped he wouldn't cry over my death. (17.63)
The dog gives some equal opportunity ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ to death. He shrugs off even his own. However, it's a little easy for him to shrug it all off at this point, because he's already died once before. He's a pro at this, and he knows he'll probably be reborn once again. So what's to fear, really?