Taking Time

We lost our very good dog this week. So I'm taking time to (1.) clean the whole house because he was a super shedder, and (2.) grieve. This probably doesn't belong on a genealogy blog, but he was family and his illness and loss has taken me away from this work.

He was 16 and a half and we adopted him when he was three after his first elderly owner died. He was a mess and three other people had adopted and returned him due to behavioral problems when we got him. We saw a loving dog-boy in need of rules and some psychological help in order to remove the anxiety that plagued him then. Every moment of care for him was repaid abundantly in love and happiness.

He was a funny and very playful boy who loved almost everyone he met, especially older people and other terriers. Somehow, he knew when a person needed comforting and go lean against their leg. He was a natural therapy dog.

When he met other terriers nature kicked in. He'd give those terriers a play-bow and off they'd go doing their terrier thing! At home, he'd go pick a toy from his toy basket and bring it over to us and give it a toss. Game on!

When he was out with my husband, upon their return he'd run in the house, find me and jump up on the chair or bed, say hello, and then run to his water dish. (Our dog, not the husband.) Oh sure, other dogs do all that stuff but it's special to us because he was our boy.

I hope that you've loved a dog at some time, or a cat too. (He really did not like cats and thought they were just another elaborate toy to be chased!)

We miss him.

At the beach, La Jolla, California.

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