A good dog
Let's try this as an obituary. He was a 15 year old golden retriever. He had been found as a stray when he was 3-4 years old, and at that point only had 3 legs. He was a very calm dog... Sorry, this isn't working. The problem is that his story is linked to my friend, and how when he was growing up he had an indoor dog, while my dogs always stayed outside. This meant that my concept of how a dog ought to be treated and his [and his family's] concept were often different, yet when they needed a dog-sitter I was usually the one. And the dog's story is linked to his huge need to be petted, which meant that he did very well when my friend's wife took the dog to the children's hospital, where the fact that he was missing a limb yet could get around sometimes was an inspiration to a child. And the dog's story is linked to the fact that there's another dog in the family, that they got as a puppy, and has been much more active than the other. And that dog was diagnosed with diabetes, and is currently getting insulin shots, and will be lucky to live another year. And the dog's story is linked to the fact that my friend cried more in the 24 hours surrounding his death than I ever have, for anything, including the death of grandparents and classmates in high school. And I couldn't do anything to help, besides be there and distract his kid sometimes. And coming back after a grocery shopping trip the house was so quiet that I wondered if my friend had suicided. And he hadn't, and that wasn't the sort of thing he would do anyway, but... I wondered. He was a good dog, and will be missed.
- posted by owlish @ 4/12/2005 08:59:00 AM