We lost our beautiful boy yesterday, his name was Romeo. He lost his fight with a cancer after only 2 months fighting. My wife and I both held him as he died, it was at once a tragic and beautiful.
I always knew it was going to be a bad day when new lost him but I never thought his absence would affect me so. He was the first dog I ever had as my own. In the 11 years we had him, he became such an integral part of my heart and home that his absence leaves a hole that cannot be filled. Nor do I want it to be as that will always be his place within me as always his and his alone. I want him to live forever in my memories for the good in him and the fun we had.
We got him from the pound in Troutdale. Best they could tell he was 5 months old and had been on the road for at least a month. He weighed 26 pounds but should have weighed 50+. He had worms, ear lice, staph infections on his skin ( he never really grew hair after that ) and boy did he smell. I have always been a softy for the hard cases and I fell in love with him immediately. Once home, fed well and healed of his multiple issues, he began to terrorize the house. Then he started boring his way into our hearts and home and became such a friend the likes of which no human could compare to.
I do not need to repeat to most of you the divine traits in dogs as if you are reading this you already know. They do so easily what people seem to have such a hard time doing. Endless happiness, unconditional love and acceptance, ever ready willingness to play, constant good mood, the list goes on and on. I rather would like to tell those who are interested what set him apart from his brethren.
Things that were best in him
Cuddles on the couch in the evenings
Cuddles on the bed in the mornings ( we cuddled a lot )
Pushing open the bathroom door to get to his favorite heater to stay warm
His wiggly but as his docked tail did not allow anything else
His first boat ride when he thought he could walk on water ( At least this one he can do now with no problem )
Stealing hot dogs out of unsuspecting kids hands
Crashing through screened windows to get at squirrels outside
Hiking all over the woods and long naps in the car on the way home
The art of begging without begging
High fives for treats when dad got home
Long rides in dads truck or moms car on the way to get French fries for lunch
Laying his head on my shoulder as I drove
Leaning on me as I sat at the kitchen table
His beautiful velvety ears as soft as anything on earth
The things that drove us crazy
Houdini dog who managed to get out of the yard no matter what we did
Galavanting around town for a day or more at a time afterwards
His famous gas ( WOW ), usually saved for the presence of company at mealtime
To say the least he will be missed terribly but at the same time he will be in our hearts forever. He is playing with his brother Bailey right now, hopefully not concerned with us at all.
I hope on the day of my passing I will see him again.
Sleep my precious one, sleep
A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself.
– Josh Billings
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.
-Unknown
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons.
– James Thurber
In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.
– Edward Hoagland “Dogs and the Tug of Life”
Money will buy you a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.
– Unknown
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person. – Andrew A. Rooney
The more I see of men, the more I admire dogs.
– Jeanne-Marie Roland
Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really. ~Agnes Sligh Turnbull
Properly trained, a man can be dog’s best friend. ~Corey Ford
My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am. ~Author Unknown
A dog is not “almost human” and I know of no greater insult to the canine race than to describe it as such. ~John Holmes
Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmeaning Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog. ~George Gordon, Lord Byron, “Inscription on the Monument of a Newfoundland Dog”
You were loved beyond description,
| Romeo |
| 22, Nov 2011 |
| Lars |