Angus
had two great loves in his life. The first, thankfully, was us and the second was anything edible. There were limits on both these,
for instance, no amount of love ever made up for the indignity of being
covered in soap and water, and technically he did not consider celery
edible even though he would still beg for it.
He came to us years ago, one of a batch of Laredo dogs who showed up on St. Patrick's day and were given assorted Irish names. We knew little
of his history but always imagined he had been seized from drug lords or
pirates and delivered into our kind hands. He certainly did little to
dispel these rumors, acting always as if each of his humans was the most
important thing in the world. He was a dog of character who considered
it his personal duty to convert kibble into dog hair as rapidly as
possible and spread it liberally around our home.
When he arrived we were about to move into a new home. Angus and our
other pups supervised the building of the home during our almost daily
visits to the new site. He never did figure out which end of a skunk
to investigate and he never did figure out why we made such a racket
when he investigated them. Eventually the neighborhood was tamed and
the skunks were banished, but Angus remained vigilant against the
occasional squirrel foray and we are proud to report that due to his
hard work, no squirrels ever buried nuts inside our house.
Last year he began to have difficulty breathing and his daily walks
became a little slower. The passing years had lined his face in white
but had no effect on his boundless enthusiasm for all things connected
with his people. We were already resigned to the fact he wouldn't be
with us much longer but when his final morning arrived there was no
indication in his face or step that he wouldn't finish his last walk.
Halfway home he collapsed and when we carried him to the Vet we knew
that it was time for him to go. He died in our arms, honored and
loved. We shall miss our companion and remember always the love in his
eyes and his faithful, gentle ways.
Lon & Maria
