The Very Best Dog

"Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills"

Voltaire

This is a post I wish I wasn't writing. Early Sunday morning, my best buddy, J. Edgar died. Any one who has a dog they love says that their dog is the best dog ever. JJ was the best dog ever. We were pretty inseparable for the last 8 years. I could take him on treks in the forest off leash. He would take off chase deer and rabbits and foxes, then come back to exactly where ever I was to tell me about what he had been doing. He usually ended up sitting in the creek.  I could just about get him to do anything just by snapping my fingers and pointing at what I was thinking about. There was a bond there way beyond simple communication. This picture was taken only a few weeks ago. He was totally normal, full of energy, playful and happy until around noon, last Monday. It went fast. We thought he had been poisoned, but on Saturday morning we got the blood test results back and it wasn't poison, it wasn't chronic kidney disease or a tick bite. The vet in Cherveix-Cubas was puzzled and we tried to keep his strength up with saline drips and injections, but I realized on Saturday that he couldn't keep this up. He would rally and then sink into total lethargy. The vet thinks it was due to the irresponsible application and dumping of Herbicides by the farmer who owns a lot of the adjacent land around us. I know, when we were out last Monday morning he was very interested in something in the drain pipe in the ditch under the tractor access in the culvert. He went in from both ends. We did all we could.

He was a rescue dog, abandoned as a puppy. A unique mix of border collie and tiekle, try to figure that out! He was everyones favorite dog. He spoke French better than I ever will. I have to admit, he taught me more than I could ever teach him. It's going to take me a while to accept that he's gone. I only have good memories of J Edgar, JJ, Stinky.  He was the very best dog!