My friend is gone

At Owens Beach, Point Defiance with Lucy.

 I know this is a gaming blog, but sometimes events in my other life, what I hesitate to call my real life take over and bury everything else that's going on.  Lorri and I have had a lot of sorrow in our lives the last few years, but for me, at least, nothing is worse than losing my Jack dog yesterday.  Jack is a miniature Australian Shepard.  I've never known a creature so full of life, so full of guileless energy.  At age ten, we hoped to have many more happy years with him, but it just wasn't going to happen.

Jack and Lucy together in the back yard

We rescued Jack when he was fifteen months old.  We thought he would make a good companion for our Lucy, also an Australian Shepard, who was a year older.  We were his third home in his short life, and we knew we had to be his last.  It took me a long time to love him.  He was an alpha dog and hard to get along with, but when I finally did, it was forever. Long walks, dips in the Puyallup River, rolling on the bed with his characteristic grunts, getting my face washed with his long tongue, those are the things I'll remember.

Jack suffered from a long illness, that we thought we could manage, but it didn't happen.  He had a serious surgical procedure a couple weeks ago that added to his quality of life.  He was happier and more energetic than we'd seen him in a long time, and we had high hopes for his recovery. But things came apart suddenly last night, we rushed him to the veterinary hospital, and had to make the decision to let him go.

He'll always just be "my boy."

I know many of you may be thinking, "he's just a dog." For some who met him he was.  He could be irascible, and hard to get along with, especially if you were an unknown male.  But once he was your friend, you had a buddy for life.  I never knew how David Demick, an avowed dog lover, could avoid getting another after his Watson died, many years ago.  He always said it was because of loyalty to his dead friend.  I think I understand now.   I couldn't  replace Jack; I don't think I'd want to try.