God gave us dogs to give us a glimpse into what unconditional love can really look like. I believe this to the core of my being. Angus could be a bit of a jerk sometimes, but was always very, very good with the kids. He made it to 15 last week, over 12-1/2 of those being with us. We got him in Tucson from some friends, and he quickly became a member of the pack.
He loved playing in the pool at Baba’s house, or just lounging on the pool deck.
When we PCS’d to Hawaii, he loved running around in the back yard, and after we lost Resa, he raised the midgeback:
He got to hang out with Uncle Chuck and Halia, and even got a rainy-day swim session out on the North Shore:
After Maddie was born, he really came into his own as a baby watchdog, checking on her every time he came back in from the lanai:
We moved to VA, and even though it wasn’t the beach, he was still at home in the outdoors. Snow didn’t bother him one bit:
Another kiddo, and he was back on watchdog duties:
California was fun, since he had friends’ kiddos to steal food from…
Another ‘brother’ showed up for him to raise, but this one got big FAST, and got all up in Angus’ business
PCS season came and went again, but we only had to move halfway across the country this time. Texas was supposed to be warmer, but just before Snowmageddon, we got a big snow here too. At least he could still get after it and run around then.
Being allergic to everything finally caught up with him, and in addition to the normal ‘old dog’ lumpies and bumpies, his hips and back legs started to decline. I was really proud of both kids, since they both decided to be there for him when we took him for his last car ride this morning. He could be a jerk-face, but he was our jerk-face, and he was always good with the kids. He lived in 5 different states, spent at least one night in 17 more, and drove through (and therefore marked territory) in an additional 4, bringing his ‘states visited’ total to 26. Depending on which source you look at, the average American will visit 12-17 in their entire life. Rest well, old dog.
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