Goodbye Old Friend

It's been a rough day today. Our much beloved and VERY old family dog passed away today. It was very hard and traumatic for the kids, and if possible, even more difficult for me. Milo and I had been together for 14+ years.

When I tell people that I didn't know exactly how old Milo was they always thought that he was a rescue dog. That's true to a certain extent, but I'm pretty sure the rescue was the other way around. I had just broken up with the girl I was living with and we were getting kicked out of the house we were renting anyway, when Milo just showed up at the door one day. He was a scrawny little puppy, part pit-bull part something and just the sweetest dog ever. We lived by a truck stop and I'm sure that he was just a truckers puppy who had enough. He had obviously been mis-treated (emotional scars he would carry for the rest of his life), but always had the sweetest disposition. Anyway, I didn't know where I was going in life, or what I was going to do, but now I had this dog to do it with.

I stayed with my Mom for awhile to get some debt paid off and figure life out. Milo couldn't stay with us, so I boarded him at an obedience farm in the hills. Since I was paying so much for him to be there for so long, they threw in lessons for free. I would go see him and work with him on the weekends. Eventually, when I got my life together and bought my house in Tracy on my own, Milo came home with me (very well trained by then).

The house had a huge yard and Milo loved it there. We rode to Home Depot together in the truck on weekends and he would keep me company while I remodeled the house little by little. He was my constant companion while I worked thought this hermit phase of my life. We went everywhere together, he slept in my bed with me (under the covers - he was a wimp in the cold) and eventually, he and I pulled me out of my funk.

When Marisa found my profile on line - Milo was there in my profile picture with me. When she came over for one of our first dates, Milo was there while I cooked us dinner. When we decided to buy our house in Livermore, Milo came with us.

Milo lived thru some of the biggest uphevals in my life with me. Our remodel/addition in Livermore (complete with built in dog-door/tunnel in the blueprints). First Jake, then Tanner, then Faith. The move to Idaho. He was always there, my dog. He became my family's dog, our first dog.

Milo lived a very happy and long, healthy life by doggie standards. He was healthy every day and I like to think happy as well. Much to Marisa's consternation, he was denied nothing by me his entire life. If he wanted on the bed, he got on the bed. He was allowed on the couches. The AC was left on when we weren't home for him. He was never banished from our bedroom (My threat always was, the dog has been here longer then you, if you don't like it, you sleep in the other room) which she always took in the good-natured way it was intended, but he still had his corner.

Milo was not much of a dog by normal dog standards. He didn't play fetch. He would chase the ball, find where you threw it and then leave it there and come back. He didn't like to romp. Didn't like to play with other dogs. As he got older he wasn't much for walks (he would tire after a block or so) but he was always game to give it a shot. His favorite thing to do, for most of his life, was to wake up from a nap, have a BIG doggy stretch, then go find a new spot to go back to sleep.

Anyway, now he's gone. I'll miss you bud. Thanks for the rescue.

God if you're listening, please give him a scratch behind the ears (he liked that). He doesn't need much, just a spot in the sun on a comfy couch if you wouldn't mind. You'll enjoy him, he's a really good dog.