rafterman's blog: "An old dog"

I lost my old friend Roosevelt last month. Rose for short. He was with me 15, maybe 16 years. Thru the cancer, thru the strike, good times, bad times, he was always there, and always happy. He took away the pain, and always made me smile. He was a special hound. Part basset, part lab. And full of love. He was short, full of muscle, and mischief,  Jet black, huge paws. And he would tilt his head head high, and howl.  His bark was a deep base bark, and he had a long tail that never stopped wagging. He would bark at me when I got home from work every single day. It was as if,  back again pinky, waters kinda stale, and gettin kinda hungry here, and where have you been all day while ive been on patrol.

The routine of it all. Let him out in the morning, let him in. Feed him, have my coffee. Get a shower, get out and step over him. Get dressed for work, and talk to him about that job he was gonna get. He would swing that tail and listen to me talk to him.  Then, fresh water, and out he would go. And I would go to work. At bedtime i would turn out the lights, he would follow, i would get in bed, he would look up at me, and i would scratch his noggin, and then turn out the light. Sleep, and then wake up, and make a new day. I miss coming home from work since hes gone, he was always standing in the corner of the yard waiting. Even in the rain.

Its awful the way a dog can tear a hole in a mans heart. But there will be a new pup in the future. And it will be wonderful.