Noble Beast, Heavy on the Beast

 

The last two days have been amazing weather. Windy but warm and just a relief. I have taken Eddie's hula hoop to the park and put him through his paces, much to the delight of passers by. As we walked home last night I thought, "I didn't need to do this. I'll probably hear from NDP." And so I did.

We met, as is our custom, and walked the beasts on a long loop through the park, talking and kicking sticks and dispensing treats. Tim has been in much better spirits since getting on the prednisone. Last night was no exception. He pranced and leaped on sticks, found a discarded ball, and was, I have to admit, a bit of a douche nozzle about getting treats. It's hard to care about that when you don't know how many more he's getting but we did try to rein him in. In fact we talked about how he seemed so well and it was hard to believe that he was so sick since he was leaping up and threatening to chew off my thumb. Who knew how long he'd last? Often we simply peel away when we're done but we stopped on the corner and continued to shoot the breeze while I forced the dogs to show me a few tricks in exchange for their weird fake bacon treats. Finally I leaned down, kissed Tim's bony head and told him that when he went to please do it fast, not to draw it out.

Next time I do that someone please kick me in the ass.

As of early this morning he didn't seem to feel well. By midday his people were called home. Early this evening, surrounded by people he loved, he died before the vet even arrived to give him a boost.

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago on one of our evening walks. Back when Emily was alive NDP and I started the walks as part of our fitness regimen. We carried them through Emily's decline, my dogless period, and through the advent of Eddie. I spent almost a year and countless treats earning Tim's love. When, finally, I could call out, "Timtim!" and he turned his head to me I called the battle won. German Shepherds are mostly a one person dog so I figured that was all I'd get. I know he liked me just maybe not as much as I liked him. That's OK, sometimes that's just how love is.

Tim the burglary deterrent, the purse snatcher chaser, the therapy dog, the crying ball chewer is already greatly missed. My heart goes out to his people.

You know what we do. Treats. For everyone.