Our oldest daughter Cristy and her family had to put their dog Duggan to sleep today. Anyone who has had to do this knows there are few things harder in life, but you cannot fix old age and his life had run its course. It was a life well lived.
He was a good boy, teaching Cristy and her husband Glenn how to care for someone else in their lives, which was great practice for their son Joey when he arrived several years later. He was a big dog, a cross between a Great Dane and a German Shorthair and in his prime he could run like the wind while looking like he was only loping along. He was smart and would "talk" to you to let you know what he wanted and he made his wishes known surprisingly well. He was Joey's big brother and kept a concerned eye on the new kid, tattling to "mommy" more than once when Joey was getting into trouble. If Joey got in trouble and mom was counting to three, Duggan was never quite sure who it was for and would scoot to sit in his appointed place on the stairs, out of harm's way. I will always remember the time at the lake when he followed our dog at full speed off a dock and into the water. Our dog was a water dog; Duggan was not. His eyes were very wide as he slowly sank out of sight until my wife ducked under, grabbed his collar, and hauled him sputtering back on to the dock. He was almost always good natured and rarely barked at other dogs or people unless really excised. When he reached this point he would let forth a deep "WOOF!" and then sit back quite satisfied that he had done his job well.
You did indeed do your job well, Duggan, and we will miss you. May you enjoy running in the fields of the Lord.
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