good dog

we are drazes and we love our dogs and today is a sad day.

teddy charmed his way into jim and deanna's lives as an irresistable ball of fluff who needed rescuing. part something and part something else, he was a feisty ball of insistence, wrapped in layers of fluffy tufts of heaven and a belly covered in white wool, inches deep. hershey syrup eyes, perfect little triangles for ears, and paintbrush paws. a perfect angel. perfect?

jim says at first, no. frankly at first, no. not a good dog. it took a while to break him in. impossible. exasperating. naughty. subborn. incorrigable. but, patience prevailed, and the chocolate eyes and curly wag only helped things along, and by the time i met him he was, indeed, a good good dog.

in our best memories we are gathered in iron mountain, at jim and martha's. we and our dogs, all together. dogs with biscuits and we with our wine, the grown-ups playing cards while the dogs snoozed under the table. and we laughed so hard the first time we heard jim say "come on, you bastard" as he rattled the leash announcing an evening walk. what a funny thing, as he was a good good dog and that would be like calling mother teresa a lazy bum. those days are long behind us, and now, teddy is, too.

he couldn't see and couldn't hear and felt pain when touched, and so the hard time came to say good bye.

and we will all remember the delight of burying our fingers deep in his perfect softness, the way he smiled when we scratched his ears, the noble prowl in protecting his home from wayward cats, and the welcome home dance with steps only teddy could tap.

rest well dear ted, and we send all our love with you as you bounce and run with your beloved cousins - lizzie, tammie, souza, pebbles. thanks for everything, and thanks for loving us as much as we loved you.

good dog.