The Best Dog in the Whole Wide World
My sweet, gentle, loving and devoted canine companion, Shadow, passed away peacefully at home a week ago today. He was 12-1/2 years old: born June 21, 2006, adopted November 23, 2009, died January 28, 2019.
The black beauty in his prime. At home, December 3, 2011.
Shadow was the friendliest large-breed dog I've ever known, and the most playful one, too. He was like a big, overgrown puppy, especially when playing with his ball. When we went for walks, I never had to worry about Shadow interacting with people. He wanted to meet and greet everyone - he especially loved children - and everyone he befriended loved him in return.
He was also exceptionally intelligent. Shadow was no less aware of the world around him than most people. Nothing escaped this dog's notice, and his attention was focused like a laser beam on my every move. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without him following me and watching me. He literally was my shadow!
Probably my favorite portrait. At Trinidad Pier, July 27, 2012.
Unfortunately, almost all German shepherd dogs develop problems with their hindquarters in later life, and Shadow was no exception. He started having difficulty walking in early 2017. By April of that year, his gait was so unsteady that I feared it wouldn't be more than a few weeks - maybe only days - before he couldn't walk at all.
As luck would have it, Shadow had a dental emergency on a Sunday that April which forced me to take him to a different veterinarian. Long story short, the new vet prescribed a medication that managed his condition so well that it ended up extending his life by an astonishing 21 months. It was nothing less than a miracle.
Two elderly gentlemen, September 13, 2018. Photo by my friend, Alon Karpovsky.
It wasn't a cure, though, and Shadow still continued to decline, just at a slower rate. For the next 1-2/3 years, he needed 'round-the-clock care. It was stressful, but the way I looked at it, I was just repaying the devotion he'd always given to me, and the duties I undertook in his behalf made me treasure all the more every single one of the 600+ additional days of life that his medicine gave him.
Although I'm devastated to lose Shadow, I'm at least consoled that he got to pass away naturally at home with me there with him. I'm also very relieved that, thanks to some neighbors who loved Shadow, too, he was able to be laid to rest in his own back yard. (I could not possibly have dug the grave all by myself.)
As you can see, I'm not the only one who's mourning Shadow's loss...
Zigzag keeping vigil at his friend's grave. January 31, 2019.
I'm truly crushed he's gone. Of course, I still have Zigzag, but there's a huge hole in my heart now that no other dog could ever fill. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to be able to carry on without him.
Farewell, my faithful friend and guardian angel. You really were, as I so often told you, the best dog in the whole wide world.
Shadow leads the way along a path that I, too, will soon follow.
The black beauty in his prime. At home, December 3, 2011.
Shadow was the friendliest large-breed dog I've ever known, and the most playful one, too. He was like a big, overgrown puppy, especially when playing with his ball. When we went for walks, I never had to worry about Shadow interacting with people. He wanted to meet and greet everyone - he especially loved children - and everyone he befriended loved him in return.
He was also exceptionally intelligent. Shadow was no less aware of the world around him than most people. Nothing escaped this dog's notice, and his attention was focused like a laser beam on my every move. I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without him following me and watching me. He literally was my shadow!
Probably my favorite portrait. At Trinidad Pier, July 27, 2012.
Unfortunately, almost all German shepherd dogs develop problems with their hindquarters in later life, and Shadow was no exception. He started having difficulty walking in early 2017. By April of that year, his gait was so unsteady that I feared it wouldn't be more than a few weeks - maybe only days - before he couldn't walk at all.
As luck would have it, Shadow had a dental emergency on a Sunday that April which forced me to take him to a different veterinarian. Long story short, the new vet prescribed a medication that managed his condition so well that it ended up extending his life by an astonishing 21 months. It was nothing less than a miracle.
Two elderly gentlemen, September 13, 2018. Photo by my friend, Alon Karpovsky.
It wasn't a cure, though, and Shadow still continued to decline, just at a slower rate. For the next 1-2/3 years, he needed 'round-the-clock care. It was stressful, but the way I looked at it, I was just repaying the devotion he'd always given to me, and the duties I undertook in his behalf made me treasure all the more every single one of the 600+ additional days of life that his medicine gave him.
Although I'm devastated to lose Shadow, I'm at least consoled that he got to pass away naturally at home with me there with him. I'm also very relieved that, thanks to some neighbors who loved Shadow, too, he was able to be laid to rest in his own back yard. (I could not possibly have dug the grave all by myself.)
As you can see, I'm not the only one who's mourning Shadow's loss...
Zigzag keeping vigil at his friend's grave. January 31, 2019.
I'm truly crushed he's gone. Of course, I still have Zigzag, but there's a huge hole in my heart now that no other dog could ever fill. Honestly, I don't know how I'm going to be able to carry on without him.
Farewell, my faithful friend and guardian angel. You really were, as I so often told you, the best dog in the whole wide world.
Shadow leads the way along a path that I, too, will soon follow.