We lost Gozar this week. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

He had the heart and the hope to go longer, but in the end, the complications from his liver condition caught up to him, and we had to say goodbye. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> We were with him to the end.

He was a good dog... no, a great dog -- hell, he was the BEST dog. More than 'just' a dog, he was a fur-person, our fur-person. Kammy and I loved him as our closest family member for nine awesome years, and he loved us back even moreso. We fed, groomed, entertained, and loved him ... and in return, he kept us as his pack.

I've learned so much from him -- how to truly relax, how to supervise from afar, and how to enjoy the little stuff... most of all, perhaps, how to shoulder the abuse the world throws at us, then let it quickly slide off, to be replaced by something better, like a good nap in tall, shaded grass. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Gozar was happy to see you every single time, even if you'd last left in a huff or a hurry... and unconditional love is most truly defined in our canine companions. Most of us non-furry people spend a longer lifetime learning to behave as well as dogs do even a few years into their shorter spans.

Kammy and I are heartbroken that we couldn't have more time with Goz, but he stayed as long as he could, and we feel so blessed for the time that we had. He will be missed, and I regret not one thing, except how soon he had to go.

Thanks, all of you from Gozar's extended family, for your emails, calls, and cards that encouraged us in the past few months. Gozar always introduced us to the best people.

I have a hard time imagining four-wheeling without him, but we won't stay away from the beauty of the places we visited with him. Utah's Red Rocks, California's Sierras, Colorado's Rockies, the Northwest's Cascades -- we traveled far, and met many, and our massive, shaggy friend was always a big part of that. Revisiting those places, their people, that's how I hope to remember Gozar best.

[color:"blue"]. . . . . . . . . . . Rest in Peace . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . Gozar the Destructor . . . . . . . .
Newfoundland, shade-hunter, and water-hound
. . . . . . . . . . . . beloved . . . . . . . . . . . .[/color]

Randii