A Tribute to our Dog
We lost our beautiful boy, Caesar, last night, and this morning there is a gigantic hole in our hearts and our home. We went to sleep sad and woke up sad, and while I know it will get easier with time, it will never get better. I look at his bed, and he’s not in it. I listen for the tapping of his nails on the floor and don’t hear them. I know we are lucky that he was a part of our lives for so many years, but we wanted him to be a part of our lives forever. While we no longer have his physical presence, he always will be a part of our souls. But we miss his physical presence incredibly. I want to scratch him under his chin or have him nuzzle against my chest. He was the perfect dog: loyal, friendly, affectionate, protective, smart, kind and a passionate, happy member of his pack.
I first saw Caesar when I was volunteering at the animal shelter. He was sitting with his side pressed up against his pen, looking up at me with his beautiful eyes. He’d been returned to the shelter three times, with a long list of “faults:” digging, biting, hating to ride in cars, etc., along with some positives: loving and friendly to people, other dogs and cats. We figured most of the “flaws” were because he spent most of his day in a crate while his owners were at work, and he seemed perfect for us. I am partial to German Shepherds as they were my first dogs, and he looked like he was part German Shepherd. Plus with his long legs, I knew he would be a good running partner, and I love running with a dog by my side. He came home with us a few days later and bonded instantly, following us from room to room, and standing at the garage door whenever we went somewhere (we never figured out where that “doesn’t like riding in cars ” came from).
We had two cats when we first brought Caesar home, so we bought an outdoor pen for him, that way he could safely stay outside until we knew our girls would be safe with him. The “$10 dog” (that was the adoption fee) turned into a $1000 pen plus a $125 dog house that he spent a very small part of less than 2 days in, including a brief time in the rain, a story that still makes us laugh. He was in the pen when it started to rain. Hard. When we looked outside, he was at the edge of the pen closest to the house, staring at the house, getting soaked (and he hated being wet), and trying to dig his way out. Mario went outside to show him the dog house, and came back saying, “He knows where the dog house is. He just doesn’t want to be in it.” So in the house Caesar came, and he never spent time in the pen again; he got along great with Lindy and Chaya, our two cats, often sleeping on the couch or bed with them.
He came everywhere with us, soaking up all the admiration from people who commented on his beauty. After we adopted another dog, Homer, people would comment on how stunning our dogs were, but we always knew they were talking about Caesar (nothing against Homer); Caesar truly is a remarkable and somewhat unusual-looking dog. People often asked us if he was part wolf; we think he is a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog dog, which has a small percentage of wolf in the breed.
He was a great running partner for me, trotting along easily beside me and always happy to go. Even after a run, he still had energy to burn, running around the yard like he hadn’t exercised at all. We adopted Homer when Caesar was five, and Caesar loved to wrestle and chase him. They were the perfect combination: Caesar was the alpha dog, and Homer didn’t care. Homer wasn’t submissive, but he was happy to let Caesar lead.
When our son, Tommy, was born, Caesar was confused, not sure what to make of this “thing,” who now took up so much of our time. But his pack instincts quickly took over, and he added Tommy as one of his charges. There is a photo below of me with Tommy and Lindy on my lap, with Caesar snuggling up on my side, typical of the way he lived his life. When Tommy got old enough to go outside on his own, Caesar would never let him go outside by himself. If for some reason Tommy made it out the door without him, Caesar would stand at the door until we let him out, and he wouldn’t come in until Tommy did.
He loved playing with Mario, chasing him and wrestling. He looked really mean, baring his teeth, which Mario called “the hardest things known to man” (his nails, which he hated to have cut, were a close second), but Caesar never hurt him, except for an accidental paw to his, ahem, groin. His favorite time to play was in the snow. He got very excited when he saw Mario putting on his snow gear, and he would play with Mario for as long as Mario would stay outside, wrestling, pulling on Mario’s gloves or hood, and chasing him or getting chased. A huge snowstorm was his idea of the perfect day.
He had somewhat unusual tastes for a dog, disdaining peanut butter and cheese (unless it was melted). He loved cat food, bread, cereal, popcorn and like most dogs, meat.
Most of all though, Caesar adored his family, and we adored him—he will be missed tremendously. We are happy that he was part of our lives and will hold onto our memories and cherish his photos. Some of my favorite images are posted below, the ones that tell his story. I would encourage everyone to photograph their family members regularly. Even though I am really sad today, looking at some of his photos has made me smile. We had a great life together, and for that, I am grateful.
Ellen
