Farewell, my friend
Today I was heartbroken to hear that tomorrow I have to say goodbye to Melvil. Mel’s been a regular in our house since we moved to Monmouth nine years ago. We’ve walked hundreds of miles together, played every game canines and humans enjoy at home and on the beach, and slept together more times than I can remember.
Shirley is pretty upset that she will miss getting to say goodbye to him by one day. But poor Mel is in pain all the time and just isn’t having any fun. He’s been doing poorly for a long time, so we knew this day was coming. But no matter how much advance warning you have, it still rips your heart out when the time actually comes.
Tonight, I had the privilege of getting to make him something special to eat. Proper dogs are not into fru fru stuff, and Mel is no exception. He dined on lamb shank cooked medium rare and seasoned with nothing more than a little olive oil, garlic, and salt. Mel has always been the canine epicurean, and he was up to the challenge of finishing the whole thing. He enjoyed chewing on the bone afterwards.
Tomorrow, I get to see him one last time. He’ll be at Minto Brown dog park around noon so if you know him, you should go. After that he will go wherever it is that all the best dogs go.