Shadow 1995-2010

Beloved friend and pet

"Great heart, but not too bright"

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This is a poem that a neighbor wrote about Shadow a few weeks before he died, and posted it in her front yard.

Big lumpy dog
Shuffles around the neighborhood
drools on my shoe
still wags his lumpy butt
for a scratch behind the ear
Big lumpy dog
smiling a rubber-lipped doggy smile
shuffles his way along
he winks at me
as he shambles across the street.
Not a pretty dog anymore
but a loved dog
Have patience with
the big lumpy dog
yes, they know his end is near
he'll get there eventually
but in the meantime
still enjoying the scenery.


and a memory from another neighbor-

A neighbor named Carol asked me yesterday about Shadow and I told her he had died. She shared with me a very touching moment for her. She has a black lab that is from a lab rescue team that rescues labs in bad situations. Apparently this lab had been quite beat up by one or more dogs because she was very timid with other dogs, but not with people, when the woman got her. One morning Shadow saw Carol's dog across the street on a walk. Shadow took a look, then slowly (he never moved anything but slowly at that point due to his age) and with effort walked across the street, stood in front of the lab, and wagged his tail. Then he walked back across the street toward his home. The woman said she'll always remember Shadow as a very special dog.

I brought Shadow home for Sophia's 10th birthday. Among the things he gave me was a new pair of eyes into the world of animals. Sometimes I would look at a wild animal or the like on TV and see Shadow peeking out thru the animals eyes. Not all animals, but not just mammals either. It became a family game, when I 'saw' shadow in an animal - I'd say excitedly - 'Look- Shadow'. My wife and the older children caught on and would point out Shadow in the oddest places. It was like falling in love and seeing your beloved in every woman's visage and movement. So Shadow 'gave' me the world of non-human sentient beings, and through him I loved the world a bit more.

We - the Carmiens and Shadow- were so very fortunate that 'Aunt Beth' and Karl had him for the last 4 years of his life - Beth loved to walk with him and he had a real yard, and he loved them very much.