It's Been a Year

I cannot believe it has been a year since I lost Spot. It seems like it was really only yesterday, I feel like I just took down his crate, like I just saw him. It's an odd feeling.

I wrote about his passing here, but I don't think that I have ever really talked about Spot much at all. Spot was my dog. I don't mean this in the typical sense, I mean Cosmo and Razz are my dogs too. D is my husband. This is different than that. Spot was my dog. I am sure that I will get more than one eye roll for this, but we just got each other. One of my favorite things to do with Spot was just be. We could sit on the couch and I felt like he knew what I was thinking. And lets be honest here, Spot is what planted the seed that grew to me becoming vegan. He knew when I needed to be left alone, when I needed to be cuddled or when one of the other dogs were out of line.

Before I became so involved in roller derby, I fostered for Green Acres Boxer Rescue. Spot was the best welcome dog I have ever seen. He was so laid back, he could make even the shyest dog comfortable. Spot had just enough spunk that he could get a nervous dog to play. Spot helped me temperament test dogs and assisted in Canine Good Citizen Testing. I used to say that if a dog had problems with Spot, that dog would have problems with all dogs.

Spot was also a therapy dog. We visited a home here in Green Bay for developmentally disabled adults. He loved it. He loved the attention, the extra treats, the pudding that the nurse used to give him, he loved all of it. I remember once a security alarm went off, and it was loud. I looked to Spot to see how he would handle it. I swear, he yawned and laid down. Spot loved to visit every where and I loved to take him. I loved to travel with him.

Right now I sound like one of those owners who believes their dog is perfect. Um. No. Spot had always had pee problems and was never the best at the whole house training thing. He had accidents pretty frequently, especially near the end. He was an incorrigible counter surfer and food stealer. He would bark at the worst times (I'm thinking of a midnight feeding at Alabaster Mom's house) and of course, he would pre-bark. He also had joint issues that required surgery, therapy, and lots of TLC.

Nope, Spot was far from perfect. But he was Perfect For Me. I miss him so much.