Must Love Dogs

Once upon a time, there was a magical dog named Falcor. No, not the good luck dragon from The Neverending Story. I'm talking about the half black lab, half golden retriever wonder dog whose full name was Falcor Bean Elmo Roach Rigatti. Falcor was a good pup, but he had one weakness -- bitches (and I say that in the most proper female-dog sense only). Seriously, though. He was a womanizer. Even as a senior citizen, he managed to sire a litter of puppies with a mutt who will remain nameless, thus leaving his legacies -- Bubby, Chewy, Peaches, and Stewball. As newborns, it was hard to tell if they would take after their mother or their father, as they could only be described as "pop bottles with legs." When it was time to be weened, Stewball soon found a home with the owner of a pizza parlor and lived a happy life until he fell victim to a reckless driver. Any time I heard "Only the Good Die Young," I can't help but think of dear Stewball. Peaches lived with her father for the majority of her childhood, until she was given to a family friend. Hopefully she is still out there somewhere, making her father proud. And that leaves Bubby and Chewy, the inseparable brothers. A wise man once said of them, "They are one dog in two bodies." The two boys lived out many adventures together until one day, Bubby, at a ripe old age, succombed to liver failure. Now the lone pet of the household, Chewy mourned his brother's loss, but also suddenly realized the benefits of being the newly crowned king. One such benefit is the receiving of all the family pet Christmas gifts. This Christmas, Chewy received a dog bed. He is used to sleeping on the carpeted floors, or occassionally sneaking onto a spare bed, but we thought his old bones could use some support, so Jonathan and Emily invested in a bed for him. Their college-student penny-pinching ways first led them to buy a bed that was a bit too small for a dog Chewy's size, which led to some entertaining photo opportunities, but that bed was eventually exchanged for a proper one -- one that Chewy still cannot quite get the hang of. See, for example, the scene last night:



A little smooshed, but so far, so good.

And then we have this...


I guess what they say about old dogs learning tricks is true in his case. Still, no matter if he never learns a new trick again, Chewy and his bloodline will always be remembered as quite the special members of the canine family.