Sixteen and a half years. That's a long time. We adopted Tux as a pup back in late 2000 so Deek would have someone to play with. And they played and played, and grew up, and they were our little pack. And they grew old, and in late 2014 we said goodbye to Deek. And Tux grew older, as an only-dog for the first time in his life. In his prime he would stay out while Craig worked on the farm. As he aged the noises of booming or banging in the distance began to make him nervous and he would run back to the house. As he got even older, he didn't hear the loud noises but was too tired to stay outside while Craig worked. And somewhere along the way, he became so very, very old. He was happy and still doing his dog things while his health deteriorated in his final months. When it was time to say goodbye, he was ready to go. For the first time ever, he left the property. He was heading down the road to find a final place to rest. Craig carried him home and we fed him bacon and we said said goodbye.
Puppy Tux:
Welcoming Tux to the family, back in 2000:
Oh, how they would run:
Time passed and we found ourselves celebrating his 16th birthday last year:
About an hour after he died, this crocus, the first bloom of the year emerged from the ground into the morning sun.
And now two gravestones and a beautiful view where we can sit and rest and remember them:
