Liz P Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 I don't have the heart to write a proper memorial just yet. That will come in time. For today all I can do is share my grief with you. I lost a good dog to cancer this afternoon. He was brave and honorable to the very end. Rest in peace Flyboy. Edited 7/3/10 I had a dream last night. In it Flyboy was young and healthy again. The end of the dream broke my heart, because I knew he was really gone. Flyboy was a birthday gift. He was flown into NJ from VA on July 16th, 1998. It was a brutally hot summer day and a long trip from our home in CT. After driving in circles around the airpot for what seemed like hours we located the cargo area for American Airlines. As we approached the huge warehouse we could hear a puppy screaming at the top of his lungs and the workers screaming back at the pup to shut up. My first thought was, "Uh oh, I hope that isn't my puppy!" When they handed me a silent carrier from the front of the building I breathed a sigh of relief, until I looked inside and saw a Springer Spaniel. Well, turns out that my puppy was the loud mouth. To his last days on earth Flyboy liked to howl and yodel with joy when I came home. I used to joke with people and tell them that I owned a wolf. Sometimes I think they believed me. Flyboy always knew how to express his joy for the world to share. Not only did he yodel, he also smiled with a wide toothy grin and did a happy dance that involved moving his body from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail. Flyboy had a great sense of humor and he loved to play jokes on people. If I left him in the car while I went inside a store he would hunker down on the floor and wait for someone to walk past. When a person made the mistake of getting too close to the window he would pop up and bark. As the person screamed he would sit on the seat with a big grin on his face and making a huffing noise that was unmistakable as a laugh. If his victim had been brave enough to stick their hand through the window they would have been greeted by a lick and nose bump. Flyboy's nickname was Sir Pokes-A-Lot because of the way he slid his nose under your hand seeking affection. While he had a fun loving side, Flyboy was truly the most honest, hard working dog I have ever owned. As a one year old dog he had a partial tear to his cruciate ligament while working. I saw him skip a single step and seem to slow down for a few paces. I called him over but couldn't find anything wrong. I asked him if he was ok to keep going. He wagged his tail and got right down to the task at hand. When we were finished I said, "that'll do" and called him over to the truck. He ran over and promptly collapsed. It took a full year for him to recover, but as soon as he was able to he started right where we left off, with perhaps an even stronger work ethic. I can't think of a single time that he ever quit on me. Flyboy was a 200% kind of guy. He was a tough dog, there is no doubt in my mind about that, but Flyboy was also very gentle and loving. He didn't cuddle, that was beneath him, but he did show his love through a devoted gaze, a nose bump or by the simple act of being by your side. I would never go so far as to call him aggressive, and yet he was extremely caring and protective towards both his human family and other animals. He knew the difference between when force was required or a gentle nudge sufficed. The big tough working dog loved his kitties. Orphaned kittens were his absolute favorite thing in the whole world. It wasn't uncommon for him to carry them around in his mouth, share his food or even keep them out of trouble by shepherding them out of forbidden rooms in the house. As he aged Flyboy became a stately gentleman, though he never did stop playing jokes. He was just starting to enjoy his life of retirement and creature comforts when I diagnosed him with hemangiosarcoma of the liver and spleen. It was the same type of cancer that had killed his best buddy, my other Border Collie (Duncan), just a few years previously. Flyboy spent his last day on earth laying in the warm grass and watching the sheep and goats grazing. He was too weak to work them, but he was happy. I hope that Duncan and Flyboy are together again at the Rainbow Bridge. Quote
aljones Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 I am so sorry for your loss. Flyboy was very handsome, and I'm sorry he left you too soon. Quote
Journey Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Oh Liz, I am so sorry to hear this. Godspeed Flyboy. Quote
Anda Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Liz, so sorry for loosing your beautiful Flyboy. Hugs. Quote
ShoresDog Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Liz, I'm so sorry for your loss. Quote
esox Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Liz, I am sorry to hear of your loss. We will keep you in our prayers. Godspeed Flyboy. Esox & Alex Quote
Sue R Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Very, very sorry to hear of your loss. That'll do, good Flyboy! Quote
kelpiegirl Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 I am so sorry. I know you loved him so. Please know that we all shed a tear for anyone who loses a dog who brings with them so much love, loyalty, and strength. Quote
KrisK Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 I am so sorry to hear about Flyboy. He was much too young to leave you. May all his good memories rest in your heart. Run free Flyboy... Quote
MicheleS. Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Very sorry for your loss. Rest in peace good boy. Quote
nancy in AZ Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Liz I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, my heart aches for you. Rest in peace Flyboy. You will be missed. Quote
bc4ever Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Liz, I'm so sorry to read this. Words are so inadequate at a time like this. We get through it, but never over it. Prayers and a virtual hug being sent your way. Pam Quote
desertranger Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 *hugs* Rub free Flyboy and dance on the other side of the bridge. Quote
juliepoudrier Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 That'll do Flyboy. He's pain free now. He'll live forever in your heart. My thoughts and prayers are with you. J. Quote
Lewie'sMom Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Oh, Liz, my deepest sympathies. Good boy, Flyboy. Quote
sea4th Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 I'm so sorry for your loss. Sleep gently, Flyboy. Quote
nancy Posted November 29, 2009 Report Posted November 29, 2009 Fergie and I are so sorry. But now Flyboy is a happy young puppy, waiting to greet you. And you know, that the time for you may be long, but his sense of it will be just a sec. Quote
BustopherJones Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 As much as I loved the life we had and all the times we played, I was so very tired and knew my time on earth would fade. I saw a wondrous image then of a place that's trouble-free Where all of us can meet again to spend eternity. I saw the most beautiful Rainbow, and on the other side Were meadows rich and beautiful - lush and green and wide; And running through the meadows as far as the eye could see Were animals of every sort as healthy as could be. My own tired, failing body was fresh and healed and new And I wanted to go run with them, but I had something left to do. I needed to reach out to you, to tell you I'm alright, That this place is truly wonderful; then a bright glow pierced the night. Twas the glow of many candles, shining bright and strong and bold; And I knew then that it held your love in its brilliant shades of gold. For although we may not be together in the way we used to be We are still connected by a cord no one can see. So whenever you need to find me, we're never far apart If you look beyond the Rainbow and listen with your heart. ~ Author Unknown Vaya con Dios, Flyboy. Quote
WildFlower Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 I am so sorry for your loss, Liz. That'll do Flyboy. Quote
DixiesDad Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 All of us are sadden to hear the news about Flyboy. Quote
bc friend Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. RIP Flyboy - you were loved. Quote
Nellie's Dad Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 So sorry to hear of your loss. Run free without pain Flyboy. Quote
PSmitty Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 I'm so sorry, Liz. Run free, Flyboy. Quote
Stoga Posted November 30, 2009 Report Posted November 30, 2009 Accept our heartfelt condolences, Liz. His pain is over, and he'd want yours to be short as well... Quote
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