GABE, OUR ANGEL DOG

He was an 8 pound golden fur ball that instantly captured our hearts. Steve wanted to buy a memorable present for my 40th birthday and I wanted a puppy. I have always loved dogs and acquired my first, Rex, at the age of 10 months old. This would be a special dog so I spent a month researching all breeds of dogs and finally settled on a Golden Retriever. One sunny Saturday in September, 1997, we paid a visit to a home that had a litter of 5 week old Goldens. One puppy lay quietly in the pen while his sisters playfully nipped each other and yipped for attention. One by one the puppies were placed in the open where we could observe them and make our choice. One little puppy followed us around and began chewing on my husband’s toes; it was an easy choice. One week later Gabe joined our family.

He was house-broken within a week, maybe because I sat my alarm and took him out every 4 hours even in the rain. He went to obedience school but never lost his independence. A year later we acquired a brother for Gabe, another Golden named Charlie. Suspicious at first, Gabe finally accepted and loved Charlie, but let him know that he would always be in charge. Gabe was a true alpha dog. Charlie would stand patiently while Gabe ate, then eat his portion. The played tug-of-war and chased each other across the yard; always on Gabe’s terms. Charlie died of cancer a year ago in April and Gabe never played with another dog.

Although Gabe was getting old and had slowed down, he still managed to play with Caleb. He would lie quietly as Caleb would climb on top of him; use him as a pillow while watching videos; happily share his treats and wait patiently for the crumbs to drop under the high chair. Last Thursday, Gabe allowed Caleb to ride him, check out his tongue and try a piece of his dog food. He lay in the yard as Steve and I completed some landscaping and slowly followed me into the garage to get a drink out of the hose as I filled my watering can. Little did I know that this would be the last evening that we would share with Gabe.

Friday morning he seemed listless and exhausted. He would not eat or go outside. His breathing became more labored and at a little after 2 pm Gabe’s great big heart simply stopped. I knelt beside him as he took his last few breaths and stroked his silky golden red fur and told him how much we loved him; then he was gone.

This week has been a little lonely and the house has been a little too quiet. For just a moment every morning I expect to see him at the foot of the stairs. I am still getting used to coming into a silent house and listening for a door bell instead of a friendly bark to signal visitors. I have no one to eat the crust of my sandwich and share a big bowl of popcorn. There are no hairballs in the corner or dog bowl to avoid in the kitchen and leftovers are placed in the garbage.
Instead of dwelling on what we have lost, I choose to remember what we had. We had a loyal friend for 11 years. We had a faithful companion that tried so hard to please us and always gave unconditional love. We miss you Gabe. You will always be in our memories and in our hearts.