Damn dog….

A heartwarming tribute written by one of my forestry friends.  I have had the pleasure of hiking and camping with Sage.  Not just an adopted hound, but the Best damn dog ever.  

I never really cared for dogs then you came into our lives.  The first thing we had to do was take you to the vet for a check-up and shots and you cost me a bunch of money.

Damn dog.

You were always sneaking up into the loft of the cabin to lie in our bed and softly chew on our little stuffed animals, taking them back down with you to your bed.

Damn dog.

You ran away just as we were getting ready to leave on vacation and we had to hunt for you for hours until we found you.

Damn dog.

You chewed off a branch of a new tree we had just planted and chewed up the cross on Zeke's grave.

Damn dog.

You wouldn't stop chasing squirrels and ran into a piece of sheet metal by the trailer and cut open you face.  We had to take you to the vet for stitches and it cost a bunch of money.

Damn dog.

You were once afraid to cross bridges and put up a fuss so we couldn't walk in some of the places we liked to.

Damn dog.

You were a tick magnet.

Damn dog.

Every time we went places there were always “No dogs allowed” signs.  So Meridy and I had to split up or sneak you in at the risk of getting fined.

Damn dog.

You ate something weird and threw up in the house and we had to take you to the vet and it cost a bunch of money.

Damn dog.

There was always dog hair everywhere. In the house, in the cars, on our clothes, in our food, and in our noses.

Damn dog.

You came running through the house and scratched the new wood floors that we just put down and your claw marks will be there always.

Damn dog.

You let me get close to you and you worked your way into my heart.

Damn dog.

You woke us in the middle of the night, barking because the house was on fire.

You were the middle ground between Meridy and I when we were going through our darkest hours.

You were the big brave girl, chasing away deer and Mt. Lions and other bad things and keeping us safe.

But you were still a damn dog.

You ate something weird again and off to the vet we went and it cost a bunch of money again.

Damn dog.

You were allowed in other peoples homes who had dogs so we had to let there dogs in our house too.

Damn dog.

You could never be left for a day so Meridy always had to spend lots of time making arrangements for people to come and take care of you while we were gone.

Damn dog.

You weren't allowed in Mom's apartment so we had to camp in the RV and constantly drive back and forth from Sues house.

Damn dog.

You were always so impatient and had to be told over and over to get back in your bed when I had to get up and walk you first thing in the morning when we were camping and it was cold out.

Damn dog.

You were a beggar and had to be constantly chased out of the kitchen and watched constantly because you would steal food from peoples hands.

Damn dog.

You hated swimming and were tough to bathe so were often dirty and stinky.

Damn dog.

You ate so many weird things that your breath was almost always foul.

Damn dog.

You were a hand full. You took a lot of care and a lot of time. You were always there for us and never questioned and never got angry but you could pout and make us feel bad.

Damn dog.

Then you ate something weird again and threw up in the RV.  We had to take you to the vets yet again and you cost me a bunch of money.

But this time something was different...

This time we had to leave you because you were so sick.

This time you didn't come back with us.

This time you died.

Damn dog.

Best damn dog ever.

I miss you Sageroo.

I love you Puppy Girl.