You're my best friend

It's time.

He needs my help to stand up.

I have to help him up and down steps.

We have had record heat. Today it hit 105 in Bozeman.

It's a record.

Not just for today; it was the hottest Bozeman has ever been.

(Global warming? Nah.)

((By the way, I live at 4500 feet elevation. In Montana. That's pretty far up north.))

(((Nah. Weather is cyclical. We had an ice age.)))

He has collapsed twice recently, in the heat.

I cooled him down with the hose in the back yard, spreading the cold water on his skin and his tongue, and telling him I loved him.

Reassuring him that he has always been a good boy.

I set him up with some air conditioning.

He is 15 1/2 years old.





He has been nothing but good that whole time.

He is still nothing but good.

I look and I watch. I try to weigh whether his joy is outweighed by his pain.

And it's time.

If, by any chance, you are saying It's just a dog, well, fuck you. You've probably never had a dog.

More's the pity.

It's unconditional love.

That phrase is bandied about a little too frequently, especially because it doesn't exist amongst humans, unless you are Gandhi or Jesus or Mother Theresa.

Aside from people like that, it just doesn't exist among humans.

We're too complex.

In general, barring abuse, dogs just love.

You give it; you get it.

My heart is breaking.

It's absolutely breaking.

It's time.

It's time, and it hurts.

It hurts like hell.

People say, "You gave him a good life."

He gave me a good life.

I love you, buddy.

Nobody ever loved me like you did.

I hope you felt the same.

I love you, Puck.



He's getting a nice big steak today, and we'll hang out together. We'll take a 'walk'. I'll let him know.