Sunday, January 10, 2010

Clark, Late Fall 2000 - January 10, 2010



This is difficult to type, but I wanted to let you know that our sweet and gentle pointer Clark passed away this morning after seven years with us. Looking back, we cannot believe that it has been that long. Looking ahead, we have trouble picturing our lives without him.

After surviving the abuse and starvation that he endured at the hands of his original owners, we were lucky enough to have him end up in our home. His spirit and gentle ways were qualities that rubbed off on everyone that he was around. His personality made us laugh. His loyalty made us proud. All of our family and friends felt comfortable and secure with Clarkdog. He was a warm pillow for Sam, a playmate for our twelve year old pug, the best dragonfly hunter around and a wonderful hiking companion.

About 3am this morning, his breathing was a bit labored and it seemed that he wasn't able to get comfortable for very long periods of time. About 9am, he had another small seizure and I laid back down on the floor to help console him while he went through it. After a bit of time, his eyes started moving around again and his breathing came back to normal. I was talking to him and petting his head when he lifted his head, looked at me with those sweet amber eyes of his, put his head back down, took three deep breaths and expired.

He looked so quiet and peaceful. All I could do was shake in disbelief as I pet him and gave him a hug.

The house has been oddly quiet today. No clicking of his nails. No tags jingling as he did his "squirrel dance" at the front windows or patio doors. A huge, loving part of our family is gone. The seven years we were fortunate enough to have with him now seem like a blink in time.

Thank you to the GSP Rescue for bringing Clark into our lives. Thank you to "Aunt" Mindy and "Aunt" Patty of the GSP Rescue of Wisconsin for nursing Clark back to health so that he could come to our home and be part of our family.

Clark truly was a good boy. He will be forever in our hearts and will be missed dearly.

4 comments:

andyH. said...

steve - i'm so sorry.

CTB said...

Big Steve - nice tribute to a great friend. I'm glad you could be with him.

Unknown said...

I'm so sorry for your loss of Clark. He was an awesome dog and I know he will be missed by your family and friends. :(

benbarts said...

Steve, I'm sorry Clark is gone. He was a beautiful dog.