Beauty without Vanity
Strength without Insolence,
Courage without Ferocity,
And all the Virtues of man,
Without his Vices.
Lord Byron
I think we are drawn to dogs because they are the uninhibited creatures we might be if we weren't certain we knew better.
They fight for honor at the first challenge, make love without moral restraint and they do not for all their instincts appear to foresee or dwell on their own death. Being such wonderfully uncomplicated beings, they need us to do their worrying.
There will be an occasional clash of intents if not of wills, and you must work this out without loss of intimacy.
~George Bird Evans, Troubles With Bird Dogs
When the body that lived at your single will,
When its whimper is stilled (how still!)
When the spirit that answered your every mood
Is gone—wherever it goes—for good,
You will discover how much you care,
And will give your heart to a dog to tear.
(From Rudyard Kipling's "Power of the Dog")
Goodbye, ZULU, 1986-April 23,2003
Rest in Peace Logan, Nov 1988-March 25, 2003
