We lost our 16 1/2 year old blue heeler last week. Mr. Mercat, our dachshund, and I miss him a lot. When I went to pick him up 16 years ago from the BYB, he had been with his siblings in a separate part of the farm for a couple of weeks. Both his parents ran at him and rolled him in the dirt. He was glad to go. He was Mr. M’s constant companion and is now buried at our farm. He knew him so well and would sit and watch him closely all the time right up until the last few months when he was just too tired.