A True Hero

The girls with our beloved Striker

Three days ago, our dog Striker died unexpectedly. Apparently, he tangled with some animal that was poisonous and although he may have won the battle, he lost the war. He lived by the tooth, and died by the tooth.

Always a hunter, as you would expect a Pointer to be, Striker would always dash out the front door and stalk various animals, usually successfully. When he was just a puppy, there was a squirrel that used to scamper along the fence next to our bay window and chatter at him, driving him to distraction. One day in his crate, I found all that remained of that squirrel - a single leg. After that, he killed a number of animals in our yard and around the house. A two and a half foot iguana (without the tail) took out a little notch from his tongue in its losing battle with Striker. Another iguana he chased into the pool, and he also killed a possum and a water rat, and those are just the battles we witnessed.

With the family, he was loyal and loving. In the mornings, when I would cuddle with Miriam, he would crawl into bed with us and lie right on top of me, with his head on my chest, sometimes wriggling in between us to get the maximum attention. He used to follow me from room to room, no matter how comfortable he was. He would compete with the girls for lap space, always moving in to steal their spot when one of them got up from my lap. He gave each and every member of our family his complete and unconditional love each day. At the end, as dogs do, he went off by himself to spare us the pain of seeing him die.

I don't know why he had to die, at only 5 years old. I don't know why it had to be in such a painful way. But I am certain that somehow, even his end was an act of sharing. He removed some kind of judgment from us, sacrificing himself for the family he loved so much. For that, as well as for the gift of his love,  I will always be grateful. 

Rest in peace, noble dog, loyal friend, hero.