Fluffy

2008 - 2020

We got our amazing boy from the local kennel. He was only there one night, as his previous owner dropped him off the day or evening before and told the worker there that she just couldn’t deal with him anymore. We were lucky to have been the ones to quickly scoop him up and be allowed to adopt him. He was 10.5 months old and not yet neutered. The worst thing he ever did, other than very infrequently roll in some other animal’s poop, was to pee on all our beds during the first couple of days we had him. That behaviour was marking his territory and not because he actually had to go. He never made another mess in the house after that and yes we got fresh new mattresses.
He was friendly toward everyone and every other creature. He would lie on his belly when another dog was approaching during our walks and he’d wait for them to reach us, then say hello. He was a really big sniffer. How many times per walk we stopped so he could sniff things.
People such as groomers and vet techs would often tell me he was such a sweet dog and I’d smile proudly and happily.
He followed each of us around the house, sharing his time and love with all of us. This included coming into the bathroom with us if we didn’t push the door closed tightly enough then he would just barge in. If he had his way, the whole family would sleep in one humungous bed so he wouldn’t have to choose and feel bad that he was hurting someone’s feelings.
From the beginning, Fluff would come running into the kitchen when I started chopping veggies. He loved eating crunchy raw vegetables and he would go crazy for frozen French fries on the rare occasion we’d have them and in his later years he loved plain cooked pasta. He would sit and look longingly up at the counter where the colander containing pasta sat inside the sink.
He loved deep tissue massages from his papa. No one else had the right technique.
His nicknames were Shorty McLongfellow, Flufferumpolous and the Bum Dog.
I’ve read so many other people’s memorials and they all make me cry. It’s not a good activity because for over a month I’ve been crying about the death of my own pet but it’s an eye opener to know that just about everyone takes the death of their beloved pet incredibly hard. It’s almost unbearable for each and every one of us. Thank you Fluff for being a best friend, for being a really good dog, a gentle soul and for being my cute little Velcro boy who was always there for a kiss and a cuddle. I thought you’d be with us for another year or two as our one-eyed dog because you were recovering so well from the eye surgery. But two days after the stitches came out, after being in for the usual 14 days, things went badly so suddenly and unexpectedly and you did not tolerate the anesthetic at all well. You’d been through so much already so we couldn’t put you through more for our selfish reasons. We will see you or feel your energy again some day. Love you and miss you tremendously.