Yappy Dog on the Corner of Carson and 85th

This is a Eulogy that I wrote for my best (4-legged) friend! He passed away January Twenty-Fourth, 2017. I posted this in a few places back when I wrote it, like Facebook and Nextdoor.com a neighborhood social media platform, but I thought I might post it here too.

Be sure to find kindness in everyone and everything. If you look for the Bad you are only going to find the bad in people. But if you look for the good and you listen to their story and get to know them, you will find acceptance and kindness in everything. That my friends is happiness. 

Please enjoy this inspired writing from a few years ago.

-Ryan

Yappy Dog on the Corner of Carson and 85^th

Neighbors and Friends,

At the house on the corner of Carson and 85^th there is a yappy dog on a lead that comes almost all the way to the sidewalk on 85^th. He runs to the end of his lead, as fast as he can, barking and startling everyone that walks by. He very small, but loud and annoying. He is equally annoying from inside the house. The blinds are kept closed so that the people inside don’t go mad from his persistent barking at every man, woman, child, and animal that passes by. It must be exhausting for that dog to constantly be on the lookout for friend or foe. It is a job I’m sure he took pride in.

His name is Zeus. A big name for such a little dog. When in fact he was much more of a scaredy-cat. He wasn’t much of a protector as much as an alerter. If you made half a motion towards him he would scurry off & retreat, then reestablish his position and continue barking. If you were not a member of the family, you were not welcome. Not because he disliked everyone else, but because he was compelled by a sense of duty to keep his family safe.

Zeus is my best friend, a Jack Russell Terrier. I apologize if he frightened you or your family if you were walking by. We tried our best to avoid times when the school bus stop would be busy. We also tried to be respectful and bring him in right away as soon as he would start barking, which was inevitable. Moving here three years ago was a big change for Zeus. He used to have a large fenced yard and a dog door to come and go as he pleased. He still, however, would run out that door and unrelentingly bark at the neighbor mowing or working in their yard, just to show them he was watching. No matter how hard they tried to be friends with Zeus he would still bark to let his family know that someone was near. He was a great guard dog in that regard. He barked so much that we didn’t always believe him. But, I will forever recall one night in the wee hours of the morning when he barked and barked to get us out of bed. I finally threw off the covers stomped over to him in frustration and told him to knock it off. He continued and I soon found a person outside peeking in our window. We always believed Zeus after that.

Zeus did get grumpier as he aged. Thirteen is pretty old for a dog. He had his routine. Knew what he liked and didn’t like. But he always looked after his house and his family. He was never too tired to fulfill his duty. Even though sometimes you could sneak up on him, once he finally noticed you he would bark and then, with a satisfied look on his face, wag his whole backside while looking up waiting for appreciation in the form of a head rub. That is all the compensation Zeus required.

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that Zeus is no longer with us. As I said, he was an elderly dog, and time catches up with all of us. I think it was the bourbon and cigars that did him in. He didn’t think I knew, but I could smell it on him and I often pointed it out to my wife when I would come home late. But seriously, he had a recent stay at Amity Woods Animal Hospital for three days. When he came home he would have some good hours and bad hours. We did our best to help him get better. Unfortunately, we could not get him to eat after he came home. For ten days he only ate a small piece of cheese that contained his daily medication. At the end, he didn’t even want to eat that. With no strength, as well as being ill, life was hard for Zeus and on Tuesday January 24, 2017 we had to let him go. So I say to you my neighbors and friends, you can walk on the sidewalk by the house on the corner of Carson and 85^th without fear of being startled by Zeus, that yappy dog with the annoying bark, and full heart. Thank you for putting up with him. Thank you for trying your best to make friends with him. And thank you for being our friends and neighbors. We love and appreciate you all, and we know that Zeus did as well.

I also want to thank Amity Woods Animal Hospital and their staff. They have always been wonderful, kind, and professional. They took great care of Zeus and did their best to give him extra comfort and love. I recommend the place not just because they are in the neighborhood, but because of the great service they gave my 2-legged and 4-legged family.

With Love, Kindness, and warmest regards,

Ryan & Sarah

Rylee & Tyler