Farewell My Friend

HiQ Zephyr Jan. 21st 2002-Feb.10th 2017
We said goodbye to Zephyr yesterday. Zephyr is my once in a lifetime dog. My heart dog. He has always been perfection. Everything I ever asked him to do with me he did with gusto and joy. Over the years we competed in flyball, disc, sheepherding and agility. He has been my constant companion and friend through many ups and downs in life. He helped raise my kids with me. He has shaped my life in the job I have, the work I d...o and in bringing some of my closest friends into my life. Words can not say what he has been to me.
He was the last litter sired by Diane McWhinnie's amazing dog Kyle(who was with us in spirit today). Kyle was a special dog and Zephyr shared his qualities. He was entrusted to me all those years ago by Dawn Kadish.
I want to say a huge thank you to Dr. Stephanie Ng who was here today to help him pass peacefully in our home. You so gracefully handled our grief.
It's so damn hard to say goodbye to such a friend. No time would ever be enough.
Thank you Zephyr for always being by my side. Thank you for the immeasurable amount of miles you travelled with me over the years on trails far and wide. Thank you for being such a patient model those years back when I learned all the manual controls on my camera.
Shine on Zephyr Lou Hoo...I'll see you one day on the other side.
And because I have always spoke better with images...some of favourites that I've taken over the years and a few sport pics by others.

Morning Walk

Taken on yesterday's morning walk. We also saw the vet yesterday and made some adjustments to his meds. Zephyr was diagnosed 2 weeks ago and is starting to slow down, but he is still determined to come on our walks and is interested in all that is going on in the house. He has always looked so wise. He is perfection. AND he wears his purple coat well :)

A Friend In Zephyr

A Friend In Me from ZZ AOD on Vimeo.

A week and a half ago I got upsetting news. Zephyr was diagnosed with lymphoma. He had just turned 15. The prognosis is 4 weeks usually from time of diagnosis. He is still enjoying his walks at the beach, and eating good home cooking. I will not be pursuing any sort of treatment. We are just medicating him to keep him feeling good until the time comes to make a decision. This dog has shaped my life more than words can tell. My work and some of the closest people in my life are because of this dog. He has been my constant and my friend for 15 years. I am determined to enjoy every day that he is still with us, but it will be so hard when he goes.
My boys have never known a life without him. They will miss him too. I am currently making a photo book for them so we can share and celebrate his life. This slideshow is some of those photos over the past 11 years. I love the smiles and laughter. Blessed by growing up with the best dog ever.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 15th Birthday to my most perfect red dog Zephyr! How fortunate I've been to share all these years with such a wonderful dog