Man's Best Friend

This morning, Chad and I said an unexpected goodbye to our beloved Big Tex.  Words cannot adequately convey the depths of our heartbreak, but I cannot bear to let him leave this world without some sort of eulogy.  

For almost twelve years, Big Tex has been part of our family.  Our big pony adopted us when he was 12 weeks old; he was simply irresistible with his tree trunks for legs, gigantic paws, and polka dots on his nose.  He was our Christmas present from Chad’s parents, who gave us the money for the adoption fees so we could pick out just the puppy we wanted.  Without a doubt, Big Tex is the best Christmas gift we’ve ever received.   

The shelter where we got him had a strict rule that you couldn’t put the puppies on the floor, and I’ll never forget hefting this huge puppy into my arms and lugging him around until I could find Chad to tell him I thought we had a keeper.  For Chad and Big Tex, it was love at first sight.

Tex was the definitive “man’s best friend.”  I always joked that I would leave the house and come back a week later and Tex would barely lift his head to acknowledge my entrance, but Chad would take out the trash and come back thirty seconds later to a one-dog ticker tape parade.  They had a mutual admiration society.

I’ve seen plaques and pictures of dogs with quotes about wanting to be as good as your dog, and I could not agree more.  He loved unconditionally, was loyal to the end, and he never (well, almost rarely) complained.  Big Tex was very animated, to say the least, and was known for occasionally sighing heavily in frustration if we wouldn’t let him go outside to bark at the neighbor dogs or didn’t concede to his demands for a treat, so I can’t truly say he NEVER complained.  It literally looked like he shrugged his shoulders when he sighed.  I’ve never met another dog with so much personality.

Big Tex was a people person and he loved to entertain our guests.  He was not your typical dog in that he didn’t really like toys, but he had one beloved toy – a tiny fleece elephant named George.  If we had a house full of people and Tex wasn’t getting quite the attention he thought he deserved, he was known for disappearing into our bedroom and coming back out with George.  He would then proceed to parade George through the living room and, if people weren’t lighting up by then, he would toss him into the air and chase him around a bit.  And, of course, there was the singing.  I can’t tell you how many times he stood in our living room and performed for a packed house.  He brought joy to so many people and immeasurable joy to us.

Thank you, Big Tex, for the years of happiness you’ve shared with us.  I will miss “holding paws” with you.  You took this cat person and turned her into a dog lover.  When we got Big Tex, my sister joked that I went and got a dog and “super-sized it.”  He was definitely larger than life and inspired me to aspire to be as good as my dog.  

Cheers to you, big dog.