In memory to Leo: my best friend and companion who suddenly passed away

Further thoughts on the passing away of my steadfast loyal Shar-pei Leo:

I am extremely saddened by the unexpected and sudden passing away of my 14-yr faithful loyal mate Leo. He was part Shar-pei, part German Shepard, though i always preferred to think of him as simply a Shar-pei, period. He had a slight muff around his neck, and a smooth layer of hair, which when you got to washing him revealed a much more thicker coast underneath. That made the job of washing him a major chore, though he kept himself fairly neat and clean , unlike my other still-surviving dog, the Cockapoo Fuji, who easily got dirty.

Leo was a contradiction: he craved attention but disliked being petted or hugged, and i would not describe him as being a cuddly sort, who would lick you to death: he was not that type of dog. But he very much wanted attention and was always wandering in my way as i would pass back and forth and around in the back yard or garage. That would often aggravate me as i passed thru the back yard, but that was more my fault as i lack patience, and because i was under pressure, had pressing tasks, hectic schedules, and burdensome chores. Leo was very understanding of that and would quickly back away if he saw me aggravated and focused on some task. He was a very even-tempered dog, fairly smart and could pick up my moods very well.

Leo was part of my small family houshold for 14 yrs, and in those 14 yrs, thru a dozen contracting jobs, career shifts, family events, vacations, frequent wanderings in and out of my home, all thru my frequent trips and outdoor travels and hobbies he was always a constant steadfast presense day in and day out, having the whole garage and back yard as his domain. He was always there to greet me as i left my home to go to work or on short vacations, and when i came back he never complained a wit, though i took him for granted and selfishly was focued on my own needs and desires, not giving Leo nearly enough love and the attention he craved. Now he is gone from this earth, and i can only dwell and reflect bitterly over my not providing Leo with more quality time and adventures away from his steadfast but rather routine 14 years, almost wholly spent in my backyard and garage.

Once a week( not enough for the active outdoor-loving Leo), i would take him for walks around the neighborhood to get him out of his dull home routine, but regret not providng him with more trips out of the house. He was rather large at 60+ pounds and grew more and more stout, heavy, and

lethargic as he aged, making it more and more difficult over time to put him in my truck to take him places.

For 14 yrs Leo was an integral member of my home and property: he was extremely vital as a guard and watchdog in my rather down-trodden, somewhat gettoized hood. Though he was trained to be gentle thru affectionate love he was a formidable-looking 60 IB presense, and just being in my yard kept my home safe from intruders entire 14 yrs. I will never know what those stong square jaws would have done to a burglar, but he had a pit-bull grip and loved to play tug with me using bones, towels, ropes ect. You could hit him hard on the head and he would never let go of his grip.

I am saddened that i did not give him more attention and play time over 14 yrs, and especally in his later years. I took him too much for granted. His favorite resting spot was a low flat wooden platform in the garage where he spent most of the day and all night sleeping. He drank water frequently, and in his later years regrettably spent inordinate amounts of time lying on that perch, sleeping away most of the day and growing more and more lethargic and fat. He was looking OK, alert and fairly normal even up to his last night, and i had no prior warning nor idea he would succume to sudden disease and death next morning. Even as late as 11 pm the previous night he idled up to me in the garage, nuzzling me with his nose in typical fashion, which was a nightly routine and habit repeated 1000's of times over 14 years.

I will not dwell any furthur in the tragic circumstances of his untimely death: all i can say is it was unexpected, sudden and out of the blue. To dwell on it any more is useless, as he is gone forever, and hopefully his soul rests in some peaceful place in dog heaven.

My faithful companion of 14 yrs, my Sharpei Leo, passed away unexpectedly

I want to make this post a tribute and paean to my dearest most faithful companion for 14 yrs, my beautiful brown Shar-pei Leo, who passed away suddenly on morning of July 3 2012, at around 10 am. His death was sudden and completely unexpected, and came without any warning nor indication of serious problems. Only thing i noticed was he had a fairly constant but low-level hoarse cough last few weeks prior to his passing, but otherwise Leo appeared fairly alert, happy and was eating normal right up to his last meal the night before his passing.

As I write this post i am still in a bit of shock over the death of my true and only faithful constant companion. Leo was a well-adjusted even-tempered dog though a bit shy and preferred not to be hugged or petted. However, Leo loved me scratching his back close to his tailbone, and always loved sadling up next to me when i plopped down in my lawn chair so i could rub his back with my foot. He was a 60 pound well-muscled tanned-colored breed with a thin smooth covering of light brown hair. He like all shar-pei's had a good muff around his neck though not as pronounced as chows. He was described by most passerbys on his walks as a handsome Breed.

Leo loved to grab old rugs,towels and blankets, and shake them vigorously as if he was shaking some animal. In his prime he was an avid seeker of small backyard game such as opossums, cats, and rats, and unfortunateky he took out a few. Leo had a strong wide jaw which could grip & hold fast like a bulldog. I know that in tugs between him and me over ropes, bones and rags his jaw would clamp like a vise.

Leo was an integral part of my small 2-person household who shared our home for 14 yrs-he was family. I regret that i never gave him enough walking and exercise, though he had a whole yard to romp in. I regret that i took him for granted: he was always there when i came and went out of my house, never complained nor whined, and never caused any problems. He was spaded which took away incentives to escape and was likely why he tended to over-eat and took on too much weight as he aged-a possible factor in his untimely death.

I did take him for granted, not giving him the attention and constant loving and companionship he needed and craved. I wanted to put him in my truck and take him out to the park ot other places as my constant travel companion on my road trips but he was just too big to pack in my truck, and tying him down on my truck bed was impractical for long trips to the beach or regional wilderness park. I did walk him around my local neighborhood and nearby park 1-2 times a week. I regret that i did not provide enough travel and life experiences for him in his 14 yrs.

He is a major loss for me, my most faithful truest unfailing friend, an anchor and crutch for me in turbulent bad times, and a pychological safety valve for my own admittedly topsy-turvy life situation.

I feel lonely, as if a big hole has been blown in my life- a loss of a vital close family member. My home is suddenly cold and empty without Leo. I am by nature a loner and prefer solitude and the keyboard, so the loss of my beloved leo is so much harder to bear.