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.
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